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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 · 1480 distinct matches · 250 players · 81% of Cortex Air games · team won 46% of 1783 · 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 1480 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 · 4 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Solar
    3. Wind ×3
    4. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:21 · 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 · 27 steps
    1. Wind
    2. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    3. Wind ×2
    4. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    5. Wind
    6. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    7. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    8. ValiantValiant
    9. Wind
    10. ValiantValiant
    11. Wind ×4
    12. ValiantValiant
    13. Energy storage
    14. Mex
    15. Wind ×3
    16. ValiantValiant
    17. Con turret
    18. ValiantValiant
    19. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    20. Wind
    21. ValiantValiant
    22. Wind
    23. ValiantValiant
    24. Wind
    25. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    26. Wind ×3
    27. Con turret
  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 · 75 steps
    1. Wind ×6
    2. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 5:52
    3. Wind
    4. ValiantValiant
    5. Wind
    6. ValiantValiant
    7. Wind
    8. ValiantValiant ×3
    9. Wind
    10. ShurikenShurikenfor Beach sea
    11. Wind
    12. ShurikenShurikenfor Beach sea
    13. Wind
    14. ShurikenShurikenfor Beach sea
    15. Wind
    16. ShurikenShuriken ×5for Beach sea
    17. Converter
    18. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    19. ValiantValiant
    20. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    21. Converter
    22. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:42 · typical 6:54
    23. Converter
    24. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    25. Converter
    26. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    27. Converter
    28. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 8:58
    29. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    30. ValiantValiant
    31. ShurikenShuriken
    32. Wind
    33. ShurikenShuriken
    34. Wind
    35. ShurikenShuriken
    36. Wind
    37. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    38. Wind
    39. ValiantValiant ×9
    40. Wind
    41. ValiantValiant
    42. ShurikenShuriken
    43. Wind
    44. ShurikenShuriken ×4
    45. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 11:36 · typical 10:53
    46. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    47. Wind
    48. ShurikenShuriken
    49. ValiantValiant ×3
    50. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    51. T2 converter
    52. Con turret ×2
    53. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    54. Con turret ×4
    55. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    56. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    57. ValiantValiant ×14
    58. Fusion ReactorFusion
    59. ValiantValiant ×3
    60. T2 converter
    61. Con turret
    62. ValiantValiant
    63. Con turret
    64. ValiantValiant
    65. Con turret
    66. ValiantValiant
    67. Con turret ×2
    68. ValiantValiant
    69. Con turret ×2
    70. ValiantValiant ×3
    71. Con turret
    72. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    73. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 14:45
    74. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    75. 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 (34 OS, 08/10/2026); 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

1783 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
6:003715102124
7:005089146167
8:006904190219
9:009291230271
10:0011771292384
11:0014395373538
12:0017078517781
13:00198597811115
14:002270012691689
15:002572918312440
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

34.4 OS · 08/10/2026

Open source match ↗

8 received units · includes a constructor
321 metal received · 25046 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=1783
Advanced Metal Extractor6:54Middle 50%: 6:27–7:26 · n=1724
Fusion Reactor10:53Middle 50%: 9:45–12:17 · n=1143

Played most by

TheGeneraI112games 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