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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 · 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 · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×4
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:20 · 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 · 25 steps
    1. Wind
    2. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    3. FinchFinch
    4. Wind ×3
    5. ValiantValiant
    6. Wind ×2
    7. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    8. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    9. Wind ×4
    10. Mex
    11. ValiantValiant
    12. Energy storage
    13. Wind ×2
    14. ValiantValiant
    15. Wind
    16. Con turret
    17. Converter
    18. ValiantValiant ×2
    19. Wind
    20. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    21. ValiantValiant
    22. Wind
    23. ValiantValiant
    24. Wind
    25. 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 (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 · 170 steps
    1. Wind
    2. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    3. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:05 · typical 6:54
    4. Con turret
    5. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    6. Wind
    7. ShurikenShuriken
    8. Wind
    9. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    10. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    11. Wind ×2
    12. Con turret ×2
    13. Wind ×2
    14. HerculesLight transport
    15. Wind
    16. ShurikenShuriken
    17. Wind
    18. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    19. ShurikenShuriken
    20. Con turret
    21. ValiantValiant
    22. Wind
    23. ValiantValiant
    24. Energy storage
    25. ValiantValiant
    26. Con turret
    27. ValiantValiant ×10
    28. ShurikenShuriken ×7
    29. Wind
    30. ShurikenShuriken
    31. Wind
    32. ShurikenShuriken
    33. ValiantValiant
    34. Wind
    35. ValiantValiant
    36. Wind
    37. ValiantValiant
    38. Wind
    39. ValiantValiant
    40. Wind
    41. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 10:37 · typical 10:52
    42. ValiantValiant
    43. Wind
    44. ValiantValiant
    45. Wind
    46. ValiantValiant ×2
    47. Con turret ×2
    48. ValiantValiant ×2
    49. Bot LabBot Labdone 10:51
    50. ValiantValiant ×2
    51. Construction BotCon bot
    52. ValiantValiant ×2
    53. Construction BotCon bot
    54. ValiantValiant
    55. Construction BotCon bot
    56. ValiantValiant ×3
    57. Construction BotCon bot
    58. ValiantValiant
    59. Construction BotCon bot
    60. Wind
    61. ValiantValiant ×2
    62. Construction BotCon bot
    63. ValiantValiant
    64. Wind ×2
    65. ValiantValiant
    66. Construction BotCon bot
    67. ValiantValiant
    68. Construction BotCon bot
    69. Wind ×2
    70. ValiantValiant
    71. T2 converter
    72. Construction BotCon bot
    73. Wind ×2
    74. ValiantValiant
    75. Construction BotCon bot
    76. ValiantValiant
    77. Wind ×3
    78. Con turret
    79. Wind ×3
    80. ValiantValiant
    81. Wind ×4
    82. ValiantValiant
    83. Wind
    84. ValiantValiant
    85. Wind
    86. ValiantValiant
    87. Wind
    88. Con turret
    89. Wind
    90. HerculesLight transport
    91. Wind
    92. T2 converter
    93. Wind ×5
    94. Con turret
    95. Wind ×8
    96. HerculesLight transport
    97. Wind ×5
    98. ValiantValiant
    99. Wind ×3
    100. ValiantValiant
    101. Wind ×4
    102. ValiantValiant ×2
    103. Wind
    104. ValiantValiant
    105. Wind ×2
    106. ValiantValiant
    107. Con turret
    108. Wind ×4
    109. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    110. Wind
    111. ValiantValiant
    112. Wind ×2
    113. ValiantValiant ×2
    114. Wind ×3
    115. ValiantValiant
    116. Wind ×2
    117. ValiantValiant
    118. Con turret
    119. Wind
    120. ValiantValiant
    121. Wind
    122. Con turret
    123. Wind ×5
    124. ValiantValiant
    125. Wind
    126. ValiantValiant ×2
    127. Wind ×2
    128. HerculesLight transport
    129. Wind ×2
    130. HerculesLight transport
    131. Wind ×3
    132. ValiantValiant
    133. Wind
    134. ValiantValiant
    135. Wind ×2
    136. ValiantValiant
    137. Wind
    138. ValiantValiant
    139. Wind ×3
    140. ValiantValiant
    141. Wind
    142. ValiantValiant
    143. Wind ×3
    144. ValiantValiant
    145. Wind
    146. ValiantValiant
    147. Wind
    148. ValiantValiant
    149. Wind ×2
    150. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    151. Wind ×4
    152. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    153. Wind ×4
    154. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    155. Wind ×3
    156. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    157. Wind ×4
    158. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    159. Wind ×5
    160. ValiantValiant ×2
    161. Wind ×2
    162. RattlesnakeRattlesnakenot finished by 15:00
    163. ValiantValiant
    164. Wind
    165. ValiantValiant
    166. Wind ×2
    167. ValiantValiant
    168. Wind ×3
    169. ValiantValiant
    170. Wind ×2

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Flerpz's (31 OS, 13/08/2026); 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

Flerpz

31.4 OS · 13/08/2026

Open source match ↗

3 received units · includes a constructor
455 metal received · 62459 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