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

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is [A7O]SuperTetra's (31 OS, 27/08/2026); 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

[A7O]SuperTetra

30.8 OS · 27/08/2026

Open source match ↗

6 received units · includes a constructor
250 metal received · 59003 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