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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 · 1599 distinct matches · 261 players · 81% of Cortex Air games · team won 46% of 1908 · 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 1599 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 (39%)

    By 1:07 in all: 3 mex · 4 wind

    The example game in this phase · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×3
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:13 · 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%) · converter (45%) · energy storage (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 · 34 steps
    1. Wind
    2. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    3. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    4. Wind
    5. FinchFinch
    6. ValiantValiant
    7. Wind
    8. Energy storage
    9. Wind
    10. ValiantValiant
    11. Wind ×2
    12. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    13. Wind ×2
    14. Mex
    15. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    16. Con turret
    17. HerculesLight transportfor unknown
    18. Con turret
    19. Converter
    20. Con turret
    21. Wind
    22. Converter
    23. ValiantValiant
    24. Converter
    25. Wind
    26. Converter
    27. ValiantValiant
    28. Converter
    29. ValiantValiant
    30. Converter
    31. Wind
    32. ThistleThistle
    33. ValiantValiant
    34. 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 18 wind, 18 wind, 7 converterin 58% of games
    Builders
    • Construction Turret3 Con turret
    Army
    • Valiant9 Valiant

    Some games also: shuriken (47%) · fusion (39%) · 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 · 258 steps
    1. ValiantValiant
    2. Wind ×4
    3. ValiantValiant
    4. Wind
    5. HerculesLight transportfor unknown
    6. ValiantValiant ×2
    7. Wind
    8. ValiantValiant
    9. Wind
    10. ValiantValiant
    11. Wind
    12. ValiantValiant
    13. Wind ×2
    14. ValiantValiant
    15. Wind
    16. ValiantValiant ×2
    17. Wind
    18. ValiantValiant ×2
    19. Con turret
    20. HerculesLight transport
    21. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×2done 7:34 · typical 6:54
    22. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    23. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    24. Bot LabBot Labdone 8:16
    25. Construction BotCon bot ×5
    26. Wind
    27. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    28. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    29. Wind ×2
    30. Construction BotCon bot ×3
    31. Wind ×3
    32. Construction BotCon bot
    33. Wind ×8
    34. Con turret
    35. Wind
    36. Converter
    37. Wind
    38. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    39. Wind ×2
    40. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 9:45
    41. Wind ×2
    42. ShurikenShuriken
    43. Converter
    44. Wind
    45. ShurikenShuriken
    46. Converter
    47. Wind
    48. ShurikenShuriken
    49. Wind ×2
    50. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    51. Wind
    52. ShurikenShuriken
    53. Wind
    54. ShurikenShuriken
    55. Converter
    56. Wind
    57. ShurikenShuriken
    58. Wind
    59. Converter
    60. ShurikenShuriken
    61. Wind
    62. ValiantValiant
    63. Wind
    64. ValiantValiant
    65. Wind ×3
    66. Converter
    67. ValiantValiant
    68. Wind
    69. ValiantValiant
    70. Wind
    71. Converter
    72. Wind ×3
    73. ValiantValiant
    74. Con turret
    75. Converter
    76. Wind ×5
    77. Converter
    78. Con turret
    79. Converter
    80. Wind ×2
    81. ValiantValiant
    82. Wind ×2
    83. Con turret
    84. Wind
    85. Converter
    86. Wind ×2
    87. ValiantValiant
    88. Converter
    89. Wind ×3
    90. ValiantValiant
    91. Converter
    92. Wind
    93. ValiantValiant
    94. Wind ×4
    95. ValiantValiant
    96. Converter
    97. Converter
    98. Wind
    99. ValiantValiant
    100. Wind ×4
    101. ValiantValiant
    102. Converter
    103. Wind
    104. ValiantValiant
    105. Wind ×2
    106. Converter
    107. ValiantValiant
    108. Wind ×2
    109. ValiantValiant
    110. Converter
    111. Con turret
    112. Wind ×2
    113. Con turret
    114. Wind ×3
    115. ValiantValiant
    116. Converter
    117. ValiantValiant
    118. Wind
    119. ValiantValiant
    120. Converter
    121. Wind
    122. ValiantValiant ×2
    123. Wind ×3
    124. ValiantValiant ×2
    125. Converter
    126. ValiantValiant
    127. Wind
    128. ValiantValiant
    129. Wind
    130. ValiantValiant
    131. Wind ×3
    132. ValiantValiant
    133. Converter
    134. ValiantValiant
    135. Converter
    136. Wind
    137. ValiantValiant
    138. Wind
    139. ValiantValiant
    140. Wind
    141. ValiantValiant
    142. Wind ×2
    143. ValiantValiant
    144. Converter
    145. ValiantValiant
    146. Wind
    147. ValiantValiant
    148. Wind
    149. Converter
    150. ValiantValiant
    151. Wind ×2
    152. ValiantValiant
    153. Wind
    154. ValiantValiant
    155. Converter
    156. ValiantValiant
    157. Wind
    158. ValiantValiant
    159. Wind
    160. ValiantValiant
    161. Wind ×2
    162. ValiantValiant
    163. Wind
    164. ValiantValiant
    165. Converter
    166. Converter
    167. ValiantValiant
    168. ShurikenShuriken
    169. Wind
    170. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    171. Wind
    172. ShurikenShuriken
    173. Wind
    174. ShurikenShuriken
    175. Wind ×2
    176. ShurikenShuriken
    177. Converter
    178. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    179. Wind
    180. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    181. Wind
    182. ValiantValiant
    183. Converter
    184. Wind
    185. ValiantValiant
    186. Wind ×2
    187. ValiantValiant ×2
    188. Converter
    189. Wind
    190. ValiantValiant ×2
    191. Wind
    192. ValiantValiant
    193. Wind ×3
    194. ValiantValiant ×2
    195. Converter
    196. Wind
    197. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    198. Wind
    199. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 13:53 · typical 10:51
    200. Converter
    201. Wind ×3
    202. Converter
    203. Wind ×5
    204. Converter
    205. Wind
    206. Converter
    207. Wind ×4
    208. Converter
    209. Wind ×5
    210. Converter
    211. Converter
    212. Wind
    213. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 14:05
    214. Wind ×4
    215. Converter
    216. Wind
    217. T2 converter
    218. Wind
    219. ValiantValiant
    220. Wind ×3
    221. Converter
    222. Con turret
    223. Converter
    224. Wind ×2
    225. Con turret
    226. ValiantValiant
    227. Wind ×3
    228. ValiantValiant
    229. Wind
    230. Converter
    231. Wind
    232. ValiantValiant
    233. Converter
    234. Wind ×3
    235. ValiantValiant ×2
    236. Wind
    237. ValiantValiant
    238. Wind
    239. ValiantValiant ×2
    240. Converter
    241. Wind ×2
    242. ValiantValiant
    243. Wind
    244. ValiantValiant
    245. Converter
    246. ValiantValiant
    247. Wind
    248. ValiantValiant
    249. Wind
    250. ValiantValiant
    251. Converter
    252. ValiantValiant
    253. Wind ×3
    254. ValiantValiant ×2
    255. Wind
    256. ValiantValiant
    257. Wind
    258. ValiantValiant

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Atra's (30 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 2:07 · 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 63% of games
  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo sea or Pondfirst at 1:41 · 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 6:04 · 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

1908 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039200
2:0092300
3:00145600
4:002053051
5:0027665173
6:003725102124
7:005096146160
8:006916190204
9:009293221270
10:0011771275365
11:0014395365522
12:0017093490750
13:00199367451053
14:002278512201652
15:002584617572386
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

Atra

30.4 OS · 12/10/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
339 metal received · 114878 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=1908
Advanced Metal Extractor6:54Middle 50%: 6:26–7:26 · n=1847
Fusion Reactor10:51Middle 50%: 9:45–12:15 · n=1230

Played most by

TheGeneraI114games of this buildDad_The_Speedrunner73games of this buildHunfore63games of this buildDRM52games of this buildHALF_DALLAH_HABIT52games of this build