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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 · 5 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×5
    3. Energy storage
    4. Wind
    5. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:44 · 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 · 18 steps
    1. FinchFinch
    2. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    3. FinchFinch
    4. HerculesLight transport
    5. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    6. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    7. Con turret
    8. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    9. Mex
    10. Wind ×5
    11. Wind
    12. Wind
    13. Con turret
    14. Wind
    15. Wind
    16. Con turret ×2
    17. Wind
    18. 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 · 186 steps
    1. Wind
    2. Converter
    3. ValiantValiant
    4. Wind
    5. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Pond
    6. Wind
    7. Converter
    8. ValiantValiant
    9. Wind
    10. Converter
    11. ValiantValiant
    12. ShurikenShuriken
    13. Wind
    14. ShurikenShuriken
    15. Converter
    16. Wind ×2
    17. Converter
    18. Wind ×4
    19. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    20. Converter
    21. Wind ×3
    22. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:05 · typical 6:54
    23. Wind
    24. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    25. Wind
    26. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    27. Wind
    28. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    29. Wind
    30. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 8:07
    31. Wind ×2
    32. ValiantValiant ×4
    33. Wind
    34. ValiantValiant ×3
    35. Wind
    36. ValiantValiant ×2
    37. Wind
    38. ValiantValiant
    39. ShurikenShuriken
    40. Wind
    41. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    42. Wind
    43. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    44. Wind
    45. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    46. Wind
    47. ValiantValiant ×2
    48. Wind
    49. ValiantValiant ×2
    50. Wind
    51. ValiantValiant
    52. Wind
    53. ValiantValiant
    54. Wind
    55. ValiantValiant ×2
    56. Wind
    57. ValiantValiant
    58. Wind
    59. ValiantValiant
    60. Wind
    61. ValiantValiant
    62. Wind
    63. ValiantValiant ×2
    64. Wind
    65. ValiantValiant
    66. Wind
    67. ValiantValiant
    68. Wind
    69. ValiantValiant ×2
    70. Wind
    71. ValiantValiant
    72. Wind
    73. ValiantValiant
    74. Wind
    75. ValiantValiant ×2
    76. Wind
    77. ValiantValiant
    78. Wind
    79. ValiantValiant
    80. Wind
    81. ValiantValiant
    82. Wind
    83. ValiantValiant ×2
    84. Wind
    85. ValiantValiant ×3
    86. Wind
    87. ValiantValiant
    88. Wind
    89. ValiantValiant
    90. Wind
    91. ValiantValiant
    92. Wind
    93. ValiantValiant
    94. Wind
    95. ValiantValiant
    96. Wind
    97. ValiantValiant
    98. Wind
    99. ValiantValiant ×2
    100. Wind
    101. ValiantValiant ×2
    102. Wind
    103. ValiantValiant
    104. Wind
    105. ValiantValiant
    106. Wind
    107. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    108. Wind
    109. ValiantValiant
    110. Wind
    111. ValiantValiant
    112. Wind
    113. ValiantValiant
    114. Wind
    115. ValiantValiant ×2
    116. Wind
    117. ValiantValiant ×2
    118. Wind
    119. Con turret
    120. ValiantValiant
    121. Wind
    122. Con turret
    123. Wind
    124. FinchFinch ×3
    125. Con turret
    126. FinchFinch ×2
    127. Con turret
    128. ValiantValiant ×2
    129. Con turret
    130. ValiantValiant
    131. Con turret
    132. Wind
    133. Converter
    134. ValiantValiant ×4
    135. Con turret
    136. Wind
    137. ValiantValiant
    138. Converter
    139. Con turret
    140. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    141. Con turret
    142. ShurikenShuriken
    143. Wind
    144. Con turret
    145. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    146. Converter
    147. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    148. Con turret
    149. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    150. Wind
    151. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    152. ValiantValiant
    153. Converter
    154. ValiantValiant ×4
    155. Wind
    156. ValiantValiant ×4
    157. Converter
    158. ValiantValiant
    159. Wind
    160. ValiantValiant ×4
    161. Wind
    162. Converter
    163. ValiantValiant ×5
    164. Wind
    165. ValiantValiant ×3
    166. Converter
    167. ValiantValiant ×4
    168. Wind
    169. ValiantValiant ×2
    170. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    171. Converter
    172. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×3
    173. Wind
    174. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    175. Converter
    176. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    177. Wind
    178. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    179. Converter
    180. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    181. Wind
    182. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    183. Converter
    184. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    185. Wind
    186. WhirlwindWhirlwind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Dr_Clone's (34 OS, 25/08/2026); 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

Dr_Clone

34.4 OS · 25/08/2026

Open source match ↗

6 received units · includes a constructor
160 metal received · 87438 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
Standard air · Cortex Air build order · BAR Build Atlas