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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 · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×4
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:18 · 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 · 25 steps
    1. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    2. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    3. Wind ×2
    4. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    5. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    6. Wind ×3
    7. ShurikenShuriken ×5
    8. Wind
    9. Energy storage
    10. Mex
    11. ValiantValiant
    12. Wind ×3
    13. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    14. Con turret
    15. ValiantValiant
    16. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    17. Wind
    18. Con turret
    19. ValiantValiant
    20. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Pond
    21. Wind
    22. ValiantValiant
    23. Wind
    24. ValiantValiant
    25. Wind
  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 · 142 steps
    1. ValiantValiant
    2. Wind
    3. Wind
    4. Wind
    5. ValiantValiant
    6. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    7. Wind ×11
    8. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:39 · typical 6:54
    9. Wind
    10. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×2
    11. Wind ×2
    12. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 7:36
    13. Wind
    14. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    15. Wind
    16. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    17. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    18. Wind
    19. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    20. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    21. Wind
    22. ValiantValiant ×2
    23. Wind
    24. Con turret
    25. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    26. Converter
    27. Con turret
    28. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    29. Wind
    30. Converter
    31. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    32. Wind
    33. Converter
    34. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    35. Wind
    36. Converter
    37. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    38. Con turret
    39. Converter
    40. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    41. Con turret
    42. Converter
    43. Con turret
    44. Wind
    45. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 10:22 · typical 10:53
    46. Converter
    47. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    48. Con turret
    49. Converter
    50. ValiantValiant
    51. Converter
    52. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    53. Wind
    54. Converter ×3
    55. Wind ×4
    56. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 10:39
    57. T2 converter
    58. Wind
    59. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    60. Wind
    61. ValiantValiant ×2for Tech
    62. Converter
    63. ValiantValiant ×2for Tech
    64. Wind
    65. Converter
    66. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    67. Converter
    68. ValiantValiant ×2for Tech
    69. Converter
    70. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    71. Wind
    72. Converter
    73. ValiantValiant ×2for Tech
    74. Wind
    75. Converter
    76. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    77. Wind
    78. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    79. Wind
    80. Converter
    81. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    82. Converter
    83. Wind
    84. ValiantValiant ×4for Tech
    85. Wind
    86. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    87. Wind
    88. ValiantValiant ×2for Tech
    89. Wind
    90. ValiantValiant ×2for Tech
    91. Fusion ReactorFusion
    92. Wind
    93. ValiantValiant ×7for Tech
    94. Wind
    95. ValiantValiant ×7for Tech
    96. Wind
    97. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    98. ValiantValiant ×2
    99. Wind
    100. T2 converter
    101. ValiantValiant ×3
    102. Wind ×2
    103. ValiantValiant
    104. Wind
    105. Con turret
    106. ValiantValiant
    107. Con turret ×2
    108. Wind
    109. ValiantValiant
    110. Con turret ×2
    111. ValiantValiant
    112. Con turret
    113. ValiantValiant
    114. Wind
    115. Con turret ×2
    116. ValiantValiant ×3
    117. Wind
    118. ValiantValiant ×3
    119. Wind
    120. ValiantValiant ×2
    121. Wind
    122. ValiantValiant ×2
    123. Wind
    124. ValiantValiant
    125. Wind
    126. ValiantValiant ×2
    127. Wind
    128. ValiantValiant ×3
    129. Bot LabBot Labdone 14:40
    130. ValiantValiant
    131. Wind
    132. ValiantValiant
    133. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    134. Construction BotCon bot
    135. Wind
    136. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 14:52
    137. Wind
    138. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    139. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    140. Wind ×2
    141. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    142. Advanced Aircraft PlantAdvanced Aircraft Plantnot finished by 15:00

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is [MADO]SovietRabbit's (33 OS, 26/09/2026); 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

[MADO]SovietRabbit

32.7 OS · 26/09/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
487 metal received · 91457 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