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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 · 1506 distinct matches · 252 players · 81% of Cortex Air games · team won 46% of 1811 · 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 1506 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. Wind ×3
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:09 · 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 · 33 steps
    1. Wind
    2. FinchFinch
    3. Wind ×2
    4. HerculesLight transport ×2for Geo sea
    5. FinchFinch ×2for Geo sea
    6. ValiantValiant
    7. Wind
    8. ValiantValiant
    9. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    10. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    11. HerculesLight transportfor Geo
    12. Con turret
    13. Solar
    14. Mex
    15. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Tech
    16. Wind
    17. Con turret
    18. Wind
    19. Wind ×2
    20. Wind
    21. Wind
    22. Energy storage
    23. Wind
    24. ValiantValiant
    25. Wind
    26. Wind ×2
    27. ValiantValiant
    28. Wind
    29. Wind
    30. Wind ×2
    31. Converter
    32. Wind
    33. 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 · 269 steps
    1. ValiantValiant
    2. Converter
    3. Wind
    4. ValiantValiant
    5. Converter
    6. ValiantValiant
    7. Converter
    8. ValiantValiant ×2
    9. Wind
    10. ValiantValiant ×2
    11. Converter
    12. ValiantValiant
    13. HerculesLight transport
    14. Wind
    15. ValiantValiant
    16. Converter
    17. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:29 · typical 6:54
    18. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    19. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    20. Wind
    21. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    22. Wind ×2
    23. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    24. Con turret
    25. Wind
    26. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    27. Wind
    28. Con turret
    29. Wind
    30. Con turret
    31. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 8:02
    32. Wind
    33. ValiantValiant
    34. Wind ×2
    35. ValiantValiant ×2
    36. Wind
    37. ValiantValiant
    38. Wind
    39. Wind
    40. ValiantValiant
    41. Wind
    42. ValiantValiant
    43. Wind
    44. Wind
    45. ValiantValiant
    46. Wind
    47. ValiantValiant
    48. Wind
    49. Wind
    50. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    51. Wind
    52. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    53. Wind
    54. Energy storage
    55. ValiantValiant
    56. Wind
    57. Wind
    58. Wind
    59. Wind
    60. ValiantValiant
    61. Energy storage
    62. Wind
    63. Wind
    64. Wind
    65. FinchFinch
    66. Wind ×2
    67. Wind
    68. ValiantValiant
    69. Con turret
    70. Wind
    71. Energy storage
    72. Wind
    73. ValiantValiant
    74. Wind ×2
    75. Wind
    76. ValiantValiant
    77. Energy storage
    78. Wind ×2
    79. Wind
    80. ValiantValiant
    81. Wind
    82. Wind
    83. ValiantValiant
    84. Wind
    85. Con turret
    86. Wind
    87. Con turret
    88. Wind
    89. Wind
    90. ValiantValiant
    91. Wind ×2
    92. Wind
    93. ValiantValiant
    94. Con turret
    95. Wind
    96. Con turret
    97. Wind
    98. ValiantValiant
    99. Wind
    100. Con turret
    101. Wind ×2
    102. Con turret
    103. Wind
    104. Wind
    105. ValiantValiant
    106. Wind ×2
    107. ValiantValiant
    108. FinchFinch
    109. Wind
    110. ValiantValiant
    111. Wind
    112. ValiantValiant
    113. Wind
    114. ValiantValiant
    115. Wind
    116. Wind
    117. Con turret
    118. ValiantValiant
    119. Wind
    120. Con turret
    121. Wind
    122. Wind
    123. ValiantValiant
    124. Wind ×2
    125. Con turret
    126. ValiantValiant
    127. Wind
    128. Wind
    129. Wind
    130. Wind
    131. ValiantValiant
    132. Wind
    133. Wind
    134. Wind
    135. ValiantValiant
    136. Wind
    137. ValiantValiant ×2
    138. Wind
    139. Wind
    140. FinchFinch
    141. ValiantValiant
    142. Wind
    143. Wind
    144. ValiantValiant
    145. Wind
    146. ValiantValiant
    147. Wind ×2
    148. ValiantValiant
    149. Wind
    150. Wind
    151. ValiantValiant
    152. Wind ×2
    153. Wind
    154. ValiantValiant
    155. Wind ×3
    156. Wind
    157. Wind ×2
    158. ValiantValiant
    159. Wind
    160. Wind
    161. Wind ×2
    162. ValiantValiant
    163. Wind ×2
    164. Wind
    165. Wind
    166. ValiantValiant
    167. Wind ×2
    168. ValiantValiant
    169. Wind
    170. Wind
    171. Wind ×2
    172. FinchFinch
    173. Wind ×2
    174. ValiantValiant
    175. Wind
    176. Wind
    177. Converter
    178. Wind
    179. ValiantValiant
    180. Wind ×2
    181. Wind
    182. Wind
    183. ValiantValiant
    184. Con turret
    185. ValiantValiant
    186. Wind
    187. ValiantValiant
    188. Wind
    189. ValiantValiant
    190. Wind
    191. ValiantValiant
    192. Wind ×2
    193. Con turret
    194. ValiantValiant
    195. Wind
    196. Wind
    197. Wind
    198. ValiantValiant
    199. Wind ×2
    200. ValiantValiant
    201. Wind ×3
    202. FinchFinch
    203. Wind ×2
    204. ValiantValiant
    205. Wind
    206. Wind ×2
    207. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    208. Con turret
    209. Wind
    210. ValiantValiant
    211. Wind ×3
    212. ValiantValiant
    213. Wind
    214. ValiantValiant
    215. Wind ×3
    216. ValiantValiant
    217. Wind
    218. Con turret
    219. Wind ×2
    220. Con turret ×2
    221. Wind
    222. ValiantValiant
    223. Wind ×2
    224. ValiantValiant
    225. Wind
    226. Con turret
    227. ValiantValiant
    228. Wind
    229. Wind
    230. Converter
    231. Wind
    232. Con turret
    233. Wind ×2
    234. ValiantValiant
    235. Converter ×2
    236. ValiantValiant
    237. Wind ×2
    238. Wind
    239. Converter
    240. Wind
    241. FinchFinch
    242. Wind
    243. ValiantValiant
    244. Wind
    245. Converter
    246. Wind
    247. ValiantValiant
    248. Con turret
    249. Wind
    250. Converter
    251. ValiantValiant
    252. Wind
    253. Wind ×2
    254. Con turret
    255. Wind
    256. Converter
    257. Wind
    258. Converter
    259. Con turret
    260. Wind
    261. ValiantValiant
    262. Wind
    263. Wind
    264. Wind
    265. Converter ×2
    266. Wind ×2
    267. Con turret
    268. Wind
    269. Converter

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, 04/10/2026); 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 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 2:23 · 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

1811 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
6:003707102124
7:005089146167
8:006902190219
9:009284230270
10:0011758292380
11:0014356369536
12:0017069512781
13:00198597811102
14:002270412641689
15:002573618132420
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

33.1 OS · 04/10/2026

Open source match ↗

12 received units · includes a constructor
921 metal received · 18287 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=1811
Advanced Metal Extractor6:54Middle 50%: 6:27–7:26 · n=1751
Fusion Reactor10:53Middle 50%: 9:45–12:17 · n=1159

Played most by

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