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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 (77%)

#eco #air #team support · 1551 distinct matches · 257 players · 81% of Cortex Air games · team won 46% of 1859 · 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 1551 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 · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×2
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:01 · 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 · 33 steps
    1. Energy storage
    2. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    3. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    4. Mex
    5. FinchFinch ×2
    6. HerculesLight transport ×2for Tech
    7. Energy storage
    8. Con turret
    9. ValiantValiant
    10. Con turret
    11. ValiantValiant
    12. Con turret
    13. ValiantValiant
    14. Converter
    15. Wind
    16. Converter
    17. ValiantValiant
    18. Converter
    19. Wind
    20. Converter ×2
    21. Wind
    22. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    23. Wind
    24. Wind
    25. Wind ×3
    26. Wind
    27. Wind
    28. Wind
    29. Wind ×2
    30. Wind
    31. Wind ×3
    32. Wind
    33. Wind ×2
  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 (48%) · fusion (38%) · 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 · 319 steps
    1. Wind
    2. Wind
    3. Converter
    4. Wind ×2
    5. Wind
    6. Converter
    7. Wind
    8. Wind
    9. Converter
    10. Wind
    11. Converter
    12. Wind
    13. Converter
    14. Wind
    15. Wind
    16. Converter
    17. Wind
    18. Con turret
    19. Wind
    20. Converter
    21. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:26 · typical 6:54
    22. HerculesLight transport
    23. Wind
    24. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    25. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    26. Wind
    27. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    28. Advanced solar
    29. Wind ×2
    30. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    31. Wind ×8
    32. Bot LabBot Labdone 8:21
    33. Con turret
    34. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    35. Wind
    36. Construction BotCon bot
    37. Wind
    38. Construction BotCon bot
    39. Wind
    40. Wind
    41. Construction BotCon bot
    42. Con turret
    43. Construction BotCon bot
    44. Wind
    45. Construction BotCon bot
    46. Wind
    47. Con turret ×2
    48. Wind
    49. Construction BotCon bot
    50. Hardened Energy Storage
    51. Con turret
    52. Wind
    53. Wind
    54. Con turret
    55. Wind
    56. Converter
    57. Wind
    58. Wind
    59. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    60. Wind
    61. Wind
    62. Wind
    63. Converter
    64. Wind
    65. Wind
    66. Wind ×2
    67. Wind
    68. Wind ×2
    69. Converter
    70. Wind
    71. Wind
    72. Wind
    73. Converter
    74. Wind
    75. Wind
    76. Con turret
    77. Wind
    78. Con turret
    79. Converter
    80. Wind
    81. Wind
    82. Wind ×2
    83. Con turret
    84. Wind
    85. Wind ×2
    86. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 9:57
    87. Con turret
    88. Wind ×2
    89. Wind
    90. Con turret
    91. Converter
    92. Wind
    93. Wind
    94. Con turret
    95. ValiantValiant
    96. Wind
    97. Converter
    98. Wind ×3
    99. Wind
    100. Converter
    101. Con turret
    102. Wind ×2
    103. Wind
    104. Wind ×2
    105. Converter
    106. Con turret
    107. ValiantValiant
    108. Wind
    109. Wind ×2
    110. Converter
    111. Wind ×2
    112. ValiantValiant
    113. Wind
    114. ValiantValiant
    115. Converter
    116. Con turret
    117. ValiantValiant
    118. Wind
    119. Wind
    120. Wind ×3
    121. Con turret
    122. Converter
    123. Wind
    124. Wind
    125. Converter
    126. Con turret
    127. Wind ×3
    128. Wind
    129. Converter
    130. ValiantValiant
    131. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    132. Wind ×3
    133. ValiantValiant
    134. Converter
    135. Wind
    136. ValiantValiant
    137. Wind
    138. ValiantValiant
    139. Converter
    140. ValiantValiant
    141. Wind ×2
    142. ValiantValiant ×2
    143. Wind
    144. Converter
    145. ValiantValiant
    146. Wind ×2
    147. ValiantValiant ×2
    148. Wind ×2
    149. Converter
    150. ValiantValiant
    151. Wind
    152. ValiantValiant
    153. Wind
    154. ValiantValiant
    155. Wind
    156. ValiantValiant ×2
    157. Converter
    158. Wind
    159. ValiantValiant
    160. Wind ×2
    161. ValiantValiant
    162. Wind
    163. ValiantValiant
    164. Converter
    165. Wind ×2
    166. ValiantValiant ×2
    167. Wind ×2
    168. ValiantValiant
    169. Converter
    170. Wind
    171. ValiantValiant
    172. Wind
    173. ValiantValiant
    174. Wind
    175. ValiantValiant
    176. Wind
    177. Converter
    178. ValiantValiant
    179. Wind
    180. ValiantValiant
    181. Wind
    182. ValiantValiant
    183. Wind
    184. ValiantValiant
    185. Converter
    186. Wind
    187. ValiantValiant
    188. Wind
    189. ValiantValiant
    190. Wind
    191. ValiantValiant
    192. Wind ×2
    193. Converter
    194. Wind
    195. ValiantValiant ×2
    196. Wind ×2
    197. ValiantValiant
    198. Converter
    199. ValiantValiant
    200. Wind
    201. ValiantValiant
    202. Wind
    203. ValiantValiant
    204. Wind ×3
    205. ValiantValiant
    206. Converter
    207. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    208. Wind
    209. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    210. Wind ×2
    211. Converter
    212. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    213. Wind ×3
    214. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    215. Wind
    216. Converter
    217. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    218. Wind
    219. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    220. Wind
    221. Converter
    222. Wind
    223. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    224. Wind ×2
    225. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    226. Wind ×3
    227. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    228. Converter
    229. Wind ×2
    230. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    231. Wind
    232. ValiantValiant
    233. Wind ×2
    234. ValiantValiant
    235. Converter
    236. Wind
    237. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    238. Wind
    239. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    240. Wind
    241. Converter
    242. Wind
    243. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    244. Wind ×4
    245. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    246. Wind
    247. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    248. Wind ×2
    249. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    250. Wind ×2
    251. Wind
    252. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    253. Wind ×2
    254. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    255. Wind
    256. Wind ×3
    257. Wind
    258. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    259. Wind
    260. Wind
    261. Wind ×2
    262. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    263. Wind ×2
    264. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    265. Wind ×2
    266. Wind ×2
    267. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    268. Wind ×2
    269. Wind
    270. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    271. Wind
    272. ValiantValiant
    273. Wind
    274. ValiantValiant
    275. Wind
    276. Wind
    277. ValiantValiant
    278. Wind
    279. ValiantValiant
    280. Wind
    281. ValiantValiant
    282. Wind ×2
    283. ValiantValiant
    284. Wind
    285. Wind
    286. ValiantValiant
    287. Wind ×2
    288. ValiantValiant ×2
    289. Wind
    290. ValiantValiant
    291. Wind
    292. Wind
    293. ValiantValiant
    294. Wind
    295. ValiantValiant
    296. Wind ×2
    297. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    298. Wind
    299. Wind
    300. ValiantValiant
    301. Wind
    302. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    303. Wind ×3
    304. Fusion ReactorFusionnot finished by 15:00 · typical 10:51
    305. Wind ×2
    306. Wind ×7
    307. Converter
    308. Wind ×5
    309. Converter ×2
    310. Wind ×5
    311. T2 converter
    312. Wind
    313. Converter ×2
    314. Wind ×6
    315. Converter
    316. Wind ×2
    317. T2 converter
    318. Wind ×2
    319. Converter

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is El_Turco's (38 OS, 15/10/2026); 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 1:41 · 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

1859 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039200
2:0092300
3:00145600
4:002053051
5:0027645173
6:003715102124
7:005093146167
8:006904190219
9:009287226270
10:0011769291371
11:0014385366530
12:0017080511771
13:00198987691082
14:002273612511678
15:002577018042405
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

El_Turco

37.6 OS · 15/10/2026

Open source match ↗

7 received units · includes a constructor
306 metal received · 105751 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=1859
Advanced Metal Extractor6:54Middle 50%: 6:26–7:26 · n=1798
Fusion Reactor10:51Middle 50%: 9:45–12:16 · n=1195

Played most by

TheGeneraI114games of this buildDad_The_Speedrunner72games of this buildHunfore62games of this buildDRM52games of this buildHALF_DALLAH_HABIT52games of this build