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

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is realisticjo's (33 OS, 30/09/2026); 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

realisticjo

33.4 OS · 30/09/2026

Open source match ↗

2 received units · includes a constructor
439 metal received · 21334 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