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 · 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 · 6 steps
    1. Mex ×2
    2. Wind
    3. Mex
    4. Wind ×3
    5. Energy storage
    6. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:29 · 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 · 32 steps
    1. Wind
    2. FinchFinch
    3. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    4. Wind ×2
    5. ValiantValiant
    6. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    7. Wind
    8. ValiantValiant
    9. Wind ×3
    10. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    11. Wind ×3
    12. ValiantValiant
    13. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    14. Con turret
    15. ValiantValiant
    16. Mex
    17. Con turret
    18. ValiantValiant
    19. Con turret
    20. ValiantValiant ×2
    21. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    22. Wind
    23. HerculesLight transport
    24. Wind
    25. ValiantValiant
    26. Converter
    27. Wind ×2
    28. ValiantValiant
    29. Converter
    30. Wind ×2
    31. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    32. Wind
  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 · 270 steps
    1. Wind ×3
    2. Converter
    3. Wind ×3
    4. Converter
    5. Wind ×3
    6. Converter
    7. Wind ×2
    8. Con turret
    9. Converter
    10. Wind
    11. Con turret
    12. Wind
    13. Converter
    14. Wind ×2
    15. Converter
    16. Wind ×9
    17. Converter ×2
    18. Con turret
    19. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×4done 7:05 · typical 6:54
    20. Bot LabBot Labdone 7:41
    21. Wind
    22. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    23. Wind
    24. Con turret
    25. Construction BotCon bot
    26. Con turret
    27. Wind
    28. Construction BotCon bot
    29. Wind ×2
    30. Construction BotCon bot
    31. Wind ×4
    32. Con turret
    33. Wind ×8
    34. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 8:37
    35. Wind
    36. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    37. Wind ×14
    38. Converter
    39. ValiantValiant
    40. Wind ×5
    41. ValiantValiant
    42. Wind ×4
    43. ValiantValiant
    44. Wind ×5
    45. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    46. Wind ×4
    47. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    48. Wind ×5
    49. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    50. Wind ×6
    51. ValiantValiant
    52. Wind ×2
    53. ValiantValiant
    54. Converter
    55. Wind ×3
    56. Converter
    57. Wind
    58. ValiantValiant
    59. Wind ×5
    60. Converter
    61. FinchFinch
    62. Wind ×3
    63. FinchFinch
    64. Wind ×5
    65. FinchFinch
    66. Wind
    67. Converter
    68. Wind ×2
    69. FinchFinch
    70. Wind ×3
    71. Converter
    72. Wind
    73. ValiantValiant
    74. Wind ×2
    75. Converter
    76. Wind ×2
    77. Con turret ×2
    78. Converter
    79. Wind
    80. ValiantValiant
    81. Converter
    82. Wind ×4
    83. ValiantValiant
    84. Converter
    85. Con turret
    86. Converter
    87. ValiantValiant
    88. Wind ×4
    89. Converter
    90. ValiantValiant
    91. Wind ×2
    92. Converter
    93. Wind
    94. ValiantValiant
    95. Wind ×2
    96. ValiantValiant
    97. Wind
    98. Converter
    99. Wind
    100. ValiantValiant
    101. Wind ×4
    102. ValiantValiant
    103. Wind ×2
    104. Converter
    105. Wind ×2
    106. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    107. Converter
    108. Wind ×2
    109. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    110. Wind ×3
    111. Converter
    112. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    113. Wind ×2
    114. Converter
    115. Wind ×3
    116. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    117. Wind
    118. Converter
    119. Wind
    120. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    121. Wind
    122. Converter
    123. Wind ×5
    124. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    125. Converter
    126. Wind ×3
    127. Converter
    128. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    129. Wind ×3
    130. Converter
    131. Wind
    132. Con turret
    133. Wind
    134. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    135. Wind
    136. Converter
    137. Con turret
    138. Wind
    139. Converter
    140. Wind
    141. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    142. Wind ×5
    143. Converter
    144. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    145. Wind ×2
    146. Converter
    147. Wind ×3
    148. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    149. Wind ×3
    150. Converter
    151. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    152. Wind ×3
    153. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    154. Wind
    155. Converter
    156. Wind
    157. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    158. Wind ×3
    159. Converter
    160. Wind ×2
    161. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    162. Wind ×2
    163. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    164. Converter
    165. Wind ×3
    166. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    167. Converter
    168. Wind ×3
    169. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    170. Wind ×3
    171. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    172. Converter
    173. Wind ×2
    174. Converter
    175. Wind ×2
    176. ValiantValiant
    177. Wind ×2
    178. ValiantValiant
    179. Wind
    180. Converter
    181. ValiantValiant
    182. Wind ×2
    183. Converter
    184. Wind ×2
    185. ValiantValiant ×2
    186. Wind ×3
    187. NettleNettle
    188. Converter
    189. Wind
    190. ValiantValiant
    191. NettleNettle
    192. Converter
    193. Wind ×2
    194. ValiantValiant
    195. NettleNettle
    196. ValiantValiant
    197. Wind
    198. Converter ×2
    199. Wind ×2
    200. ValiantValiant
    201. Wind ×4
    202. ValiantValiant
    203. Wind ×2
    204. ValiantValiant
    205. Wind ×4
    206. ValiantValiant
    207. Wind ×2
    208. ValiantValiant
    209. Wind
    210. ValiantValiant
    211. Wind ×3
    212. ValiantValiant
    213. Wind
    214. ValiantValiant
    215. Wind ×3
    216. ValiantValiant
    217. Wind ×2
    218. ValiantValiant ×2
    219. Wind ×3
    220. ValiantValiant ×2
    221. Wind
    222. ValiantValiant
    223. Wind ×4
    224. ValiantValiant
    225. Wind
    226. ValiantValiant ×2
    227. Wind ×3
    228. ValiantValiant
    229. Wind ×2
    230. ValiantValiant
    231. Wind
    232. ValiantValiant
    233. Wind ×3
    234. ValiantValiant
    235. Wind ×2
    236. ValiantValiant
    237. Wind ×2
    238. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    239. Wind ×3
    240. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    241. Wind ×2
    242. ValiantValiant
    243. Wind
    244. ValiantValiant
    245. Wind
    246. Con turret
    247. Wind ×4
    248. Con turret
    249. ValiantValiant
    250. Wind ×3
    251. Con turret
    252. Wind ×2
    253. ValiantValiant ×2
    254. Wind
    255. NettleNettle
    256. ValiantValiant
    257. Wind ×2
    258. ValiantValiant
    259. Wind
    260. ValiantValiant
    261. Wind ×2
    262. ValiantValiant
    263. Wind
    264. ValiantValiant
    265. Wind
    266. ValiantValiant
    267. Wind
    268. ValiantValiant
    269. Wind
    270. ValiantValiant

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is bob7's (31 OS, 04/10/2026); 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 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

bob7

31.4 OS · 04/10/2026

Open source match ↗

2 received units · includes a constructor
2003 metal received · 58388 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
Standard air · Cortex Air build order · BAR Build Atlas