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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 · 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. Solar
    3. Wind ×6
    4. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:32 · 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 · 25 steps
    1. Wind
    2. FinchFinch
    3. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    4. Wind ×3
    5. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    6. HerculesLight transport ×3for Geo sea
    7. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    8. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    9. Con turret
    10. ValiantValiant
    11. Mex
    12. ValiantValiant ×3
    13. Energy storage
    14. Wind
    15. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    16. Wind
    17. Wind
    18. ValiantValiant ×2
    19. Wind
    20. ValiantValiant ×3
    21. Wind
    22. Wind
    23. HerculesLight transport
    24. Wind
    25. Con turret
  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 · 146 steps
    1. Con turret
    2. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    3. Wind
    4. Con turret
    5. Wind
    6. Converter
    7. Con turret
    8. Converter ×2
    9. Wind
    10. Converter ×3
    11. Wind
    12. Converter
    13. Wind
    14. Converter
    15. Wind
    16. Converter
    17. Wind
    18. Converter
    19. Wind
    20. Con turret
    21. Wind ×4
    22. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:09 · typical 6:54
    23. Wind ×2
    24. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    25. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    26. NettleNettle
    27. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    28. Wind ×3
    29. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 9:14 · typical 10:52
    30. Wind
    31. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    32. Converter
    33. Wind
    34. Converter ×2
    35. Wind
    36. Converter
    37. Fusion ReactorFusion
    38. Wind ×2
    39. Converter ×2
    40. Wind
    41. Converter ×2
    42. Wind
    43. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 10:33
    44. Wind ×4
    45. FinchFinch
    46. Wind
    47. Converter
    48. Wind ×2
    49. ValiantValiant
    50. Wind
    51. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    52. Wind
    53. Converter
    54. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    55. Wind
    56. Con turret
    57. Wind
    58. Con turret
    59. Wind
    60. Con turret
    61. Converter
    62. Wind
    63. ValiantValiant
    64. Wind ×2
    65. Con turret
    66. Wind
    67. Con turret ×3
    68. ValiantValiant
    69. Converter
    70. ValiantValiant
    71. Converter
    72. ValiantValiant ×3
    73. Converter
    74. ValiantValiant
    75. HerculesLight transport ×2for Pond
    76. ValiantValiant
    77. Converter
    78. ValiantValiant ×3
    79. Con turret
    80. ValiantValiant ×3
    81. Converter
    82. ValiantValiant ×4
    83. Converter
    84. Construction AircraftCon aircraft ×2
    85. Converter
    86. ValiantValiant
    87. FinchFinch
    88. ValiantValiant
    89. Converter
    90. ValiantValiant ×3
    91. Converter
    92. ValiantValiant ×3
    93. Converter
    94. ValiantValiant ×3
    95. HerculesLight transport
    96. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    97. Converter
    98. HerculesLight transportfor Beach sea
    99. ValiantValiant ×3
    100. Wind
    101. Converter
    102. ValiantValiant ×7
    103. Converter
    104. FinchFinch
    105. ValiantValiant ×4
    106. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    107. Converter
    108. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×4
    109. Converter
    110. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×4
    111. Converter
    112. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    113. ShurikenShuriken ×5
    114. Converter
    115. ShurikenShuriken
    116. EradicatorEradicator
    117. ShurikenShuriken ×8
    118. Converter
    119. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    120. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×3
    121. Converter
    122. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×3
    123. FinchFinch ×3
    124. Converter
    125. Con turret
    126. FinchFinch
    127. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    128. Con turret
    129. FinchFinch
    130. Converter
    131. FinchFinch
    132. Con turret
    133. ValiantValiant ×4
    134. Converter
    135. ValiantValiant ×2
    136. GuardGuard
    137. ValiantValiant ×3
    138. SAMSAM
    139. Converter
    140. ValiantValiant
    141. HerculesLight transport ×2
    142. GuardGuard
    143. Converter
    144. ValiantValiant ×5
    145. SAMSAM
    146. ValiantValiant

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 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

TheGeneraI

32.8 OS · 12/10/2026

Open source match ↗

9 received units · includes a constructor
684 metal received · 48682 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