BAR / BUILD ATLAS
← All builds
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 · 1486 distinct matches · 252 players · 81% of Cortex Air games · team won 46% of 1790 · 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 1486 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 (41%)

    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 · 24 steps
    1. FinchFinch
    2. ShurikenShuriken
    3. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    4. Wind
    5. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    6. Wind ×3
    7. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    8. ValiantValiant
    9. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    10. Wind ×3
    11. ValiantValiant
    12. Wind ×3
    13. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    14. Energy storage
    15. Wind
    16. Mex
    17. ValiantValiant
    18. Wind ×2
    19. ShurikenShuriken
    20. Wind
    21. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    22. ValiantValiant ×3
    23. Con turret
    24. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
  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 · 24 wind · 20 wind · 8 converter · 1 energy storage

    The example game in this phase · 161 steps
    1. Wind
    2. ValiantValiant
    3. Wind
    4. ValiantValiant
    5. Wind
    6. ValiantValiant
    7. Wind
    8. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:26 · typical 6:54
    9. ValiantValiant
    10. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    11. ShurikenShuriken
    12. ValiantValiant
    13. Con turret
    14. HerculesLight transport
    15. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    16. ValiantValiant ×2
    17. Con turret
    18. ValiantValiant ×2
    19. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    20. ValiantValiant
    21. Con turret
    22. Energy storage
    23. ValiantValiant ×2
    24. Wind ×8
    25. ValiantValiant
    26. Wind
    27. ShurikenShuriken
    28. Bot LabBot Labdone 9:38
    29. ValiantValiant
    30. ThistleThistle ×2
    31. ValiantValiant ×5
    32. Construction BotCon bot
    33. ValiantValiant
    34. GuardGuard
    35. TickTick ×2for Geo
    36. ValiantValiant
    37. TickTick ×2for Geo
    38. ValiantValiant
    39. TickTickfor Geo
    40. Construction BotCon bot
    41. ValiantValiant
    42. Construction BotCon bot
    43. ValiantValiant ×2
    44. Construction BotCon bot
    45. ValiantValiant
    46. Construction BotCon bot
    47. ValiantValiant
    48. Wind
    49. ValiantValiant
    50. Metal storage
    51. Construction BotCon bot
    52. Wind ×2
    53. Construction BotCon bot
    54. ValiantValiant
    55. Construction BotCon bot
    56. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    57. Wind
    58. Construction BotCon bot
    59. Wind
    60. ValiantValiant
    61. Wind
    62. Construction BotCon bot
    63. CenturionCenturion
    64. PawnPawn
    65. Wind ×2
    66. HerculesLight transport
    67. Wind
    68. PawnPawn
    69. Wind
    70. PawnPawn
    71. ValiantValiant
    72. Wind
    73. PawnPawn
    74. Wind
    75. ValiantValiant
    76. Wind
    77. PawnPawn
    78. ValiantValiant
    79. Wind
    80. CenturionCenturion
    81. ValiantValiant
    82. Wind ×2
    83. ValiantValiant
    84. Wind
    85. Construction BotCon bot
    86. Wind ×2
    87. ValiantValiant
    88. Construction BotCon bot
    89. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    90. Wind ×2
    91. Construction BotCon bot
    92. Wind
    93. ValiantValiant
    94. Wind ×2
    95. Construction BotCon bot
    96. ValiantValiant
    97. Wind
    98. Construction BotCon bot
    99. Wind ×2
    100. ValiantValiant
    101. Wind
    102. Construction BotCon bot
    103. Con turret
    104. Wind
    105. ValiantValiant
    106. Wind ×3
    107. Construction BotCon bot
    108. Wind
    109. Con turret
    110. Construction BotCon bot
    111. Wind ×3
    112. ValiantValiant
    113. Wind ×2
    114. ValiantValiant ×2
    115. Wind ×4
    116. ValiantValiant
    117. Wind ×2
    118. ValiantValiant ×2
    119. Wind ×3
    120. ValiantValiant
    121. Wind ×3
    122. NettleNettle
    123. Wind
    124. ValiantValiant
    125. NettleNettle
    126. Wind ×4
    127. ValiantValiant
    128. Wind ×2
    129. ValiantValiant
    130. Wind
    131. ValiantValiant
    132. Wind ×2
    133. ValiantValiant
    134. Wind ×4
    135. ValiantValiant
    136. Wind
    137. ValiantValiant
    138. Wind ×2
    139. ValiantValiant
    140. Wind ×4
    141. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    142. Wind ×4
    143. ValiantValiant
    144. Wind ×3
    145. HerculesLight transport
    146. Wind
    147. ValiantValiant
    148. Con turret
    149. Wind ×4
    150. SentrySentry
    151. ValiantValiant
    152. Wind ×2
    153. ValiantValiant ×2
    154. Wind ×5
    155. ValiantValiant ×2
    156. Wind
    157. ValiantValiant
    158. Wind ×2
    159. ShurikenShuriken
    160. Wind
    161. ShurikenShuriken

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Flerpz's (32 OS, 12/08/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

  • Finch2 Finch to Geo sea or Beach seafirst at 1:51 · 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 47% 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

1790 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039200
2:0092300
3:00145600
4:002053051
5:0027635173
6:003712102124
7:005087146167
8:006902190219
9:009285231273
10:0011760292386
11:0014377374540
12:0017071517781
13:00198517811112
14:002267412691690
15:002569318242435
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

Flerpz

31.8 OS · 12/08/2026

Open source match ↗

7 received units · includes a constructor
4561 metal received · 56810 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=1790
Advanced Metal Extractor6:54Middle 50%: 6:27–7:26 · n=1731
Fusion Reactor10:53Middle 50%: 9:45–12:17 · n=1146

Played most by

TheGeneraI113games of this buildDad_The_Speedrunner72games of this buildHunfore62games of this buildMilkdragon52games of this buildAdeus50games of this build
Standard air · Cortex Air build order · BAR Build Atlas