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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 · 1490 distinct matches · 252 players · 80% of Cortex Air games · team won 46% of 1793 · 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 1490 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 1:02 · 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 · 41 steps
    1. Wind
    2. FinchFinch
    3. HerculesLight transportfor Pond
    4. Wind ×2
    5. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    6. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    7. Con turret
    8. FinchFinchfor Geo
    9. Wind
    10. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Geo
    11. Mex
    12. ValiantValiant
    13. Con turret
    14. Wind
    15. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    16. Wind ×2
    17. Energy storage
    18. ValiantValiant
    19. Wind
    20. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    21. Wind
    22. Converter
    23. ValiantValiant ×3
    24. Wind
    25. Converter
    26. ValiantValiant
    27. FinchFinch
    28. Wind
    29. Wind
    30. ValiantValiant
    31. Wind ×2
    32. Wind
    33. Wind
    34. ValiantValiant
    35. Wind
    36. Wind
    37. Wind
    38. Converter
    39. Wind ×3
    40. Wind
    41. 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 · 25 wind · 20 wind · 8 converter · 1 energy storage

    The example game in this phase · 316 steps
    1. ValiantValiant
    2. HerculesLight transport
    3. Wind
    4. ValiantValiant
    5. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    6. Con turret
    7. Wind ×2
    8. Converter
    9. Wind
    10. Wind
    11. Wind
    12. Wind
    13. Converter
    14. Wind
    15. Wind
    16. Converter
    17. Wind
    18. Converter
    19. Wind
    20. Converter
    21. Wind
    22. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:29 · typical 6:54
    23. Converter
    24. Wind
    25. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    26. Converter
    27. Wind
    28. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×2
    29. Wind ×2
    30. Con turret ×2
    31. Wind
    32. Con turret
    33. Wind ×3
    34. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 8:12
    35. Wind ×2
    36. Wind
    37. Wind
    38. Hardened Energy Storage
    39. ValiantValiant
    40. Wind
    41. Wind
    42. ValiantValiant
    43. Wind
    44. Con turret
    45. Wind ×3
    46. Con turret
    47. Wind
    48. Con turret
    49. Wind ×2
    50. ValiantValiant
    51. Wind
    52. ValiantValiant
    53. Wind ×2
    54. Wind
    55. Wind
    56. ValiantValiant
    57. Wind ×2
    58. Wind
    59. Wind
    60. ValiantValiant
    61. Wind
    62. ValiantValiant
    63. Wind ×2
    64. Wind
    65. ValiantValiant
    66. Con turret
    67. Wind
    68. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    69. Wind
    70. Wind
    71. Wind ×2
    72. Wind
    73. ValiantValiant
    74. Wind
    75. ValiantValiant
    76. Converter
    77. Wind
    78. Wind ×2
    79. FinchFinch
    80. Converter
    81. ValiantValiant
    82. Wind
    83. Wind ×2
    84. ValiantValiant
    85. Converter
    86. Wind
    87. Wind
    88. FinchFinch
    89. Wind
    90. Converter
    91. FinchFinch
    92. Wind ×2
    93. Converter
    94. Wind
    95. FinchFinch
    96. Wind
    97. Converter
    98. FinchFinch
    99. Wind
    100. Wind
    101. FinchFinch
    102. Converter
    103. FinchFinch
    104. Wind
    105. FinchFinch
    106. Wind
    107. Converter
    108. FinchFinch
    109. Wind
    110. FinchFinch
    111. Converter
    112. FinchFinch
    113. Wind
    114. Converter
    115. ValiantValiant
    116. Wind
    117. Wind
    118. Wind
    119. Converter
    120. ValiantValiant
    121. Wind ×2
    122. Converter
    123. ValiantValiant
    124. Wind
    125. Converter
    126. ValiantValiant
    127. Wind
    128. Converter
    129. Wind
    130. ValiantValiant
    131. Wind
    132. Converter
    133. ValiantValiant
    134. Wind
    135. Wind
    136. Wind
    137. ValiantValiant
    138. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    139. ValiantValiant
    140. Wind
    141. ShurikenShuriken
    142. HephaestusHeavy transport
    143. Wind
    144. Wind
    145. ShurikenShuriken
    146. Wind
    147. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    148. Wind
    149. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    150. Con turret
    151. Wind
    152. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    153. Wind
    154. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    155. Wind
    156. ShurikenShuriken
    157. Wind
    158. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    159. Con turret
    160. ShurikenShuriken
    161. Con turret
    162. ShurikenShuriken
    163. Wind
    164. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    165. Con turret
    166. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    167. Con turret
    168. FinchFinch
    169. ValiantValiant ×2
    170. Wind
    171. ValiantValiant
    172. Wind
    173. ValiantValiant
    174. Wind
    175. ValiantValiant ×2
    176. Wind
    177. Wind
    178. ValiantValiant
    179. Wind
    180. ValiantValiant
    181. Wind
    182. ValiantValiant ×2
    183. Wind
    184. FinchFinch
    185. Wind
    186. ValiantValiant
    187. Wind
    188. ValiantValiant
    189. Wind
    190. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    191. Wind
    192. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    193. Wind
    194. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    195. Wind
    196. Wind
    197. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    198. Wind
    199. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    200. Wind
    201. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    202. Wind
    203. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    204. Wind
    205. Wind
    206. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    207. Wind ×2
    208. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×3
    209. Wind
    210. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    211. Wind
    212. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    213. Wind
    214. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    215. Wind
    216. Wind
    217. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    218. Wind
    219. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    220. Wind
    221. Wind
    222. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    223. Wind ×2
    224. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    225. Wind
    226. ValiantValiant ×2
    227. Wind
    228. ValiantValiant
    229. Wind
    230. ValiantValiant ×2
    231. Wind
    232. Wind
    233. ValiantValiant ×2
    234. Wind
    235. ValiantValiant
    236. Wind
    237. FinchFinch
    238. ValiantValiant
    239. Wind
    240. ValiantValiant
    241. Wind
    242. RattlesnakeRattlesnakenot finished by 15:00
    243. ValiantValiant
    244. Wind
    245. ValiantValiant
    246. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    247. Wind
    248. Wind
    249. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    250. Con turret
    251. Wind
    252. Con turret
    253. Wind
    254. Wind
    255. Con turret
    256. Wind
    257. Wind
    258. Wind
    259. ValiantValiant
    260. Wind ×2
    261. ValiantValiant
    262. Wind ×3
    263. ValiantValiant
    264. Wind
    265. Wind ×2
    266. Converter
    267. Wind
    268. ValiantValiant
    269. Wind ×2
    270. Converter
    271. ValiantValiant
    272. Wind ×3
    273. ValiantValiant
    274. Converter
    275. Wind
    276. Wind ×3
    277. FinchFinch
    278. Converter
    279. Wind ×2
    280. ValiantValiant
    281. Converter
    282. Wind ×2
    283. ValiantValiant
    284. Wind
    285. Converter
    286. Wind
    287. ValiantValiant
    288. Wind
    289. Converter
    290. Wind
    291. ValiantValiant
    292. Wind ×3
    293. ValiantValiant
    294. Wind
    295. Converter
    296. Wind ×2
    297. ValiantValiant
    298. Converter
    299. Wind ×2
    300. ValiantValiant
    301. Wind
    302. Converter
    303. ValiantValiant
    304. Wind ×2
    305. Converter
    306. ValiantValiant
    307. Wind
    308. Wind ×2
    309. ValiantValiant
    310. Converter
    311. Wind
    312. FinchFinch
    313. Wind
    314. Converter
    315. Wind
    316. ValiantValiant

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is HALF_DALLAH_HABIT's (33 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 2:22 · 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

1793 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
6:003706102124
7:005088146167
8:006900190219
9:009279232270
10:0011757292384
11:0014351373540
12:0017061515781
13:00198467811109
14:002269912691689
15:002570018082409
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

HALF_DALLAH_HABIT

33.2 OS · 08/10/2026

Open source match ↗

8 received units · includes a constructor
139 metal received · 136144 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=1793
Advanced Metal Extractor6:54Middle 50%: 6:27–7:26 · n=1734
Fusion Reactor10:53Middle 50%: 9:47–12:18 · n=1147

Played most by

TheGeneraI113games of this buildDad_The_Speedrunner72games of this buildHunfore62games of this buildMilkdragon51games of this buildAdeus50games of this build