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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 · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×2
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:05 · 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 · 27 steps
    1. Wind
    2. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    3. Wind ×4
    4. HerculesLight transportfor Beach sea
    5. Wind ×8
    6. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    7. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    8. Con turret
    9. ValiantValiant
    10. Wind ×3
    11. Mex
    12. Wind
    13. ValiantValiant
    14. Wind
    15. Wind
    16. Solar
    17. HerculesLight transport
    18. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Pond
    19. Wind
    20. Wind ×2
    21. Wind
    22. Wind
    23. Con turret
    24. Wind ×3
    25. Wind
    26. Energy storage
    27. 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 · 256 steps
    1. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    2. Wind
    3. Converter
    4. Wind
    5. ValiantValiant
    6. Wind
    7. Converter
    8. ValiantValiant
    9. Wind
    10. ValiantValiant
    11. Converter
    12. Wind
    13. ValiantValiant
    14. Converter
    15. Wind
    16. ValiantValiant
    17. Converter
    18. ValiantValiant
    19. Wind
    20. ValiantValiant
    21. Converter
    22. Wind
    23. Con turret
    24. Converter
    25. Wind
    26. Converter
    27. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    28. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:52 · typical 6:54
    29. Converter
    30. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×3
    31. Con turret ×2
    32. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 8:20
    33. Converter
    34. ValiantValiant ×2
    35. Bot LabBot Labdone 8:33
    36. ValiantValiant
    37. Converter
    38. Construction BotCon bot
    39. ValiantValiant
    40. Converter
    41. ValiantValiant
    42. Construction BotCon bot
    43. ValiantValiant ×2
    44. Construction BotCon bot
    45. Converter
    46. ValiantValiant ×2
    47. Construction BotCon bot
    48. Wind
    49. Converter
    50. ValiantValiant ×2
    51. Construction BotCon bot
    52. ValiantValiant
    53. Converter
    54. Construction BotCon bot
    55. ValiantValiant
    56. Wind ×3
    57. ValiantValiant
    58. Construction BotCon bot
    59. Converter
    60. ValiantValiant
    61. Wind ×2
    62. ValiantValiant
    63. Construction BotCon bot
    64. Wind ×2
    65. ValiantValiant
    66. Converter
    67. Wind ×4
    68. ValiantValiant
    69. Construction BotCon bot
    70. Wind
    71. Converter
    72. Wind
    73. ValiantValiant
    74. Wind ×6
    75. Converter
    76. ValiantValiant
    77. Wind ×3
    78. Converter
    79. Wind ×3
    80. HerculesLight transport
    81. Wind ×2
    82. Converter
    83. Wind
    84. ValiantValiant
    85. Construction BotCon bot
    86. Wind
    87. FinchFinch
    88. Wind ×2
    89. Converter
    90. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    91. Wind
    92. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 11:47 · typical 10:52
    93. Wind
    94. Converter
    95. Wind ×5
    96. Converter
    97. Wind ×4
    98. Converter
    99. Wind ×6
    100. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    101. Converter
    102. Wind ×4
    103. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 11:48
    104. Converter
    105. Wind ×9
    106. Converter
    107. Wind
    108. ThistleThistle
    109. Wind ×4
    110. Converter
    111. Wind ×3
    112. ValiantValiant
    113. Wind ×3
    114. ValiantValiant
    115. Converter
    116. Wind ×2
    117. ValiantValiant
    118. Wind
    119. ValiantValiant
    120. Converter
    121. Wind ×2
    122. ValiantValiant
    123. Wind ×3
    124. ValiantValiant
    125. Wind ×2
    126. Converter
    127. Wind ×2
    128. ValiantValiant
    129. Wind
    130. T2 converter
    131. Wind
    132. Converter
    133. Wind ×5
    134. Converter
    135. Wind
    136. ValiantValiant
    137. Wind ×3
    138. Converter
    139. Wind ×5
    140. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    141. Wind ×2
    142. Converter
    143. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    144. Con turret
    145. Wind ×4
    146. Con turret
    147. ValiantValiant
    148. Wind
    149. ValiantValiant
    150. Wind ×2
    151. Con turret
    152. Converter
    153. Wind ×3
    154. Con turret
    155. ValiantValiant
    156. Con turret
    157. Wind ×2
    158. Converter
    159. Con turret
    160. Wind
    161. ValiantValiant
    162. Wind
    163. Con turret
    164. Wind
    165. ValiantValiant
    166. Con turret
    167. Wind ×2
    168. Converter
    169. ValiantValiant
    170. Wind ×4
    171. ValiantValiant
    172. Wind
    173. ValiantValiant ×2
    174. Wind
    175. Converter
    176. ValiantValiant
    177. Wind
    178. ValiantValiant
    179. Wind ×3
    180. ValiantValiant
    181. Wind ×2
    182. ValiantValiant
    183. Wind
    184. ValiantValiant
    185. Wind ×2
    186. ValiantValiant
    187. Converter
    188. Wind
    189. ValiantValiant
    190. Wind
    191. ValiantValiant
    192. Wind ×3
    193. ValiantValiant
    194. Wind
    195. ValiantValiant ×2
    196. Converter
    197. ValiantValiant
    198. Wind
    199. ValiantValiant ×2
    200. Wind ×4
    201. ValiantValiant
    202. Wind
    203. ValiantValiant
    204. Wind
    205. ValiantValiant
    206. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    207. Converter
    208. ValiantValiant
    209. Wind
    210. ValiantValiant
    211. Wind
    212. ValiantValiant
    213. Wind ×2
    214. ValiantValiant
    215. Wind
    216. ValiantValiant
    217. Wind
    218. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    219. Converter
    220. ValiantValiant ×4
    221. Wind ×3
    222. ValiantValiant
    223. Wind
    224. ValiantValiant
    225. Converter
    226. ValiantValiant
    227. Wind
    228. ValiantValiant ×2
    229. Wind
    230. ValiantValiant
    231. Wind
    232. ValiantValiant
    233. Wind
    234. ValiantValiant
    235. Wind
    236. ValiantValiant
    237. Wind
    238. ValiantValiant
    239. Converter
    240. ValiantValiant ×4
    241. Wind ×2
    242. ValiantValiant
    243. Wind ×2
    244. ValiantValiant ×2
    245. Converter
    246. ValiantValiant
    247. Wind
    248. ValiantValiant
    249. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    250. ValiantValiant
    251. Wind ×2
    252. ValiantValiant
    253. Wind
    254. ValiantValiant
    255. Fusion ReactorFusion
    256. Wind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Herbiderpi's (32 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

Herbiderpi

32.1 OS · 04/10/2026

Open source match ↗

7 received units · includes a constructor
442 metal received · 80478 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