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Air / Cortex / Economy first / OBSERVED BUILD

Standard air

Cortex Air build order · Supreme Isthmus

Economy-first air build: Aircraft Plant then Advanced Metal Extractor and Fusion Reactor, making transports and scouts for allies while transitioning into fighters and occasional bombers over the whole game.

Usually transports first (78%)

#eco #air #team support · 1515 distinct matches · 252 players · 81% of Cortex Air games · team won 46% of 1820 · Recently observed

HOW TO PLAY IT

Key timing: Aircraft Plant by 1:24

  1. Open 3 mex and wind, then drop Aircraft Plant early.
  2. Finish Aircraft Plant and start fighters for scouting and defense.
  3. Eat the Aircraft Plant once production needs outgrow it.
  4. Get Advanced Metal Extractor up to scale eco.
  5. Bring Fusion Reactor online and keep feeding transports, scouts, fighters to allies.

Phase by phase

TYPICAL OF ITS 1515 GAMES
  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
PLAY THE OPENING

Follow the example game's first 6:00 step by step: what to build now, what comes next, and where it goes. At 1× it keeps pace with your own game.

  1. 1

    Up to the Aircraft Plant

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor3Mex
    • Wind Turbine4Wind
    Order
    1. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plant after 3 mex, 4 winddone ~1:26, middle half 1:14–1:35

    Some games also: energy storage (38%)

    By 1:07 in all: 3 mex · 4 wind

    The example game in this phase · 4 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind
    3. Solar
    4. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:05 · typical 1:26
  2. 2

    Aircraft Plant to 5:00

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor1Mex
    • Wind Turbine9Wind
    • Wind Turbine3Wind
    Builders
    • Construction Turret2 Con turret
    • Construction Aircraft1 Con aircraft
    Army
    • Valiant5 Valiant
    • Hercules2 Light transport for allies
    • Finch2 Finch for allies
    • Finch1 Finch
    • Hephaestus1 Heavy transport for allies

    Some games also: shuriken (49%) · energy storage (45%) · converter (44%) · light transport (40%)

    By 5:00 in all: 3 mex · 1 mex · 13 wind · 3 wind · 1 energy storage · 2 con turret

    The example game in this phase · 32 steps
    1. Wind
    2. FinchFinch
    3. Wind ×2
    4. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    5. Wind
    6. ValiantValiant
    7. Wind
    8. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    9. FinchFinch ×2for Geo sea
    10. HerculesLight transport ×2for Beach sea
    11. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    12. ValiantValiant
    13. Con turret
    14. Mex
    15. ValiantValiant ×3
    16. Wind
    17. Con turret
    18. Wind ×2
    19. Wind
    20. Wind
    21. ValiantValiant
    22. Wind
    23. Energy storage
    24. HerculesLight transportfor Suicide front
    25. Wind
    26. Wind
    27. Wind
    28. HerculesLight transport
    29. Wind ×2
    30. Converter
    31. Wind
    32. Wind ×2
  3. 3

    5:00 to 10:00

    Economy
    • Wind Turbine21Wind
    • Wind Turbine5Wind
    • Energy Converter6Converter
    Order
    1. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plant
    2. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plant after 19 wind, 18 wind, 7 converterin 58% of games
    Builders
    • Construction Turret3 Con turret
    Army
    • Valiant9 Valiant

    Some games also: shuriken (47%) · fusion (38%) · con aircraft (35%) · light transport (31%)

    By 10:00 in all: 3 mex · 1 mex · 25 wind · 20 wind · 8 converter · 1 energy storage

    The example game in this phase · 193 steps
    1. Wind
    2. Converter
    3. Wind
    4. ValiantValiant ×3
    5. Wind
    6. ValiantValiant ×2
    7. Converter
    8. ValiantValiant
    9. Wind
    10. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:20 · typical 6:54
    11. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    12. Con turret
    13. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    14. Wind
    15. Converter
    16. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    17. Wind
    18. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    19. Wind ×2
    20. Con turret ×2
    21. Wind
    22. Wind
    23. Wind
    24. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 8:02
    25. Wind
    26. Wind
    27. Hardened Energy Storage
    28. Wind
    29. ShurikenShuriken
    30. Wind
    31. Wind
    32. Wind
    33. ShurikenShuriken
    34. Wind
    35. Wind
    36. Wind
    37. ShurikenShuriken
    38. Wind
    39. ShurikenShuriken
    40. Wind
    41. Wind
    42. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 10:15 · typical 10:52
    43. ShurikenShuriken
    44. Con turret
    45. Wind
    46. Wind
    47. Con turret
    48. Wind
    49. Wind
    50. Wind ×2
    51. ShurikenShuriken
    52. Wind
    53. Wind ×2
    54. Converter
    55. Wind
    56. Wind
    57. Wind
    58. Converter
    59. Wind
    60. ValiantValiant
    61. Wind
    62. Wind
    63. Converter
    64. Wind
    65. ValiantValiant
    66. Converter
    67. ShurikenShuriken
    68. Wind
    69. Wind
    70. Converter
    71. ShurikenShuriken
    72. Wind
    73. ShurikenShuriken
    74. Wind
    75. Wind
    76. ShurikenShuriken
    77. Wind ×2
    78. ShurikenShuriken
    79. Converter
    80. Wind
    81. ShurikenShuriken
    82. Wind
    83. Converter
    84. ShurikenShuriken
    85. Wind
    86. Converter
    87. ShurikenShuriken
    88. Wind
    89. Converter
    90. ShurikenShuriken
    91. Converter
    92. ShurikenShuriken
    93. Wind
    94. Wind
    95. Converter
    96. ValiantValiant
    97. Wind
    98. ValiantValiant
    99. Converter
    100. Wind
    101. Wind
    102. ValiantValiant
    103. Wind
    104. Wind
    105. Wind
    106. ValiantValiant ×2
    107. Converter
    108. Wind
    109. ValiantValiant
    110. Wind
    111. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    112. Wind
    113. Fusion ReactorFusion
    114. ValiantValiant
    115. Wind
    116. Wind
    117. Converter
    118. ValiantValiant
    119. Wind
    120. Converter
    121. Con turret
    122. Wind
    123. FinchFinch
    124. Wind
    125. ValiantValiant
    126. Wind ×3
    127. Wind
    128. Wind
    129. ValiantValiant
    130. Converter
    131. Con turret
    132. Wind
    133. ValiantValiant
    134. Wind
    135. ValiantValiant
    136. Wind
    137. Con turret ×2
    138. ValiantValiant
    139. Wind
    140. ValiantValiant
    141. Wind
    142. Wind
    143. Con turret
    144. Converter
    145. ValiantValiant
    146. Wind
    147. Wind
    148. ValiantValiant
    149. Con turret
    150. Wind
    151. ValiantValiant
    152. TracerTracer
    153. Wind
    154. Converter
    155. ValiantValiant
    156. Wind
    157. Wind
    158. FinchFinch
    159. Converter
    160. Wind
    161. Wind
    162. Con turret
    163. Wind
    164. Converter
    165. ValiantValiant
    166. Con turret
    167. Converter
    168. ValiantValiant
    169. Converter
    170. ValiantValiant
    171. ArbalestArbalest
    172. Wind
    173. ValiantValiant
    174. Converter
    175. Wind
    176. ValiantValiant
    177. Wind
    178. Converter
    179. ValiantValiant
    180. Wind
    181. Wind ×2
    182. Bot LabBot Labdone 14:06
    183. LazarusLazarus
    184. ThistleThistle
    185. Wind
    186. LazarusLazarus
    187. ThistleThistle
    188. LazarusLazarus ×2
    189. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    190. Wind
    191. LazarusLazarus ×2
    192. Wind
    193. LazarusLazarus

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is HALF_DALLAH_HABIT's (33 OS, 03/10/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

  • Finch2 Finch to Geo sea or Beach seafirst at 1:50 · in 96% of games
  • Hercules3 Light transport to Tech or Geo sea or Beach seafirst at 2:06 · in 99% of games
  • Hephaestus1 Heavy transport to Beach sea or Pond or Techfirst at 2:23 · in 71% of games

You get

  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo seafirst at 1:37 · in 64% of games
  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo sea or Pondfirst at 1:42 · in 46% of games
  • Construction Bot1 Con bot from Techfirst at 2:23 · in 88% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Techfirst at 6:05 · in 96% of games

How it plays out

Typical game of this build, running totals by minute

Metal produced

010k20k30k
0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

Enemy metal destroyed

01k2k
0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

Own metal lost

01k2k3k
0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

1820 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039200
2:0092300
3:00145600
4:002052051
5:0027635173
6:003709102124
7:005089146167
8:006903190219
9:009285231271
10:0011765292380
11:0014373367535
12:0017074512780
13:00198647751095
14:002271012621682
15:002573918112415
WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY

Standard air play wins less than half its games, with very low combat losses and kills since the role mostly supports rather than fights.

  • + Own metal lost stays very low, only 2701 by 15:00.
  • + Metal production reaches 25740 by 15:00, a strong support economy.
  • − Team wins under half of games (47%).
  • − Enemy metal destroyed stays low at 2097 by 15:00, showing little direct impact.
THE EXAMPLE YOU ARE READING

HALF_DALLAH_HABIT

32.8 OS · 03/10/2026

Open source match ↗

8 received units · includes a constructor
315 metal received · 85949 energy received

Allied construction assistance is unknown. Timings are observations, not a promise of solo reproducibility.

Typical milestones

Aircraft Plant1:26Middle 50%: 1:14–1:35 · n=1820
Advanced Metal Extractor6:54Middle 50%: 6:27–7:26 · n=1760
Fusion Reactor10:52Middle 50%: 9:45–12:16 · n=1165

Played most by

TheGeneraI114games of this buildDad_The_Speedrunner72games of this buildHunfore62games of this buildDRM52games of this buildMilkdragon52games of this build