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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 · 1486 distinct matches · 252 players · 81% of Cortex Air games · team won 46% of 1790 · 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 1486 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. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:08 · 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 (41%)

    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 · 30 steps
    1. Wind
    2. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    3. Wind ×2
    4. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    5. HerculesLight transport
    6. ShurikenShuriken
    7. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    8. ValiantValiant ×2
    9. Wind ×3
    10. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    11. ValiantValiant ×2
    12. Wind ×2
    13. Energy storage
    14. ShurikenShuriken
    15. Mex
    16. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    17. ValiantValiant
    18. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    19. Con turret
    20. ValiantValiant
    21. Wind
    22. Con turret
    23. ValiantValiant
    24. Wind
    25. ValiantValiant
    26. Wind
    27. Wind
    28. Wind
    29. ValiantValiant
    30. 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 19 wind, 18 wind, 7 converterin 58% of games
    Builders
    • Construction Turret3 Con turret
    Army
    • Valiant9 Valiant

    Some games also: shuriken (48%) · fusion (38%) · con aircraft (35%) · light transport (31%)

    By 10:00 in all: 3 mex · 1 mex · 24 wind · 20 wind · 8 converter · 1 energy storage

    The example game in this phase · 217 steps
    1. ShurikenShuriken
    2. Wind
    3. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    4. ValiantValiant ×2
    5. Wind ×2
    6. ShurikenShuriken ×5
    7. ValiantValiant
    8. Wind
    9. ValiantValiant ×3
    10. Wind
    11. ValiantValiant
    12. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    13. ValiantValiant ×2
    14. Wind
    15. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:24 · typical 6:54
    16. ValiantValiant
    17. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    18. Wind
    19. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    20. Wind
    21. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    22. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantnot finished by 15:00
    23. Wind
    24. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    25. Wind
    26. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 8:43
    27. ValiantValiant
    28. Wind
    29. ValiantValiant
    30. Converter
    31. ValiantValiant
    32. Converter
    33. ValiantValiant ×2
    34. Wind
    35. ValiantValiant
    36. Converter
    37. ValiantValiant ×2
    38. Converter
    39. Wind
    40. Con turret ×2
    41. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    42. Wind
    43. ValiantValiant
    44. Wind
    45. ValiantValiant
    46. Wind
    47. ValiantValiant
    48. Wind
    49. Wind
    50. ValiantValiant
    51. Wind
    52. ValiantValiant ×2
    53. Wind
    54. Wind
    55. ValiantValiant
    56. Wind
    57. Wind
    58. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    59. Wind
    60. Wind
    61. Wind
    62. ValiantValiant
    63. Wind
    64. Converter
    65. ValiantValiant
    66. Wind
    67. Con turret ×3
    68. Wind
    69. Converter
    70. ValiantValiant
    71. Wind
    72. Con turret
    73. Wind
    74. Converter
    75. ValiantValiant
    76. Wind
    77. Wind
    78. ValiantValiant ×2
    79. Wind
    80. HerculesLight transport
    81. Converter
    82. Wind
    83. Wind
    84. ValiantValiant
    85. Wind
    86. Wind
    87. Wind
    88. ValiantValiant
    89. Wind
    90. Wind
    91. Converter
    92. Wind
    93. Wind
    94. Converter
    95. ValiantValiant
    96. Wind
    97. Wind
    98. Converter
    99. ValiantValiant
    100. Wind
    101. Wind
    102. ValiantValiant
    103. Converter
    104. Wind
    105. Wind
    106. ValiantValiant
    107. Con turret ×2
    108. Wind
    109. Wind
    110. Wind
    111. ValiantValiant
    112. Wind
    113. Wind ×2
    114. Con turret ×2
    115. Wind ×2
    116. ValiantValiant
    117. Converter
    118. Wind
    119. ValiantValiant
    120. Wind ×2
    121. ValiantValiant
    122. Converter
    123. Wind
    124. ValiantValiant
    125. Wind
    126. Converter
    127. ValiantValiant
    128. Wind ×3
    129. ValiantValiant
    130. Converter
    131. Wind
    132. ShurikenShuriken
    133. Wind ×2
    134. ShurikenShuriken
    135. Converter
    136. ShurikenShuriken
    137. Wind
    138. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    139. Wind
    140. ShurikenShuriken
    141. Wind ×2
    142. ShurikenShuriken
    143. Wind
    144. ShurikenShuriken
    145. Wind
    146. ShurikenShuriken
    147. Converter
    148. Wind ×2
    149. ShurikenShuriken
    150. Wind
    151. ValiantValiant
    152. Converter
    153. Wind
    154. ValiantValiant
    155. Converter
    156. Wind ×2
    157. ValiantValiant
    158. Wind
    159. ValiantValiant
    160. Wind
    161. Converter
    162. ValiantValiant
    163. Wind ×2
    164. ValiantValiant
    165. Wind
    166. Converter
    167. ValiantValiant
    168. Wind
    169. ValiantValiant
    170. Wind
    171. Converter
    172. ShurikenShuriken
    173. Wind
    174. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    175. Wind ×2
    176. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    177. Converter
    178. Wind
    179. ShurikenShuriken
    180. Wind
    181. ShurikenShuriken
    182. Wind ×2
    183. ShurikenShuriken
    184. Wind
    185. ShurikenShuriken
    186. ValiantValiant
    187. Wind
    188. ValiantValiant
    189. Wind
    190. ValiantValiant ×2
    191. Wind
    192. Converter
    193. ValiantValiant
    194. Wind ×2
    195. ValiantValiant ×2
    196. Wind
    197. ValiantValiant
    198. Wind ×2
    199. ValiantValiant
    200. Converter
    201. Wind
    202. ValiantValiant
    203. Wind
    204. ValiantValiant
    205. Wind ×2
    206. ValiantValiant
    207. Fusion ReactorFusionnot finished by 15:00 · typical 10:53
    208. ValiantValiant
    209. Wind
    210. Converter
    211. Wind ×2
    212. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    213. Wind ×2
    214. Converter
    215. Wind ×4
    216. Converter
    217. Wind ×4

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is BigRowan's (33 OS, 03/09/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

  • Finch2 Finch to Geo sea or Beach seafirst at 1:51 · 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 47% 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

1790 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039200
2:0092300
3:00145600
4:002053051
5:0027635173
6:003712102124
7:005087146167
8:006902190219
9:009285231273
10:0011760292386
11:0014377374540
12:0017071517781
13:00198517811112
14:002267412691690
15:002569318242435
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

BigRowan

32.7 OS · 03/09/2026

Open source match ↗

4 received units · includes a constructor
105 metal received · 65960 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=1790
Advanced Metal Extractor6:54Middle 50%: 6:27–7:26 · n=1731
Fusion Reactor10:53Middle 50%: 9:45–12:17 · n=1146

Played most by

TheGeneraI113games of this buildDad_The_Speedrunner72games of this buildHunfore62games of this buildMilkdragon52games of this buildAdeus50games of this build