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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 ×4
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:16 · 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. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    2. Wind
    3. Solar
    4. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    5. Solar
    6. FinchFinch
    7. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    8. Energy storage
    9. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    10. ValiantValiant
    11. Con turret
    12. ValiantValiant ×2
    13. Mex
    14. Con turret
    15. ValiantValiant ×2
    16. Con turret
    17. ValiantValiant
    18. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    19. Wind
    20. Converter
    21. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    22. ValiantValiant
    23. Wind
    24. ValiantValiant ×2
    25. 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 (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 · 269 steps
    1. ValiantValiant
    2. Wind ×2
    3. ValiantValiant
    4. Wind ×2
    5. ValiantValiant ×2
    6. Wind
    7. Wind
    8. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    9. Wind
    10. Wind
    11. Wind ×6
    12. Con turret
    13. Wind
    14. Converter
    15. Wind
    16. Wind ×2
    17. Converter
    18. Wind
    19. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:58 · typical 6:54
    20. Converter
    21. Wind
    22. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    23. Wind
    24. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×2
    25. Bot LabBot Labdone 8:04
    26. Wind
    27. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 8:13
    28. Construction BotCon bot
    29. Wind ×2
    30. Con turret
    31. Construction BotCon bot
    32. Wind
    33. Construction BotCon bot
    34. Wind
    35. Construction BotCon bot
    36. Wind
    37. Construction BotCon bot
    38. Wind
    39. Construction BotCon bot
    40. Wind
    41. Construction BotCon bot
    42. Wind
    43. ValiantValiant
    44. Wind
    45. Construction BotCon bot
    46. Wind
    47. ValiantValiant
    48. Wind
    49. Construction BotCon bot
    50. Wind
    51. ValiantValiant
    52. Wind
    53. Construction BotCon bot
    54. ValiantValiant
    55. Wind ×2
    56. Wind
    57. Wind
    58. Wind
    59. ValiantValiant
    60. Wind ×3
    61. ValiantValiant
    62. Wind
    63. Wind
    64. ValiantValiant
    65. Wind ×3
    66. Converter
    67. Wind
    68. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    69. ValiantValiant
    70. Wind
    71. ValiantValiant
    72. Wind ×3
    73. Converter
    74. Wind
    75. ShurikenShuriken
    76. Wind
    77. Converter
    78. Wind
    79. ShurikenShuriken
    80. Wind ×4
    81. ShurikenShuriken
    82. ValiantValiant
    83. Wind ×4
    84. Wind
    85. Wind ×3
    86. ValiantValiant
    87. Wind ×6
    88. ValiantValiant
    89. Wind ×4
    90. Wind
    91. Wind ×2
    92. ValiantValiant
    93. Wind ×2
    94. ValiantValiant
    95. Con turret
    96. Wind ×4
    97. ValiantValiant
    98. Wind ×2
    99. Converter
    100. Wind
    101. ValiantValiant
    102. Wind
    103. Wind ×3
    104. Converter
    105. ValiantValiant
    106. Wind ×2
    107. ValiantValiant
    108. Wind
    109. Converter
    110. Wind ×2
    111. ValiantValiant
    112. Wind
    113. Converter
    114. Wind ×2
    115. ValiantValiant
    116. FinchFinch
    117. Wind
    118. Wind
    119. Wind ×2
    120. Converter
    121. Wind
    122. FinchFinch
    123. Wind
    124. Converter
    125. Wind
    126. FinchFinch
    127. Wind
    128. Con turret
    129. FinchFinch
    130. Wind ×5
    131. ValiantValiant
    132. Wind
    133. Converter
    134. Hardened Energy Storage
    135. Wind
    136. FinchFinch
    137. Wind ×4
    138. Converter
    139. ValiantValiant
    140. Wind ×5
    141. Converter
    142. Wind
    143. ValiantValiant
    144. Wind
    145. Converter
    146. Wind
    147. Wind ×5
    148. ValiantValiant
    149. Converter
    150. Wind
    151. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    152. Wind
    153. Converter
    154. Wind ×4
    155. ValiantValiant
    156. Converter
    157. Wind ×2
    158. ValiantValiant
    159. Converter
    160. Wind
    161. ValiantValiant
    162. Wind ×4
    163. Converter
    164. ValiantValiant
    165. Wind ×2
    166. ValiantValiant
    167. Converter
    168. Wind
    169. ValiantValiant
    170. Wind ×2
    171. Con turret
    172. Wind ×3
    173. Converter
    174. Con turret
    175. ValiantValiant
    176. Wind
    177. Wind
    178. Wind
    179. Con turret
    180. Wind ×2
    181. ValiantValiant
    182. Wind
    183. Converter
    184. Con turret
    185. Wind ×3
    186. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    187. Converter
    188. Wind ×2
    189. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    190. Wind
    191. Wind
    192. Wind
    193. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 13:06
    194. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    195. Converter
    196. Wind ×3
    197. Converter
    198. Wind ×3
    199. Converter
    200. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    201. Wind
    202. ValiantValiant
    203. Wind ×2
    204. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    205. Wind
    206. Converter
    207. Wind ×2
    208. Wind
    209. Wind ×2
    210. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    211. Converter
    212. Wind
    213. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    214. Wind ×2
    215. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    216. Converter
    217. Wind ×3
    218. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    219. Wind
    220. Converter
    221. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    222. Wind ×2
    223. Converter
    224. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    225. Wind ×2
    226. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    227. Wind
    228. Converter
    229. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    230. Wind
    231. Wind ×2
    232. Converter
    233. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    234. Wind
    235. Converter
    236. FinchFinch
    237. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    238. Wind ×2
    239. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    240. Wind ×2
    241. Converter
    242. FinchFinch
    243. Wind
    244. FinchFinch
    245. Converter
    246. FinchFinch
    247. Wind
    248. FinchFinch
    249. Wind ×2
    250. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    251. Wind
    252. Converter
    253. Wind
    254. Converter
    255. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    256. HerculesLight transportfor Beach sea
    257. Wind ×2
    258. Converter
    259. Wind ×3
    260. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    261. Wind
    262. Converter
    263. Wind
    264. Fusion ReactorFusionnot finished by 15:00 · typical 10:53
    265. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    266. Wind ×2
    267. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    268. Converter
    269. Wind ×3

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is RiskyDonut's (31 OS, 05/10/2026); 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

RiskyDonut

31.3 OS · 05/10/2026

Open source match ↗

3 received units · includes a constructor
299 metal received · 62313 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