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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. Energy storage
    4. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:29 · 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 · 20 steps
    1. FinchFinch ×2for Geo sea
    2. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    3. Wind ×3
    4. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    5. Wind
    6. Construction AircraftCon aircraft ×2
    7. Con turret ×2
    8. ValiantValiant
    9. Wind ×2
    10. Mex
    11. Con turret
    12. Wind ×4
    13. Wind
    14. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    15. Wind
    16. Metal storage
    17. Wind ×2
    18. ValiantValiant
    19. Wind
    20. ValiantValiant
  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 · 183 steps
    1. ValiantValiant
    2. Wind
    3. ValiantValiant
    4. Wind
    5. Wind
    6. ValiantValiant
    7. Con turret
    8. Wind
    9. Con turret
    10. Wind
    11. Wind
    12. Wind ×2
    13. Wind ×2
    14. Wind
    15. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:22 · typical 6:54
    16. Wind
    17. Wind ×2
    18. Wind
    19. Wind
    20. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    21. Wind
    22. Wind ×2
    23. Wind
    24. Wind
    25. HerculesLight transport
    26. Wind
    27. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    28. HerculesLight transport
    29. Wind
    30. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    31. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    32. Wind
    33. Con turret
    34. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    35. Wind ×2
    36. Con turret
    37. Wind
    38. Wind ×2
    39. Wind
    40. Con turret ×2
    41. Wind
    42. Wind ×2
    43. HerculesLight transport
    44. Wind
    45. Wind
    46. HerculesLight transport
    47. Con turret ×2
    48. Wind ×2
    49. Wind
    50. Wind
    51. Wind ×2
    52. Wind
    53. T2 converter
    54. Wind
    55. Bot LabBot Labdone 9:31
    56. Wind
    57. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    58. Wind
    59. Wind ×2
    60. Construction BotCon bot
    61. Wind ×2
    62. Wind
    63. FinchFinch
    64. GruntGrunt
    65. Wind
    66. GruntGrunt
    67. FinchFinch
    68. Wind
    69. GruntGrunt
    70. FinchFinch
    71. GruntGrunt
    72. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    73. GruntGrunt ×2
    74. FinchFinch
    75. GruntGrunt
    76. Wind
    77. GruntGrunt
    78. FinchFinch
    79. T2 converter
    80. Wind
    81. GruntGrunt
    82. ValiantValiant
    83. GruntGrunt
    84. Wind
    85. GruntGrunt
    86. ValiantValiant
    87. GruntGrunt
    88. Wind
    89. Con turret
    90. GruntGrunt
    91. ValiantValiant
    92. Con turret
    93. Wind
    94. GruntGrunt ×2
    95. Wind
    96. GruntGrunt
    97. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    98. GruntGrunt ×4
    99. Wind
    100. GruntGrunt ×4
    101. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 12:15 · typical 10:52
    102. GruntGrunt ×2
    103. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    104. GruntGrunt
    105. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    106. GruntGrunt
    107. Wind
    108. GruntGrunt ×3
    109. Wind
    110. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    111. GruntGrunt ×6
    112. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    113. GruntGrunt ×4
    114. Wind
    115. GruntGrunt
    116. Con turret
    117. GruntGrunt
    118. TrasherTrasher
    119. Con turret
    120. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 12:30
    121. TrasherTrasher ×2
    122. GruntGrunt
    123. GraverobberGraverobber ×2
    124. Wind
    125. GraverobberGraverobber
    126. GruntGrunt ×4
    127. Wind
    128. GruntGrunt ×5
    129. T2 converter
    130. GruntGrunt
    131. ValiantValiant
    132. GruntGrunt
    133. Wind
    134. GruntGrunt ×2
    135. ValiantValiant
    136. GruntGrunt
    137. Wind
    138. GruntGrunt ×6
    139. ValiantValiant
    140. GruntGrunt
    141. Wind
    142. GruntGrunt ×5
    143. ValiantValiant
    144. GruntGrunt ×4
    145. Wind
    146. GruntGrunt ×2
    147. Con turret
    148. ValiantValiant
    149. GruntGrunt
    150. Con turret
    151. GruntGrunt ×4
    152. ValiantValiant
    153. GruntGrunt ×3
    154. T2 converter
    155. GruntGrunt ×2
    156. ValiantValiant
    157. GruntGrunt ×11
    158. ValiantValiant
    159. GruntGrunt ×7
    160. ValiantValiant
    161. GruntGrunt
    162. Advanced Bot LabAdvanced Bot Labdone 14:27
    163. GruntGrunt
    164. ValiantValiant ×2
    165. GruntGrunt ×2
    166. FiendFiend
    167. GruntGrunt ×3
    168. FiendFiend
    169. GruntGrunt
    170. FiendFiend
    171. GruntGrunt ×2
    172. FiendFiend
    173. GruntGrunt
    174. ValiantValiant
    175. FiendFiend
    176. GruntGrunt
    177. ValiantValiant
    178. FiendFiend
    179. GruntGrunt
    180. ValiantValiant
    181. FiendFiend
    182. GruntGrunt ×2
    183. ValiantValiant

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is haaven's (44 OS, 14/10/2026); 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

haaven

43.6 OS · 14/10/2026

Open source match ↗

8 received units · includes a constructor
2414 metal received · 57342 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