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

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is bob7'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 1:50 · 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

bob7

31.2 OS · 10/10/2026

Open source match ↗

2 received units · includes a constructor
822 metal received · 54968 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