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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 · 4 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×4
    3. Solar
    4. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:31 · 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 · 33 steps
    1. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    2. Solar
    3. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    4. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    5. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    6. FinchFinch
    7. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    8. Con turret
    9. Mex
    10. ValiantValiant ×2
    11. Wind ×2
    12. ValiantValiant
    13. Wind
    14. ValiantValiant
    15. Wind ×2
    16. ValiantValiant
    17. Wind
    18. Wind
    19. Con turret
    20. Wind ×2
    21. Wind
    22. Wind
    23. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    24. Wind ×2
    25. Converter
    26. Wind
    27. Wind
    28. Wind
    29. Converter
    30. Wind
    31. Wind
    32. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    33. 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 · 261 steps
    1. Wind
    2. Wind
    3. Converter
    4. Wind
    5. Wind
    6. Converter
    7. Wind
    8. Converter
    9. Wind
    10. Wind
    11. Con turret
    12. Wind ×2
    13. Converter
    14. Wind
    15. Energy storage
    16. Wind
    17. Converter
    18. Wind
    19. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:16 · typical 6:54
    20. Wind
    21. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    22. Converter
    23. Wind ×2
    24. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    25. Wind
    26. Converter
    27. Wind
    28. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    29. Wind ×9
    30. Con turret
    31. Wind
    32. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 8:13
    33. Wind
    34. FinchFinch
    35. Wind
    36. FinchFinch ×2
    37. Bot LabBot Labdone 8:32
    38. Wind
    39. FinchFinch
    40. Wind
    41. Construction BotCon bot
    42. ValiantValiant
    43. Construction BotCon bot
    44. Wind
    45. ValiantValiant
    46. Construction BotCon bot
    47. ValiantValiant ×2
    48. Construction BotCon bot
    49. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    50. Construction BotCon bot
    51. Wind ×2
    52. ShurikenShuriken
    53. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    54. Wind
    55. ShurikenShuriken
    56. Construction BotCon bot
    57. ShurikenShuriken
    58. Wind
    59. Construction BotCon bot
    60. ShurikenShuriken
    61. Wind
    62. Construction BotCon bot
    63. Wind
    64. ShurikenShuriken
    65. Wind
    66. Construction BotCon bot
    67. ShurikenShuriken
    68. Wind ×2
    69. ValiantValiant
    70. Wind
    71. Wind
    72. Construction BotCon bot
    73. ValiantValiant
    74. Wind
    75. Wind
    76. ValiantValiant
    77. Wind ×2
    78. ValiantValiant
    79. Wind
    80. Wind ×2
    81. ValiantValiant
    82. Wind ×3
    83. Wind
    84. ValiantValiant
    85. Wind
    86. ValiantValiant
    87. Wind
    88. Wind
    89. ValiantValiant
    90. Wind ×2
    91. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Tech
    92. Wind
    93. Wind ×4
    94. ValiantValiant
    95. Wind
    96. Wind
    97. ValiantValiant
    98. Construction BotCon bot
    99. Wind ×2
    100. ValiantValiant
    101. Wind
    102. Wind
    103. Construction BotCon bot
    104. Wind
    105. ValiantValiant
    106. Wind ×4
    107. Wind
    108. Wind
    109. ValiantValiant
    110. Wind
    111. Wind
    112. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    113. Wind ×2
    114. ValiantValiant
    115. Wind
    116. Wind
    117. ValiantValiant
    118. Wind
    119. ValiantValiant
    120. Wind ×5
    121. Con turret
    122. Wind
    123. Wind
    124. ValiantValiant
    125. T2 converter
    126. Wind
    127. Con turret
    128. Wind
    129. ValiantValiant
    130. Wind ×4
    131. Wind
    132. Wind ×4
    133. Con turret
    134. Wind ×3
    135. Wind
    136. Con turret
    137. ValiantValiant
    138. Wind ×2
    139. Wind
    140. Wind ×6
    141. Wind
    142. Wind ×4
    143. ValiantValiant ×2
    144. Wind
    145. Wind
    146. ValiantValiant
    147. Wind ×2
    148. ValiantValiant
    149. Wind
    150. ValiantValiant
    151. Wind
    152. Wind
    153. Wind
    154. ValiantValiant
    155. Wind ×3
    156. Wind
    157. Wind
    158. ValiantValiant
    159. Wind ×4
    160. Wind
    161. ValiantValiant
    162. Wind ×2
    163. Wind
    164. ValiantValiant
    165. Wind ×3
    166. ValiantValiant
    167. Wind
    168. ValiantValiant
    169. Wind ×2
    170. Wind
    171. Wind
    172. ValiantValiant
    173. Wind ×3
    174. ValiantValiant
    175. Wind
    176. ValiantValiant ×2
    177. Wind ×3
    178. ValiantValiant
    179. Wind ×2
    180. Wind
    181. ValiantValiant
    182. Wind
    183. ValiantValiant
    184. Wind ×2
    185. Wind
    186. Wind
    187. HerculesLight transport
    188. Wind ×3
    189. ValiantValiant
    190. Wind
    191. ValiantValiant
    192. Wind ×5
    193. Wind
    194. ValiantValiant
    195. Wind ×4
    196. ValiantValiant
    197. Wind
    198. Wind ×4
    199. ValiantValiant
    200. Wind
    201. Wind ×7
    202. ValiantValiant
    203. Wind
    204. Wind ×3
    205. ValiantValiant
    206. Wind
    207. Wind
    208. Wind ×2
    209. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    210. Wind ×4
    211. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    212. Wind ×3
    213. Wind
    214. Wind ×5
    215. Wind
    216. Wind
    217. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    218. Wind ×6
    219. Wind
    220. Wind ×3
    221. Wind
    222. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    223. Wind ×8
    224. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    225. Wind
    226. Wind
    227. Wind ×3
    228. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    229. Wind
    230. Wind
    231. Wind ×3
    232. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    233. Wind ×6
    234. Wind
    235. Wind
    236. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    237. Wind ×4
    238. Wind
    239. Wind
    240. ShurikenShuriken
    241. Wind ×2
    242. T2 converter
    243. ShurikenShuriken
    244. Wind ×2
    245. Wind
    246. Wind ×9
    247. Wind
    248. Wind ×3
    249. ShurikenShuriken
    250. Wind ×7
    251. Wind
    252. Wind ×3
    253. ShurikenShuriken
    254. Wind ×4
    255. ShurikenShuriken
    256. Wind ×4
    257. ShurikenShuriken
    258. Wind ×2
    259. ShurikenShuriken
    260. Wind ×3
    261. ShurikenShuriken

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Herbiderpi's (33 OS, 12/10/2026); 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

32.9 OS · 12/10/2026

Open source match ↗

6 received units · includes a constructor
1267 metal received · 37083 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