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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 · 1508 distinct matches · 252 players · 81% of Cortex Air games · team won 46% of 1813 · 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 1508 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 ×6
    3. Energy storage
    4. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:44 · 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 · 29 steps
    1. Wind
    2. FinchFinch ×2for Geo sea
    3. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    4. Wind
    5. ValiantValiant
    6. Wind ×3
    7. ValiantValiant
    8. Wind
    9. ValiantValiant
    10. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    11. Mex
    12. Con turret
    13. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    14. Wind
    15. HerculesLight transportfor Geo
    16. Con turret
    17. HerculesLight transport
    18. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    19. HerculesLight transportfor Beach sea
    20. Wind
    21. HerculesLight transport
    22. FinchFinch
    23. Wind
    24. Converter
    25. Wind
    26. Converter
    27. Wind
    28. Con turret
    29. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
  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 · 231 steps
    1. Wind ×2
    2. Converter
    3. Wind
    4. Converter
    5. Wind ×2
    6. Converter
    7. Wind ×2
    8. Converter
    9. Wind ×2
    10. Converter
    11. Wind ×2
    12. Con turret
    13. Wind
    14. Converter
    15. Wind
    16. Converter
    17. Wind
    18. Converter
    19. Wind
    20. Converter ×3
    21. Metal storage
    22. Wind ×2
    23. Con turret
    24. Wind
    25. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 7:38
    26. Wind
    27. ValiantValiant
    28. Wind
    29. ValiantValiant
    30. Wind
    31. ValiantValiant
    32. Wind
    33. ValiantValiant ×2
    34. Wind
    35. ValiantValiant
    36. Wind
    37. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    38. Wind
    39. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 8:27 · typical 6:54
    40. Wind ×2
    41. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    42. Wind
    43. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    44. Wind
    45. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    46. Con turret ×2
    47. Bot LabBot Labdone 10:10
    48. Con turret
    49. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 10:23
    50. Construction BotCon bot
    51. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Tech
    52. Construction BotCon bot ×9
    53. Wind
    54. Construction BotCon bot
    55. Wind ×3
    56. Construction BotCon bot
    57. Wind
    58. ValiantValiant
    59. Wind
    60. Construction BotCon bot
    61. Wind
    62. ValiantValiant
    63. Wind ×4
    64. ValiantValiant
    65. Wind
    66. ValiantValiant
    67. Wind ×4
    68. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    69. ValiantValiant
    70. Wind ×4
    71. ValiantValiant
    72. Wind ×3
    73. ValiantValiant
    74. Wind
    75. ValiantValiant
    76. Wind ×4
    77. ValiantValiant
    78. Wind ×3
    79. ValiantValiant
    80. Wind ×4
    81. ValiantValiant
    82. Wind ×2
    83. FinchFinch
    84. Wind ×2
    85. FinchFinch
    86. Wind ×4
    87. FinchFinch
    88. Wind ×2
    89. ValiantValiant
    90. Wind ×2
    91. ValiantValiant
    92. Wind ×5
    93. ShurikenShuriken
    94. Wind
    95. ShurikenShuriken
    96. Wind ×2
    97. ShurikenShuriken
    98. Wind
    99. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    100. Wind ×2
    101. ShurikenShuriken
    102. Wind
    103. ShurikenShuriken
    104. Wind
    105. ShurikenShuriken
    106. Wind ×2
    107. ShurikenShuriken
    108. Wind
    109. ShurikenShuriken
    110. Wind ×2
    111. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    112. Wind ×4
    113. ShurikenShuriken
    114. Wind ×3
    115. ShurikenShuriken
    116. Wind
    117. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    118. Wind
    119. Converter
    120. Wind ×2
    121. ShurikenShuriken
    122. Wind
    123. ShurikenShuriken
    124. Wind ×3
    125. ShurikenShuriken
    126. Converter
    127. ShurikenShuriken
    128. Wind
    129. ShurikenShuriken
    130. Wind ×2
    131. ShurikenShuriken
    132. Wind ×3
    133. ShurikenShuriken
    134. ValiantValiant
    135. Wind ×2
    136. ValiantValiant
    137. Wind
    138. ValiantValiant
    139. Wind ×3
    140. Converter
    141. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    142. Wind ×3
    143. Converter
    144. Wind
    145. ValiantValiant
    146. Wind ×2
    147. ValiantValiant
    148. Wind ×3
    149. Converter
    150. ValiantValiant
    151. Wind
    152. Converter
    153. Wind ×2
    154. ValiantValiant
    155. Wind
    156. Converter
    157. Wind
    158. ValiantValiant
    159. Wind ×3
    160. ValiantValiant
    161. Converter
    162. Wind ×2
    163. ValiantValiant
    164. Wind
    165. ValiantValiant
    166. Wind ×2
    167. ValiantValiant
    168. Wind
    169. Converter
    170. Wind ×2
    171. ValiantValiant ×2
    172. Wind ×3
    173. ValiantValiant
    174. Wind
    175. ValiantValiant
    176. Converter
    177. Wind ×4
    178. ValiantValiant
    179. Wind
    180. ValiantValiant
    181. Wind ×2
    182. Converter
    183. Wind
    184. ValiantValiant
    185. Wind ×2
    186. ValiantValiant
    187. Wind ×4
    188. ValiantValiant
    189. Converter
    190. Wind
    191. ValiantValiant
    192. Converter
    193. Wind
    194. ValiantValiant
    195. Wind ×2
    196. ValiantValiant
    197. Converter
    198. Wind ×3
    199. ValiantValiant
    200. Wind ×2
    201. ValiantValiant
    202. Converter
    203. ValiantValiant ×2
    204. Wind ×4
    205. ValiantValiant
    206. Wind
    207. ValiantValiant
    208. Wind
    209. Converter
    210. Wind
    211. Converter
    212. Wind
    213. ValiantValiant
    214. Wind ×3
    215. ValiantValiant
    216. Wind
    217. ValiantValiant
    218. Wind ×3
    219. Converter
    220. Wind
    221. ValiantValiant
    222. Wind ×2
    223. HerculesLight transport
    224. Wind
    225. Converter ×2
    226. Wind
    227. ValiantValiant
    228. Wind ×3
    229. Converter
    230. Wind
    231. ValiantValiant

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is theogbob's (31 OS, 21/08/2026); 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 2:23 · 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 2:22 · 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

1813 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
6:003711102124
7:005089146167
8:006903190219
9:009285230270
10:0011761292379
11:0014370369533
12:0017069512781
13:00198597811101
14:002270412631689
15:002573618082409
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

theogbob

31.1 OS · 21/08/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
22 metal received · 50289 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=1813
Advanced Metal Extractor6:54Middle 50%: 6:27–7:26 · n=1753
Fusion Reactor10:52Middle 50%: 9:46–12:17 · n=1160

Played most by

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