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 · 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 ×2
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:08 · 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 · 21 steps
    1. Wind ×2
    2. FinchFinch ×2for Geo sea
    3. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    4. Wind ×3
    5. ValiantValiant
    6. Wind ×2
    7. ValiantValiant ×3
    8. Wind
    9. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    10. Mex
    11. ValiantValiant
    12. Solar
    13. Wind
    14. ValiantValiant
    15. Wind ×2
    16. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Pond
    17. Con turret
    18. ValiantValiant
    19. Wind
    20. ValiantValiant
    21. 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 · 169 steps
    1. Wind ×2
    2. ValiantValiant
    3. Wind ×2
    4. HerculesLight transport ×2for Beach sea
    5. ValiantValiant ×2
    6. Wind ×4
    7. Energy storage
    8. Wind
    9. ValiantValiant
    10. Con turret
    11. Wind
    12. ValiantValiant
    13. Wind ×2
    14. Converter ×2
    15. Wind ×2
    16. Converter
    17. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:28 · typical 6:54
    18. Converter
    19. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×2
    20. ShurikenShuriken
    21. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    22. Con turret
    23. ShurikenShuriken ×4
    24. Wind
    25. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    26. Con turret
    27. ShurikenShuriken ×7
    28. Wind
    29. Wind
    30. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    31. ValiantValiant
    32. Wind
    33. ValiantValiant
    34. Wind
    35. ValiantValiant
    36. Wind
    37. ValiantValiant
    38. Wind
    39. ShurikenShuriken
    40. ValiantValiant
    41. Wind
    42. ShurikenShuriken
    43. Wind
    44. ValiantValiant
    45. ShurikenShuriken
    46. ValiantValiant
    47. ShurikenShuriken
    48. ValiantValiant
    49. ShurikenShuriken
    50. Wind
    51. ValiantValiant
    52. ShurikenShuriken
    53. ValiantValiant
    54. ShurikenShuriken
    55. ValiantValiant
    56. ShurikenShuriken
    57. Wind
    58. Con turret
    59. ValiantValiant
    60. ShurikenShuriken
    61. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 12:22 · typical 10:53
    62. Wind
    63. ValiantValiant
    64. ShurikenShuriken
    65. ValiantValiant
    66. Wind
    67. ShurikenShuriken
    68. ValiantValiant
    69. ShurikenShuriken
    70. Wind
    71. ValiantValiant
    72. ShurikenShuriken
    73. ValiantValiant
    74. ShurikenShuriken
    75. Wind
    76. Con turret
    77. ValiantValiant
    78. ShurikenShuriken
    79. ValiantValiant
    80. Wind
    81. ShurikenShuriken
    82. ValiantValiant
    83. ShurikenShuriken
    84. Wind
    85. ValiantValiant
    86. ShurikenShuriken
    87. ValiantValiant
    88. ShurikenShuriken
    89. Wind
    90. Con turret
    91. ValiantValiant
    92. Wind
    93. ValiantValiant ×2
    94. Wind
    95. ValiantValiant ×2
    96. Wind
    97. ShurikenShuriken
    98. ValiantValiant
    99. Wind
    100. Con turret
    101. ShurikenShuriken
    102. ValiantValiant
    103. Wind ×3
    104. ValiantValiant
    105. ShurikenShuriken
    106. Wind
    107. ValiantValiant
    108. ShurikenShuriken
    109. ValiantValiant
    110. Wind
    111. ValiantValiant
    112. Wind ×5
    113. ValiantValiant
    114. Fusion ReactorFusion
    115. Wind
    116. ValiantValiant
    117. Wind
    118. ValiantValiant
    119. Wind
    120. ValiantValiant
    121. Wind ×2
    122. ValiantValiant
    123. Wind
    124. ValiantValiant
    125. Wind
    126. ValiantValiant ×3
    127. Wind
    128. ValiantValiant ×2
    129. Wind
    130. ValiantValiant ×2
    131. Wind ×3
    132. ValiantValiant
    133. Wind
    134. ValiantValiant ×2
    135. Wind
    136. ValiantValiant ×2
    137. Wind
    138. ValiantValiant ×2
    139. Wind
    140. ValiantValiant ×3
    141. Wind
    142. ValiantValiant ×2
    143. Wind
    144. Converter
    145. ValiantValiant
    146. Wind
    147. ValiantValiant
    148. Converter
    149. ValiantValiant
    150. Wind
    151. ValiantValiant
    152. Converter
    153. ValiantValiant
    154. Wind
    155. Converter
    156. ValiantValiant ×2
    157. Wind
    158. Converter
    159. ValiantValiant ×2
    160. Wind
    161. Converter
    162. ValiantValiant
    163. HerculesLight transport
    164. Wind
    165. Converter
    166. ValiantValiant
    167. Con turret
    168. ValiantValiant
    169. Wind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is SK0NK's (31 OS, 29/09/2026); 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 2:23 · 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

SK0NK

30.7 OS · 29/09/2026

Open source match ↗

8 received units · includes a constructor
407 metal received · 44658 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