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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 · 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 · 5 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×6
    3. Energy storage
    4. Wind
    5. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:51 · 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 · 24 steps
    1. FinchFinch ×2for Geo sea
    2. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    3. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    4. ValiantValiant ×2
    5. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    6. ValiantValiant
    7. Con turret
    8. Mex
    9. ValiantValiant
    10. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    11. Wind ×2
    12. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    13. Wind
    14. ValiantValiant
    15. Con turret
    16. ValiantValiant
    17. Wind
    18. ValiantValiant
    19. Con turret
    20. Wind
    21. HerculesLight transportfor unknown
    22. Wind ×2
    23. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    24. 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 · 190 steps
    1. Wind ×2
    2. Converter
    3. Wind
    4. Converter
    5. Wind
    6. Converter ×2
    7. Wind
    8. Converter
    9. Wind
    10. Converter ×4
    11. Wind
    12. Converter
    13. Wind
    14. Converter
    15. Wind ×4
    16. Converter
    17. Wind
    18. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:47 · typical 6:54
    19. Wind
    20. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    21. Wind
    22. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    23. Wind ×2
    24. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    25. Bot LabBot Labdone 7:41
    26. Construction BotCon bot
    27. Wind
    28. Construction BotCon bot ×3
    29. Wind ×2
    30. Construction BotCon bot
    31. Wind ×2
    32. Construction BotCon bot
    33. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    34. Wind ×3
    35. Construction BotCon bot
    36. Wind ×3
    37. Construction BotCon bot
    38. Wind ×3
    39. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 10:05 · typical 10:53
    40. Construction BotCon bot
    41. Wind ×5
    42. Construction BotCon bot
    43. Wind
    44. Con turret
    45. Wind ×13
    46. LazarusLazarus
    47. Wind ×4
    48. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    49. Wind ×12
    50. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 10:23
    51. Wind ×2
    52. Converter
    53. Wind ×3
    54. Converter
    55. Wind ×2
    56. Converter
    57. Wind
    58. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    59. Wind
    60. Converter
    61. Wind ×3
    62. CitadelAnti-nukedone 11:42
    63. Wind
    64. Converter
    65. Wind ×4
    66. BansheeBanshee
    67. Wind ×2
    68. Converter
    69. Wind ×5
    70. Converter
    71. Wind
    72. BansheeBanshee
    73. Wind ×5
    74. Converter
    75. Wind ×6
    76. Converter
    77. Wind
    78. BansheeBanshee
    79. Wind ×6
    80. Converter
    81. Wind ×4
    82. Con turret
    83. Wind
    84. BansheeBanshee
    85. Converter
    86. Wind ×3
    87. BansheeBanshee
    88. Wind ×3
    89. Converter
    90. BansheeBanshee
    91. Wind
    92. T2 converter
    93. Wind
    94. BansheeBanshee
    95. Wind ×2
    96. Converter
    97. Wind ×2
    98. Con turret
    99. Wind ×4
    100. Con turret
    101. Converter
    102. Wind
    103. BansheeBanshee
    104. Wind ×2
    105. Con turret
    106. Con turret
    107. Wind ×4
    108. Con turret
    109. Converter
    110. BansheeBanshee
    111. Wind ×2
    112. BansheeBanshee
    113. Con turret
    114. Wind ×3
    115. Con turret
    116. Converter
    117. Con turret
    118. Wind ×2
    119. Con turret
    120. Wind ×3
    121. StorkLight transport
    122. Wind ×2
    123. BansheeBanshee
    124. Wind ×2
    125. T2 converter
    126. BansheeBanshee
    127. Wind ×4
    128. BansheeBanshee
    129. Wind
    130. BansheeBanshee
    131. Wind ×5
    132. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    133. Wind ×5
    134. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 13:23
    135. Wind ×12
    136. Converter
    137. Wind ×7
    138. ValiantValiant
    139. Wind
    140. ValiantValiant
    141. Wind ×2
    142. ValiantValiant
    143. Wind ×2
    144. ValiantValiant
    145. Wind
    146. ValiantValiant
    147. Wind
    148. ValiantValiant
    149. Wind ×3
    150. ValiantValiant
    151. Wind
    152. ValiantValiant
    153. Wind
    154. ValiantValiant
    155. Wind
    156. ValiantValiant
    157. Wind
    158. Converter
    159. Wind
    160. ValiantValiant
    161. Wind
    162. ValiantValiant ×2
    163. Wind ×3
    164. ValiantValiant
    165. Wind
    166. ValiantValiant
    167. Wind
    168. ValiantValiant
    169. Wind
    170. ValiantValiant
    171. T2 converter
    172. Wind
    173. ValiantValiant
    174. Wind ×2
    175. ValiantValiant
    176. Wind ×2
    177. ValiantValiant
    178. Advanced Aircraft PlantAdvanced Aircraft Plantdone 14:53
    179. Wind ×3
    180. ValiantValiant
    181. Wind ×3
    182. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 14:55
    183. Converter
    184. GuardGuard
    185. Wind ×3
    186. ValiantValiant
    187. WaspWasp
    188. ValiantValiant
    189. GuardGuard
    190. Wind ×3

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Slow_but_sure'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 1:51 · 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

Slow_but_sure

31.3 OS · 10/10/2026

Open source match ↗

7 received units · includes a constructor
611 metal received · 49021 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