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

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is TheGeneraI'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 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

TheGeneraI

32.8 OS · 12/10/2026

Open source match ↗

2 received units · includes a constructor
529 metal received · 33431 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