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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 · 1599 distinct matches · 261 players · 81% of Cortex Air games · team won 46% of 1908 · 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 1599 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 (39%)

    By 1:07 in all: 3 mex · 4 wind

    The example game in this phase · 4 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×3
    3. Energy storage
    4. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:30 · 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 · 28 steps
    1. Wind
    2. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    3. FinchFinch
    4. ValiantValiant
    5. Wind
    6. ValiantValiant
    7. Wind ×3
    8. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    9. Wind ×2
    10. ValiantValiant
    11. Wind
    12. Con turret
    13. Converter ×3
    14. Mex
    15. Converter
    16. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    17. Converter
    18. Con turret
    19. Converter
    20. Con turret
    21. ValiantValiant
    22. Wind
    23. ValiantValiant
    24. Wind
    25. ValiantValiant
    26. Wind ×3
    27. ValiantValiant
    28. Wind ×3
  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 (47%) · fusion (39%) · 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 · 229 steps
    1. Wind ×2
    2. ValiantValiant
    3. Wind
    4. ShurikenShuriken
    5. Wind ×2
    6. ShurikenShuriken
    7. Wind
    8. ShurikenShuriken
    9. Wind ×2
    10. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    11. Con turret
    12. ValiantValiant
    13. Con turret
    14. ValiantValiant
    15. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×3done 7:35 · typical 6:54
    16. Bot LabBot Labdone 8:22
    17. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    18. Construction BotCon bot
    19. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    20. Construction BotCon bot ×4
    21. Wind
    22. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    23. Wind
    24. Construction BotCon bot
    25. Wind
    26. Construction BotCon bot
    27. Wind
    28. Construction BotCon bot
    29. Wind ×3
    30. Construction BotCon bot
    31. Wind
    32. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 9:36
    33. Wind ×4
    34. ValiantValiant
    35. Wind ×3
    36. ValiantValiant
    37. Wind
    38. ValiantValiant
    39. Converter
    40. Wind ×4
    41. ValiantValiant
    42. Wind
    43. Converter
    44. Wind ×5
    45. Converter
    46. Converter
    47. ValiantValiant
    48. Wind ×5
    49. Converter
    50. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 11:27 · typical 10:51
    51. ValiantValiant
    52. Converter
    53. Wind ×5
    54. Converter
    55. ValiantValiant
    56. Wind ×5
    57. Converter
    58. Converter
    59. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    60. Wind ×4
    61. Converter
    62. Wind ×5
    63. Converter
    64. Converter
    65. Wind
    66. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    67. Wind ×5
    68. Converter
    69. Converter
    70. Wind ×4
    71. Converter
    72. Wind ×2
    73. Con turret
    74. Wind ×3
    75. Converter
    76. Wind
    77. Con turret
    78. T2 converter
    79. Converter
    80. Wind ×2
    81. Con turret
    82. Wind
    83. Converter
    84. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 11:55
    85. Wind ×5
    86. Converter
    87. Wind
    88. Converter
    89. Wind ×5
    90. Converter
    91. ValiantValiant
    92. Wind
    93. T2 converter
    94. ValiantValiant
    95. Wind
    96. Converter
    97. Wind
    98. ValiantValiant
    99. Converter
    100. Wind ×4
    101. ValiantValiant
    102. Wind
    103. Converter
    104. Wind ×2
    105. ValiantValiant
    106. Wind
    107. Converter
    108. Wind
    109. ValiantValiant
    110. Wind
    111. Converter
    112. Wind
    113. ValiantValiant
    114. Wind ×2
    115. ValiantValiant ×2
    116. Wind
    117. ValiantValiant
    118. Wind
    119. HerculesLight transport
    120. Wind ×2
    121. Converter
    122. Converter
    123. Wind
    124. ValiantValiant ×2
    125. Wind
    126. ValiantValiant
    127. Wind
    128. ValiantValiant
    129. Wind
    130. Converter
    131. Wind
    132. ValiantValiant
    133. Wind
    134. ValiantValiant
    135. Wind
    136. ValiantValiant
    137. Wind
    138. Converter
    139. ValiantValiant
    140. Wind
    141. Converter
    142. ValiantValiant
    143. Wind ×2
    144. ValiantValiant
    145. Wind
    146. ValiantValiant
    147. Con turret
    148. Wind
    149. Converter
    150. Wind
    151. Con turret
    152. Wind ×2
    153. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    154. Con turret
    155. Converter
    156. Wind ×2
    157. Con turret
    158. Converter
    159. Wind ×2
    160. ShurikenShuriken
    161. Wind
    162. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    163. Wind
    164. ShurikenShuriken
    165. Wind
    166. ShurikenShuriken
    167. Converter
    168. Wind
    169. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    170. Wind
    171. ShurikenShuriken
    172. Wind
    173. Converter
    174. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    175. Wind
    176. ShurikenShuriken
    177. Wind
    178. ShurikenShuriken
    179. Converter
    180. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    181. Wind ×2
    182. ShurikenShuriken
    183. Wind
    184. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    185. Wind
    186. ValiantValiant
    187. Wind
    188. ValiantValiant
    189. Converter
    190. Fusion ReactorFusion
    191. Converter
    192. ValiantValiant
    193. Wind ×5
    194. Converter
    195. Wind ×3
    196. Converter
    197. Wind ×2
    198. Converter
    199. ValiantValiant
    200. Wind ×2
    201. ValiantValiant
    202. Wind
    203. ValiantValiant
    204. Wind
    205. ValiantValiant
    206. Wind
    207. Converter
    208. ValiantValiant
    209. T2 converter
    210. ValiantValiant
    211. Con turret
    212. Wind ×3
    213. Converter
    214. Con turret
    215. Wind
    216. Converter
    217. Wind
    218. ValiantValiant
    219. Con turret
    220. Wind ×2
    221. ValiantValiant
    222. Con turret
    223. Wind ×2
    224. ValiantValiant
    225. Converter
    226. Wind
    227. Converter
    228. ValiantValiant ×2
    229. Wind ×2

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Atra's (30 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 2:07 · in 99% of games
  • Hephaestus1 Heavy transport to Beach sea or Pond or Techfirst at 2:22 · in 71% of games

You get

  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo seafirst at 1:37 · in 63% 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

1908 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039200
2:0092300
3:00145600
4:002053051
5:0027665173
6:003725102124
7:005096146160
8:006916190204
9:009293221270
10:0011771275365
11:0014395365522
12:0017093490750
13:00199367451053
14:002278512201652
15:002584617572386
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

Atra

30.4 OS · 15/10/2026

Open source match ↗

6 received units · includes a constructor
334 metal received · 106359 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=1908
Advanced Metal Extractor6:54Middle 50%: 6:26–7:26 · n=1847
Fusion Reactor10:51Middle 50%: 9:45–12:15 · n=1230

Played most by

TheGeneraI114games of this buildDad_The_Speedrunner73games of this buildHunfore63games of this buildDRM52games of this buildHALF_DALLAH_HABIT52games of this build
Standard air · Cortex Air build order · BAR Build Atlas