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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 · 1490 distinct matches · 252 players · 80% of Cortex Air games · team won 46% of 1793 · 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 1490 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 · 6 steps
    1. Mex ×2
    2. Wind ×2
    3. Mex
    4. Wind
    5. Energy storage
    6. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:28 · 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 · 19 steps
    1. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    2. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    3. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    4. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    5. Wind ×3
    6. FinchFinch
    7. ValiantValiant ×3
    8. Mex
    9. ValiantValiant ×2
    10. Wind
    11. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    12. Wind ×2
    13. Con turret
    14. Con turret
    15. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    16. Con turret
    17. HerculesLight transport
    18. Bot LabBot Labdone 5:08
    19. Converter ×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 (48%) · 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 · 220 steps
    1. Converter
    2. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    3. Wind
    4. Construction BotCon bot
    5. Converter
    6. Wind
    7. Construction BotCon bot
    8. Converter
    9. Wind
    10. Construction BotCon bot
    11. Converter
    12. Wind
    13. Construction BotCon bot
    14. Converter
    15. Wind
    16. Construction BotCon bot
    17. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:25 · typical 6:54
    18. Converter
    19. Wind
    20. Converter
    21. Wind
    22. Converter
    23. Wind ×2
    24. Converter
    25. Wind
    26. Converter
    27. Wind
    28. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    29. Converter
    30. Wind ×2
    31. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    32. Wind
    33. Converter
    34. Wind ×4
    35. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    36. Wind ×2
    37. Converter
    38. Wind ×4
    39. Converter
    40. Wind ×4
    41. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 7:46
    42. Wind
    43. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    44. Wind
    45. ShurikenShuriken
    46. Wind ×2
    47. ShurikenShuriken
    48. Wind
    49. ShurikenShuriken
    50. Wind ×2
    51. Converter
    52. ValiantValiant ×2
    53. Wind
    54. ValiantValiant
    55. Wind
    56. ValiantValiant
    57. Wind ×2
    58. FinchFinch
    59. Wind
    60. FinchFinch
    61. Wind
    62. FinchFinch
    63. Wind ×2
    64. FinchFinch
    65. Wind
    66. Converter
    67. FinchFinch
    68. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    69. Wind ×2
    70. FinchFinch
    71. ValiantValiant
    72. Con turret
    73. Wind
    74. Hardened Energy Storage
    75. Wind
    76. ValiantValiant
    77. Con turret
    78. Wind ×2
    79. Con turret
    80. Wind ×2
    81. Converter
    82. Con turret
    83. Wind
    84. Con turret
    85. Wind
    86. ValiantValiant
    87. Wind
    88. Con turret
    89. Wind
    90. ValiantValiant
    91. Con turret
    92. ValiantValiant
    93. Wind
    94. ValiantValiant ×3
    95. Wind
    96. ValiantValiant
    97. Wind
    98. ValiantValiant
    99. Wind
    100. ValiantValiant
    101. Converter
    102. ValiantValiant
    103. Wind
    104. ValiantValiant
    105. Converter
    106. Wind
    107. ValiantValiant ×2
    108. Wind
    109. ValiantValiant ×2
    110. Converter
    111. ValiantValiant ×2
    112. Converter
    113. Wind
    114. ValiantValiant
    115. Wind
    116. ValiantValiant
    117. Wind
    118. ValiantValiant ×2
    119. Wind
    120. ValiantValiant
    121. Converter
    122. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    123. Wind ×2
    124. Converter
    125. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    126. Wind
    127. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    128. Wind ×3
    129. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    130. Wind
    131. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    132. Wind ×2
    133. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    134. Wind
    135. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    136. Wind ×2
    137. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    138. Wind
    139. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    140. Wind ×2
    141. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    142. Wind ×2
    143. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    144. Wind
    145. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    146. Wind ×2
    147. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    148. Wind ×2
    149. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    150. Wind ×4
    151. ShurikenShuriken ×6
    152. Wind
    153. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    154. Wind ×2
    155. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    156. ValiantValiant
    157. Wind ×2
    158. ValiantValiant ×3
    159. Wind
    160. ValiantValiant
    161. Wind
    162. ValiantValiant ×2
    163. Wind
    164. ValiantValiant ×3
    165. Wind ×2
    166. ValiantValiant ×3
    167. Wind
    168. ValiantValiant
    169. Wind ×2
    170. ValiantValiant ×2
    171. Wind
    172. ValiantValiant
    173. Wind
    174. ValiantValiant ×2
    175. Wind
    176. ValiantValiant ×2
    177. Wind
    178. ValiantValiant
    179. Wind
    180. ValiantValiant ×3
    181. Wind ×2
    182. ValiantValiant ×2
    183. Wind
    184. ValiantValiant ×2
    185. Wind
    186. ValiantValiant ×2
    187. Wind
    188. ValiantValiant ×2
    189. Wind ×2
    190. ValiantValiant ×4
    191. Wind
    192. ValiantValiant
    193. Wind
    194. ValiantValiant
    195. Wind
    196. ValiantValiant ×2
    197. Wind
    198. ValiantValiant ×3
    199. Con turret
    200. Wind
    201. ValiantValiant
    202. ShurikenShuriken
    203. Wind
    204. ShurikenShuriken ×8
    205. Wind ×2
    206. ShurikenShuriken ×7
    207. ValiantValiant
    208. Wind ×2
    209. ValiantValiant
    210. Wind
    211. ValiantValiant
    212. Wind
    213. ValiantValiant ×2
    214. Wind
    215. ValiantValiant
    216. Wind
    217. ValiantValiant
    218. Wind
    219. ValiantValiant
    220. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is [Cookie]CottonBuds's (30 OS, 24/08/2026); 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 72% 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

1793 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
6:003706102124
7:005088146167
8:006900190219
9:009279232270
10:0011757292384
11:0014351373540
12:0017061515781
13:00198467811109
14:002269912691689
15:002570018082409
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

[Cookie]CottonBuds

30.4 OS · 24/08/2026

Open source match ↗

7 received units · includes a constructor
1803 metal received · 265622 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=1793
Advanced Metal Extractor6:54Middle 50%: 6:27–7:26 · n=1734
Fusion Reactor10:53Middle 50%: 9:47–12:18 · n=1147

Played most by

TheGeneraI113games of this buildDad_The_Speedrunner72games of this buildHunfore62games of this buildMilkdragon51games of this buildAdeus50games of this build