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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 · 1508 distinct matches · 252 players · 81% of Cortex Air games · team won 46% of 1813 · 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 1508 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 · 5 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×4
    3. Energy storage
    4. Wind
    5. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:33 · 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 · 26 steps
    1. Wind
    2. FinchFinch
    3. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    4. Wind
    5. Solar
    6. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    7. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    8. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    9. Wind
    10. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    11. ValiantValiant
    12. Con turret
    13. Wind
    14. Solar ×2
    15. ValiantValiant
    16. Wind
    17. FinchFinch
    18. Con turret
    19. Wind
    20. Mex
    21. Wind
    22. HerculesLight transport ×2for Geo
    23. Wind ×2
    24. HerculesLight transport
    25. Wind
    26. HerculesLight transport
  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 · 178 steps
    1. Wind
    2. Con turret
    3. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    4. Con turret
    5. Wind
    6. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    7. Wind
    8. ShurikenShuriken
    9. Wind ×4
    10. Metal storage
    11. Wind ×2
    12. Con turret
    13. Wind
    14. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 6:39
    15. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    16. Construction AircraftCon aircraft ×2
    17. Wind
    18. Converter
    19. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    20. Converter
    21. Wind ×2
    22. Converter
    23. Con turret
    24. Wind ×2
    25. Converter
    26. Wind ×2
    27. Converter
    28. Wind
    29. Converter
    30. Wind ×2
    31. Converter
    32. Wind ×2
    33. Converter
    34. Wind ×2
    35. Converter
    36. Wind
    37. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 8:03 · typical 6:54
    38. Wind ×2
    39. Converter
    40. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    41. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    42. Converter
    43. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×2
    44. Converter
    45. Wind ×3
    46. Con turret ×3
    47. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 9:13
    48. Wind ×4
    49. FinchFinch
    50. Wind ×2
    51. ValiantValiant
    52. Wind ×2
    53. ValiantValiant
    54. Wind
    55. ValiantValiant
    56. Wind
    57. ValiantValiant
    58. Wind ×2
    59. ValiantValiant
    60. Wind ×2
    61. ValiantValiant
    62. Wind ×2
    63. ValiantValiant
    64. Wind ×2
    65. ValiantValiant
    66. Wind
    67. ValiantValiant
    68. Wind
    69. ValiantValiant
    70. Wind
    71. ValiantValiant ×2
    72. Converter
    73. Wind
    74. ValiantValiant
    75. Converter
    76. ValiantValiant
    77. Wind
    78. ValiantValiant
    79. Wind
    80. ValiantValiant ×3
    81. Wind
    82. ValiantValiant ×2
    83. Wind ×2
    84. ValiantValiant ×3
    85. Wind
    86. ValiantValiant ×2
    87. Wind
    88. ValiantValiant ×2
    89. Wind
    90. ValiantValiant ×3
    91. Wind
    92. ValiantValiant
    93. Wind
    94. ValiantValiant
    95. Wind
    96. ValiantValiant ×3
    97. Wind
    98. ValiantValiant ×3
    99. Wind
    100. ValiantValiant ×2
    101. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    102. Wind ×3
    103. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    104. Con turret ×2
    105. Converter
    106. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    107. Wind
    108. Con turret
    109. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    110. Wind
    111. Converter
    112. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    113. FinchFinch
    114. Converter
    115. Wind
    116. FinchFinch
    117. Wind ×2
    118. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    119. Wind
    120. Converter
    121. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    122. Wind
    123. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    124. Wind
    125. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    126. Con turret
    127. Wind
    128. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    129. Wind
    130. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    131. Wind
    132. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    133. Wind
    134. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    135. Wind
    136. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    137. FinchFinch
    138. Wind
    139. ValiantValiant ×2
    140. Wind
    141. ValiantValiant ×2
    142. Wind
    143. ValiantValiant ×2
    144. Wind ×2
    145. ValiantValiant ×2
    146. Wind
    147. ValiantValiant ×2
    148. Wind
    149. ValiantValiant
    150. Wind
    151. ValiantValiant ×2
    152. Wind ×2
    153. ValiantValiant ×2
    154. Wind ×2
    155. ValiantValiant ×2
    156. Wind
    157. ValiantValiant
    158. Wind
    159. ValiantValiant
    160. Wind
    161. ValiantValiant ×2
    162. Wind
    163. ValiantValiant ×2
    164. Wind
    165. ValiantValiant ×2
    166. Wind
    167. ValiantValiant ×2
    168. Wind
    169. ValiantValiant ×2
    170. Wind
    171. ValiantValiant
    172. Wind
    173. ValiantValiant
    174. Wind
    175. ValiantValiant ×2
    176. Wind
    177. ValiantValiant ×2
    178. Wind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is TrevGod's (30 OS, 14/08/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

  • Finch2 Finch to Geo sea or Beach seafirst at 1:50 · 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 71% 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

1813 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
6:003711102124
7:005089146167
8:006903190219
9:009285230270
10:0011761292379
11:0014370369533
12:0017069512781
13:00198597811101
14:002270412631689
15:002573618082409
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

TrevGod

30.0 OS · 14/08/2026

Open source match ↗

7 received units · includes a constructor
359 metal received · 114957 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=1813
Advanced Metal Extractor6:54Middle 50%: 6:27–7:26 · n=1753
Fusion Reactor10:52Middle 50%: 9:46–12:17 · n=1160

Played most by

TheGeneraI114games of this buildDad_The_Speedrunner72games of this buildHunfore62games of this buildDRM52games of this buildMilkdragon52games of this build