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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 · 1576 distinct matches · 259 players · 81% of Cortex Air games · team won 46% of 1885 · 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 1576 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 · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Solar
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 0:59 · 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%) · converter (45%) · energy storage (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 · 23 steps
    1. Solar
    2. ShurikenShuriken
    3. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    4. Solar
    5. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    6. Solar
    7. HerculesLight transportfor Beach sea
    8. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    9. Solar
    10. ShurikenShuriken
    11. ValiantValiant
    12. Solar
    13. ValiantValiant ×2
    14. Mex
    15. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    16. ValiantValiant
    17. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    18. Con turret
    19. ValiantValiant
    20. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    21. Solar ×2
    22. ValiantValiant
    23. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 5:55 · typical 6:54
  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 18 wind, 18 wind, 7 converterin 58% of games
    Builders
    • Construction Turret3 Con turret
    Army
    • Valiant9 Valiant

    Some games also: shuriken (47%) · fusion (39%) · con aircraft (34%) · 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 · 150 steps
    1. ValiantValiant
    2. Wind
    3. ValiantValiant
    4. Wind ×3
    5. ValiantValiant
    6. Wind ×3
    7. ValiantValiant
    8. Wind
    9. ValiantValiant
    10. Wind ×3
    11. ValiantValiant
    12. Wind
    13. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    14. ValiantValiant
    15. Wind
    16. ValiantValiant
    17. Wind ×6
    18. ValiantValiant
    19. Wind ×5
    20. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    21. Wind
    22. ValiantValiant
    23. Wind ×5
    24. ValiantValiant
    25. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    26. ValiantValiant ×2
    27. Con turret
    28. ValiantValiant
    29. Con turret
    30. ValiantValiant
    31. Wind
    32. Con turret
    33. ValiantValiant
    34. Wind
    35. ValiantValiant
    36. Wind
    37. ValiantValiant ×2
    38. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    39. Wind
    40. ValiantValiant ×2
    41. Wind
    42. ValiantValiant ×2
    43. Wind
    44. ValiantValiant ×2
    45. Wind
    46. ValiantValiant ×2
    47. Wind
    48. ValiantValiant ×3
    49. Wind
    50. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 11:53 · typical 10:51
    51. ValiantValiant
    52. Wind ×4
    53. ShurikenShuriken
    54. Wind ×3
    55. ValiantValiant
    56. ShurikenShuriken
    57. Wind ×2
    58. ValiantValiant
    59. ShurikenShuriken
    60. Wind ×2
    61. ValiantValiant
    62. ShurikenShuriken
    63. Wind
    64. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    65. Wind ×2
    66. Con turret
    67. ShurikenShuriken
    68. Wind ×2
    69. Con turret
    70. ValiantValiant
    71. ShurikenShuriken
    72. ValiantValiant
    73. ShurikenShuriken
    74. Wind
    75. ValiantValiant
    76. ShurikenShuriken
    77. Con turret
    78. ValiantValiant
    79. ShurikenShuriken
    80. Con turret
    81. ValiantValiant
    82. ShurikenShuriken
    83. ValiantValiant
    84. ShurikenShuriken
    85. Wind
    86. ValiantValiant ×2
    87. Wind
    88. TracerTracer
    89. ValiantValiant
    90. Con turret
    91. Wind
    92. Con turret
    93. ValiantValiant ×2
    94. Bot LabBot Labdone 13:08
    95. Con turret
    96. Construction BotCon bot
    97. ValiantValiant
    98. Wind
    99. Con turret
    100. ValiantValiant
    101. Wind
    102. ValiantValiant
    103. Wind
    104. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 13:49
    105. ValiantValiant
    106. ShurikenShuriken
    107. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    108. FalconFighter
    109. ValiantValiant
    110. ShurikenShuriken
    111. FalconFighter
    112. ValiantValiant
    113. T2 converter
    114. ShurikenShuriken
    115. ValiantValiant
    116. ShurikenShuriken
    117. FalconFighter
    118. Wind
    119. NettleNettle
    120. ValiantValiant
    121. ShurikenShuriken
    122. ValiantValiant
    123. ShurikenShuriken
    124. NettleNettle
    125. FalconFighter ×2
    126. ValiantValiant
    127. NettleNettle
    128. ShurikenShuriken
    129. ValiantValiant
    130. ShurikenShuriken
    131. ValiantValiant
    132. ShurikenShuriken
    133. FalconFighter
    134. ValiantValiant
    135. ShurikenShuriken
    136. FalconFighter
    137. ValiantValiant
    138. ShurikenShuriken
    139. ValiantValiant
    140. ShurikenShuriken
    141. FalconFighter
    142. ValiantValiant
    143. ShurikenShuriken
    144. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    145. FalconFighter ×5
    146. T2 converter
    147. FalconFighter
    148. Wind
    149. T2 converter ×2
    150. Wind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is DarkandDarker's (31 OS, 22/08/2026); 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 2:22 · 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 1:41 · in 46% of games
  • Construction Bot1 Con bot from Techfirst at 2:22 · in 88% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Techfirst at 6:04 · 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

1885 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039200
2:0092300
3:00145600
4:002053051
5:0027655173
6:003722102124
7:005096146167
8:006915190218
9:009300223270
10:0011774278365
11:0014395365524
12:0017092504758
13:00199297511058
14:002277612321659
15:002581017752390
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

DarkandDarker

31.4 OS · 22/08/2026

Open source match ↗

14 received units · includes a constructor
67 metal received · 28890 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=1885
Advanced Metal Extractor6:54Middle 50%: 6:26–7:26 · n=1824
Fusion Reactor10:51Middle 50%: 9:44–12:15 · n=1215

Played most by

TheGeneraI114games of this buildDad_The_Speedrunner73games of this buildHunfore63games of this buildDRM52games of this buildHALF_DALLAH_HABIT52games of this build