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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 · 1529 distinct matches · 254 players · 81% of Cortex Air games · team won 46% of 1836 · 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 1529 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 · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×4
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:19 · 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 · 23 steps
    1. Wind
    2. FinchFinch ×2for Geo sea
    3. FinchFinch
    4. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    5. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    6. ValiantValiant
    7. HerculesLight transport
    8. Energy storage
    9. HerculesLight transportfor Pond
    10. Mex
    11. ShurikenShuriken
    12. ValiantValiant
    13. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    14. ValiantValiant ×3
    15. Wind
    16. Con turret
    17. Wind
    18. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    19. Wind
    20. ValiantValiant ×2
    21. Wind
    22. ValiantValiantfor Front
    23. 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 (34%) · 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 · 144 steps
    1. Con turret
    2. Wind ×6
    3. Con turret
    4. Wind
    5. Con turret
    6. Wind ×6
    7. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 8:00 · typical 6:54
    8. Wind
    9. FinchFinch
    10. ValiantValiantfor Front
    11. Wind ×3
    12. Converter
    13. Wind
    14. Converter
    15. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    16. Wind
    17. Converter
    18. ValiantValiant
    19. Wind
    20. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    21. Wind
    22. Converter
    23. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    24. Wind ×5
    25. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 8:47
    26. Wind
    27. ValiantValiantfor Front
    28. Wind ×2
    29. ValiantValiant
    30. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    31. HerculesLight transport
    32. ValiantValiantfor Front
    33. Wind
    34. ValiantValiant ×2for Front
    35. Wind
    36. ValiantValiantfor Front
    37. Wind
    38. ValiantValiantfor Front
    39. Wind
    40. ValiantValiantfor Front
    41. Wind ×2
    42. Con turret
    43. ValiantValiantfor Front
    44. Wind
    45. ValiantValiantfor Front
    46. Wind
    47. ValiantValiant
    48. FinchFinch
    49. Wind
    50. FinchFinch
    51. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 10:56 · typical 10:52
    52. Wind
    53. ValiantValiantfor Front
    54. Wind
    55. ValiantValiantfor Front
    56. Wind ×3
    57. ValiantValiantfor Front
    58. Wind ×4
    59. ValiantValiant
    60. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    61. Wind
    62. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    63. Wind
    64. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    65. Wind
    66. Converter
    67. Wind
    68. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    69. Wind
    70. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    71. Wind
    72. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    73. Wind
    74. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    75. Wind
    76. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    77. Wind
    78. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    79. Wind
    80. Converter
    81. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    82. Wind
    83. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    84. Wind
    85. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    86. Wind
    87. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    88. Wind
    89. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    90. Wind
    91. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    92. Wind
    93. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    94. Wind
    95. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    96. Wind
    97. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    98. Converter
    99. Wind
    100. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    101. Wind
    102. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    103. Wind
    104. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    105. Wind
    106. ValiantValiant
    107. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    108. Wind
    109. ValiantValiant
    110. Wind
    111. ValiantValiant
    112. Wind
    113. ValiantValiant ×2
    114. Wind
    115. ValiantValiant
    116. Wind
    117. Converter
    118. ValiantValiant
    119. Wind
    120. ValiantValiant
    121. Wind
    122. ValiantValiant
    123. Advanced Aircraft PlantAdvanced Aircraft Plantnot finished by 15:00
    124. Wind
    125. ValiantValiant
    126. Wind ×2
    127. Con turret
    128. Wind
    129. Con turret
    130. Wind
    131. ValiantValiant
    132. Con turret
    133. Wind
    134. Con turret
    135. Converter
    136. Wind
    137. Con turret
    138. ValiantValiant
    139. Con turret ×2
    140. ValiantValiant
    141. Con turret ×2
    142. Wind
    143. ValiantValiant
    144. Con turret

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Tregan's (40 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 2:22 · 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

1836 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
7:005089146169
8:006903190219
9:009282230271
10:0011758292379
11:0014379366535
12:0017077511778
13:00198737701089
14:002271112571687
15:002574318182435
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

Tregan

39.5 OS · 14/10/2026

Open source match ↗

60 received units · includes a constructor
69 metal received · 30673 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=1836
Advanced Metal Extractor6:54Middle 50%: 6:27–7:26 · n=1775
Fusion Reactor10:52Middle 50%: 9:45–12:16 · n=1179

Played most by

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