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

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is zimt's (30 OS, 06/09/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

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

zimt

30.5 OS · 06/09/2026

Open source match ↗

7 received units · includes a constructor
34 metal received · 8205 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