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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 · 6 steps
    1. Mex ×2
    2. Wind
    3. Mex
    4. Wind ×3
    5. Energy storage
    6. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:28 · 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. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    3. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    4. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    5. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    6. Wind
    7. FinchFinch
    8. ValiantValiant
    9. Wind
    10. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    11. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    12. Con turret
    13. ValiantValiant
    14. Mex
    15. ValiantValiant
    16. ShurikenShuriken
    17. Wind
    18. ShurikenShuriken
    19. ValiantValiant
    20. Wind
    21. Wind
    22. ValiantValiant
    23. Wind
    24. HerculesLight transportfor Beach sea
    25. Wind ×2
    26. Con turret
    27. ValiantValiant
    28. Wind
    29. Converter
    30. Con turret
    31. Converter
    32. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 5:58 · typical 6:54
    33. 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 (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 · 312 steps
    1. Wind ×6
    2. Converter
    3. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    4. Converter
    5. Wind
    6. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    7. Converter
    8. Con turret
    9. Converter
    10. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    11. Wind ×3
    12. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    13. Wind ×7
    14. Con turret
    15. Wind
    16. Con turret ×2
    17. Wind
    18. Bot LabBot Labdone 7:54
    19. Wind
    20. Construction BotCon bot
    21. Wind
    22. Construction BotCon bot
    23. Wind
    24. Construction BotCon bot
    25. Wind
    26. Construction BotCon bot
    27. Wind
    28. Construction BotCon bot
    29. Wind ×14
    30. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    31. Wind ×3
    32. Con turret
    33. Wind ×2
    34. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 8:49
    35. Wind ×6
    36. ValiantValiant
    37. Con turret
    38. Wind
    39. Con turret
    40. Wind
    41. ValiantValiant
    42. Wind ×4
    43. HerculesLight transportfor Front
    44. Con turret
    45. Wind ×3
    46. HerculesLight transport
    47. Wind
    48. ValiantValiant
    49. Wind
    50. ValiantValiant
    51. Wind
    52. Con turret
    53. Wind
    54. FinchFinch
    55. Wind ×3
    56. FinchFinch
    57. Wind ×4
    58. FinchFinch
    59. Wind
    60. FinchFinch
    61. Wind ×2
    62. FinchFinch
    63. Wind ×3
    64. ValiantValiant
    65. Wind ×3
    66. Con turret
    67. Wind ×2
    68. ValiantValiant
    69. Wind
    70. ValiantValiant
    71. Wind ×4
    72. ValiantValiant
    73. Wind ×3
    74. ValiantValiant
    75. Wind
    76. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    77. NettleNettle
    78. Con turret
    79. Wind
    80. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    81. Con turret
    82. NettleNettle
    83. Wind ×2
    84. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    85. Converter
    86. Wind ×2
    87. ValiantValiant
    88. Wind
    89. Converter
    90. ValiantValiant
    91. Wind
    92. Converter
    93. Con turret
    94. Wind ×2
    95. ValiantValiant
    96. Wind ×3
    97. ValiantValiant
    98. Converter
    99. Converter
    100. ValiantValiant
    101. NettleNettle
    102. Wind
    103. Converter
    104. Wind
    105. ValiantValiant
    106. Wind ×2
    107. Converter
    108. Converter
    109. ValiantValiant
    110. Wind ×3
    111. Converter
    112. ValiantValiant
    113. Converter ×2
    114. Con turret
    115. Wind ×4
    116. Converter
    117. Converter
    118. ValiantValiant
    119. Wind ×2
    120. Converter
    121. ValiantValiant
    122. Con turret
    123. Converter
    124. Wind
    125. Converter
    126. ValiantValiant
    127. Wind
    128. Converter
    129. Wind ×2
    130. ValiantValiant
    131. Converter
    132. Wind ×2
    133. Converter
    134. Wind
    135. ValiantValiant
    136. Wind ×3
    137. Converter
    138. Advanced solar
    139. ValiantValiant
    140. Wind ×7
    141. ValiantValiant
    142. Wind
    143. NettleNettle
    144. Wind ×4
    145. ShurikenShuriken
    146. Wind
    147. ShurikenShuriken
    148. Wind ×2
    149. ShurikenShuriken
    150. Wind
    151. Converter
    152. NettleNettle
    153. Wind
    154. ShurikenShuriken
    155. Wind ×2
    156. ShurikenShuriken
    157. Converter
    158. Wind ×2
    159. ShurikenShuriken
    160. Wind ×3
    161. ShurikenShuriken
    162. Converter
    163. Wind
    164. ShurikenShuriken
    165. NettleNettle
    166. Wind ×2
    167. Converter
    168. ShurikenShuriken
    169. Wind
    170. Converter
    171. ShurikenShuriken
    172. Wind ×2
    173. ShurikenShuriken
    174. Wind
    175. Converter
    176. NettleNettle
    177. Converter ×2
    178. ShurikenShuriken
    179. Wind ×2
    180. ShurikenShuriken
    181. Wind ×3
    182. Converter
    183. ShurikenShuriken
    184. Wind
    185. Converter
    186. Wind ×2
    187. ShurikenShuriken
    188. Converter
    189. Wind
    190. ShurikenShuriken
    191. Wind ×2
    192. ShurikenShuriken
    193. NettleNettle
    194. Wind ×3
    195. ShurikenShuriken
    196. Converter
    197. Converter
    198. ShurikenShuriken
    199. Wind
    200. ShurikenShuriken
    201. Wind
    202. Converter
    203. Wind ×2
    204. ShurikenShuriken
    205. Advanced solar
    206. Wind
    207. ShurikenShuriken
    208. Wind
    209. Converter
    210. Wind ×3
    211. ShurikenShuriken
    212. Converter ×2
    213. Wind
    214. ShurikenShuriken
    215. Wind ×2
    216. Converter
    217. Wind ×2
    218. ValiantValiant
    219. Converter ×2
    220. Wind
    221. Advanced solar
    222. Wind ×3
    223. ValiantValiant
    224. Converter
    225. Wind
    226. Converter
    227. ValiantValiant
    228. Wind ×4
    229. Converter ×2
    230. Wind
    231. ValiantValiant
    232. Wind
    233. NettleNettle
    234. Advanced solar
    235. Wind
    236. ValiantValiant
    237. Wind ×2
    238. Converter
    239. Converter
    240. Wind ×3
    241. ValiantValiant
    242. Converter
    243. Wind ×3
    244. ValiantValiant
    245. NettleNettle
    246. Converter
    247. Advanced solar
    248. Wind
    249. Converter
    250. ValiantValiant
    251. Wind ×4
    252. Converter
    253. Wind
    254. ValiantValiant
    255. Wind ×3
    256. ValiantValiant
    257. Converter
    258. Converter
    259. Wind ×2
    260. ValiantValiant
    261. Wind ×4
    262. ValiantValiant
    263. Wind ×4
    264. ValiantValiant
    265. Wind ×2
    266. Con turret
    267. Converter
    268. Converter
    269. ValiantValiant ×2
    270. NettleNettle
    271. Wind
    272. Con turret
    273. Converter
    274. ValiantValiant ×2
    275. Wind
    276. Converter
    277. Wind ×4
    278. ValiantValiant
    279. Wind
    280. Con turret
    281. ValiantValiant
    282. Wind
    283. Converter
    284. Wind ×4
    285. Con turret
    286. ValiantValiant
    287. Wind
    288. Converter
    289. ValiantValiant
    290. Wind ×2
    291. NettleNettle
    292. Wind ×2
    293. Converter
    294. ValiantValiant
    295. Wind
    296. ValiantValiant
    297. Wind ×2
    298. ValiantValiant
    299. Wind
    300. NettleNettle
    301. ValiantValiant
    302. Converter
    303. Converter
    304. ValiantValiant
    305. Wind
    306. ValiantValiant
    307. Wind
    308. ValiantValiant
    309. Wind
    310. ValiantValiant
    311. Wind
    312. Converter

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is bob7's (31 OS, 10/10/2026); 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

bob7

31.2 OS · 10/10/2026

Open source match ↗

9 received units · includes a constructor
149 metal received · 21214 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