BAR / BUILD ATLAS
← All builds
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 · 1506 distinct matches · 252 players · 81% of Cortex Air games · team won 46% of 1811 · 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 1506 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. Solar
    3. Mex
    4. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:30 · 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. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    2. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    3. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    4. Wind
    5. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    6. Wind
    7. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    8. Wind ×3
    9. ValiantValiant
    10. Wind ×3
    11. ValiantValiant
    12. Wind
    13. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    14. Con turret ×2
    15. HerculesLight transport
    16. Con turret
    17. Wind ×2
    18. Con turret
    19. ValiantValiant ×3
    20. ShurikenShuriken
  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 · 197 steps
    1. ShurikenShuriken
    2. Wind
    3. ShurikenShuriken
    4. Wind
    5. ShurikenShuriken
    6. Wind
    7. ShurikenShuriken
    8. Wind
    9. ValiantValiant ×2
    10. Wind ×2
    11. ValiantValiant
    12. Wind
    13. ValiantValiant
    14. Wind
    15. ThistleThistle ×2
    16. Wind
    17. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    18. Wind
    19. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:58 · typical 6:54
    20. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    21. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    22. Wind
    23. HerculesLight transportfor Beach sea
    24. Wind ×6
    25. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    26. ShurikenShuriken
    27. Wind
    28. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    29. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    30. ShurikenShuriken
    31. ValiantValiant ×4
    32. Bot LabBot Labdone 9:46
    33. ValiantValiant
    34. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    35. ValiantValiant
    36. Construction BotCon bot ×3
    37. ValiantValiant
    38. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    39. ValiantValiant
    40. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    41. Construction BotCon bot ×3
    42. ValiantValiant
    43. Wind
    44. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    45. Wind ×9
    46. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    47. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 11:20
    48. Wind ×4
    49. ValiantValiant
    50. Wind ×5
    51. ValiantValiant
    52. Wind ×2
    53. Con turret
    54. Wind ×2
    55. ValiantValiant
    56. Wind ×2
    57. Con turret
    58. Wind ×3
    59. ValiantValiant
    60. Wind ×2
    61. Con turret
    62. Wind
    63. ValiantValiant
    64. Wind ×3
    65. Con turret
    66. Wind
    67. ValiantValiant
    68. Wind
    69. Con turret
    70. Wind
    71. Con turret
    72. Wind ×3
    73. Construction AircraftCon aircraftfor Pond
    74. Wind ×2
    75. ValiantValiant ×2
    76. Wind
    77. ValiantValiant ×2
    78. Wind ×2
    79. ValiantValiant
    80. Wind ×3
    81. ValiantValiant ×3
    82. Con turret
    83. ValiantValiant
    84. Wind ×4
    85. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    86. Wind ×2
    87. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    88. ValiantValiant
    89. Wind
    90. ValiantValiant
    91. Wind ×2
    92. ValiantValiant
    93. Wind ×2
    94. ValiantValiant
    95. Wind
    96. ValiantValiant
    97. Converter
    98. ValiantValiant
    99. Wind
    100. ValiantValiant
    101. Wind ×2
    102. ValiantValiant
    103. Converter
    104. Wind ×2
    105. ValiantValiant
    106. Wind
    107. ValiantValiant ×2
    108. Wind
    109. ValiantValiant
    110. Wind ×2
    111. ValiantValiant
    112. Wind ×2
    113. ValiantValiant
    114. Wind
    115. Converter
    116. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    117. Wind ×2
    118. Converter
    119. Wind ×4
    120. Con turret
    121. Converter
    122. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    123. Wind ×5
    124. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    125. Wind ×4
    126. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    127. Wind
    128. Converter
    129. Wind
    130. Converter
    131. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    132. Wind
    133. Converter
    134. Wind
    135. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    136. Wind
    137. Converter
    138. Wind ×2
    139. Converter
    140. Wind
    141. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    142. Converter
    143. Wind ×2
    144. Converter
    145. Wind
    146. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    147. Wind ×2
    148. Converter ×2
    149. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    150. Wind ×3
    151. Converter
    152. Wind
    153. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    154. Converter
    155. Wind ×2
    156. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    157. Converter
    158. Wind ×2
    159. Converter
    160. Wind
    161. HerculesLight transport
    162. Wind
    163. Converter
    164. Wind
    165. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    166. Converter
    167. Wind ×3
    168. Converter
    169. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    170. Wind ×2
    171. Converter
    172. Wind ×2
    173. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    174. Converter
    175. Wind
    176. Converter
    177. Wind ×2
    178. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    179. Wind
    180. Converter
    181. Wind
    182. ValiantValiant
    183. Wind
    184. Converter
    185. Wind
    186. ValiantValiant
    187. Converter
    188. Wind ×2
    189. ValiantValiant
    190. Converter
    191. Wind
    192. ValiantValiant
    193. Wind
    194. Converter
    195. Wind
    196. ValiantValiant
    197. Wind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is zimt's (30 OS, 05/09/2026); 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 72% 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 2:23 · 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

1811 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
6:003707102124
7:005089146167
8:006902190219
9:009284230270
10:0011758292380
11:0014356369536
12:0017069512781
13:00198597811102
14:002270412641689
15:002573618132420
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

zimt

30.5 OS · 05/09/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
586 metal received · 29167 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=1811
Advanced Metal Extractor6:54Middle 50%: 6:27–7:26 · n=1751
Fusion Reactor10:53Middle 50%: 9:45–12:17 · n=1159

Played most by

TheGeneraI114games of this buildDad_The_Speedrunner72games of this buildHunfore62games of this buildDRM52games of this buildMilkdragon52games of this build