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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 ×6
    3. Energy storage
    4. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:52 · 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 · 16 steps
    1. FinchFinch
    2. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    3. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    4. ShurikenShurikenfor Geo sea
    5. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    6. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    7. ValiantValiant ×4
    8. Mex
    9. ValiantValiant
    10. Wind
    11. ValiantValiant
    12. Wind
    13. ValiantValiant ×2
    14. Wind
    15. HerculesLight transport ×2for Tech
    16. 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 · 278 steps
    1. Construction AircraftCon aircraft ×2
    2. Wind
    3. Con turret
    4. HerculesLight transport
    5. Wind
    6. Con turret ×2
    7. Wind
    8. Con turret
    9. Wind
    10. Con turret
    11. ValiantValiant ×2
    12. Wind
    13. ValiantValiant
    14. Wind
    15. ValiantValiant
    16. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    17. Wind
    18. Converter
    19. Con turret
    20. Wind
    21. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:23 · typical 6:54
    22. Converter
    23. Wind ×5
    24. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    25. Wind
    26. Converter
    27. Wind
    28. Converter
    29. Wind
    30. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    31. Wind ×2
    32. Converter ×2
    33. Wind
    34. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    35. Converter
    36. Bot LabBot Labdone 8:48
    37. Converter
    38. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    39. Converter
    40. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    41. Converter
    42. Construction BotCon bot ×3
    43. Wind
    44. Construction BotCon bot
    45. Converter
    46. Construction BotCon bot
    47. Wind ×2
    48. Construction BotCon bot
    49. Wind ×2
    50. Construction BotCon bot
    51. Converter
    52. Construction BotCon bot
    53. Wind ×3
    54. Construction BotCon bot
    55. Converter
    56. Construction BotCon bot
    57. Wind ×2
    58. Converter
    59. Wind ×4
    60. Converter
    61. Wind
    62. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    63. Wind ×2
    64. Con turret
    65. Wind ×2
    66. Con turret
    67. Converter
    68. Wind ×5
    69. Con turret
    70. Wind
    71. Converter
    72. Con turret
    73. Wind ×3
    74. Con turret
    75. Wind ×4
    76. Converter
    77. Con turret
    78. Wind
    79. Con turret
    80. Wind ×5
    81. Converter
    82. Con turret ×2
    83. Wind ×4
    84. Con turret
    85. Converter
    86. Wind ×5
    87. Converter
    88. Wind
    89. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 11:12
    90. Wind ×4
    91. Converter
    92. Wind ×5
    93. Converter
    94. Wind
    95. FinchFinch ×2for Geo
    96. Wind
    97. ValiantValiant
    98. Wind ×2
    99. ValiantValiant
    100. Wind ×2
    101. ValiantValiant ×2
    102. Converter
    103. ValiantValiant
    104. Wind
    105. ValiantValiant
    106. Wind ×3
    107. ValiantValiant
    108. Wind
    109. ValiantValiant ×2
    110. Converter
    111. ValiantValiant
    112. Wind ×2
    113. ValiantValiant
    114. Wind ×2
    115. ValiantValiant
    116. Wind
    117. Converter
    118. ValiantValiant
    119. Wind
    120. ValiantValiant ×2
    121. Wind
    122. Converter
    123. ValiantValiant
    124. Wind ×2
    125. ValiantValiant
    126. Wind
    127. ValiantValiant
    128. Wind
    129. ValiantValiant
    130. Converter
    131. ValiantValiant
    132. Wind
    133. ValiantValiant
    134. Wind ×2
    135. ValiantValiant
    136. Converter
    137. Wind ×2
    138. ValiantValiant ×2
    139. Wind
    140. ShurikenShuriken
    141. Converter
    142. ShurikenShuriken
    143. Wind ×2
    144. ShurikenShuriken
    145. Wind ×2
    146. ShurikenShuriken
    147. Converter
    148. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    149. Wind
    150. ShurikenShuriken
    151. Wind
    152. ShurikenShuriken
    153. Converter
    154. Wind ×2
    155. ShurikenShuriken
    156. Wind
    157. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    158. Converter
    159. ShurikenShuriken
    160. Wind
    161. ShurikenShuriken
    162. Wind ×2
    163. ShurikenShuriken
    164. Wind
    165. ValiantValiant
    166. Converter
    167. Wind
    168. ValiantValiant ×2
    169. Wind
    170. ValiantValiant
    171. Converter
    172. Wind
    173. ValiantValiant
    174. Wind ×2
    175. ValiantValiant
    176. Wind
    177. Converter
    178. ValiantValiant ×2
    179. Wind
    180. ValiantValiant
    181. Wind ×2
    182. Converter
    183. Wind
    184. ValiantValiant
    185. Wind
    186. ValiantValiant
    187. Converter
    188. ValiantValiant
    189. Wind ×2
    190. ValiantValiant
    191. Wind
    192. ValiantValiant
    193. Wind
    194. Converter
    195. ValiantValiant
    196. Wind
    197. ValiantValiant
    198. Wind ×2
    199. ValiantValiant
    200. Con turret
    201. ValiantValiant
    202. Wind ×2
    203. ValiantValiant
    204. Wind
    205. ValiantValiant ×2
    206. Wind ×2
    207. ValiantValiant
    208. Wind ×3
    209. ValiantValiant
    210. Wind ×2
    211. ValiantValiant
    212. Wind
    213. Converter
    214. Wind ×2
    215. ValiantValiant ×2
    216. Wind ×3
    217. ValiantValiant
    218. Wind
    219. ValiantValiant
    220. Wind
    221. ValiantValiant
    222. Wind
    223. ValiantValiant
    224. Wind
    225. ValiantValiant
    226. Converter
    227. Wind ×2
    228. ValiantValiant
    229. Wind
    230. ValiantValiant
    231. Wind ×2
    232. Converter
    233. ValiantValiant
    234. Wind ×2
    235. ValiantValiant
    236. Wind
    237. ValiantValiant
    238. Converter
    239. Wind ×2
    240. ValiantValiant
    241. Wind
    242. ValiantValiant
    243. Wind ×2
    244. ValiantValiant
    245. Converter
    246. ValiantValiant
    247. Wind ×2
    248. ValiantValiant
    249. Wind
    250. ValiantValiant
    251. Wind ×2
    252. ValiantValiant
    253. Wind ×2
    254. Converter
    255. ValiantValiant ×2
    256. Converter
    257. Wind ×3
    258. ValiantValiant ×2
    259. Wind ×2
    260. ValiantValiant
    261. Converter
    262. Wind
    263. ValiantValiant
    264. Wind ×2
    265. ValiantValiant ×2
    266. Wind ×2
    267. ValiantValiant
    268. Converter
    269. ValiantValiant
    270. Wind ×2
    271. ValiantValiant
    272. Wind
    273. ValiantValiant ×2
    274. Converter
    275. Wind ×2
    276. ValiantValiant
    277. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    278. Wind ×3

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is [A7O]SuperTetra's (31 OS, 21/09/2026); 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

[A7O]SuperTetra

30.6 OS · 21/09/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
238 metal received · 41184 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