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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 ×5
    3. Energy storage
    4. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:36 · 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 · 39 steps
    1. Wind
    2. FinchFinch
    3. Wind ×2
    4. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    5. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    6. Wind
    7. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    8. Wind
    9. ValiantValiant ×2
    10. Mex
    11. Wind ×2
    12. ShurikenShuriken
    13. Wind ×2
    14. ShurikenShuriken
    15. Wind
    16. ShurikenShuriken
    17. Con turret
    18. ValiantValiant
    19. Wind
    20. Wind
    21. ValiantValiant
    22. Wind
    23. ValiantValiant ×2
    24. Con turret
    25. Wind
    26. Con turret
    27. ValiantValiant
    28. Wind
    29. Wind
    30. Wind ×2
    31. Wind
    32. Wind
    33. Wind
    34. Wind
    35. Windfor Geo sea
    36. Wind ×2
    37. Windfor Geo sea
    38. ValiantValiant
    39. 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 (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 · 203 steps
    1. HerculesLight transportfor unknown
    2. ValiantValiant
    3. Wind
    4. ValiantValiant ×4
    5. Wind
    6. ShurikenShuriken
    7. Wind
    8. ShurikenShuriken
    9. Wind
    10. Converter
    11. Wind
    12. ShurikenShuriken
    13. Wind
    14. Converter ×2
    15. Wind
    16. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    17. Wind
    18. Con turret
    19. Converter ×2
    20. Wind
    21. Wind
    22. Wind
    23. Converter
    24. Wind
    25. Wind
    26. Energy storage
    27. Con turret
    28. Wind ×2
    29. Wind
    30. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×4done 7:31 · typical 6:54
    31. Bot LabBot Labdone 8:27
    32. Con turret ×2
    33. Construction BotCon bot ×9
    34. Wind
    35. Construction BotCon bot
    36. Wind ×2
    37. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    38. Wind
    39. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 9:09
    40. FalconFighter ×3
    41. Wind
    42. FalconFighter
    43. Wind ×3
    44. FalconFighter
    45. Wind
    46. FalconFighter
    47. Wind ×2
    48. FalconFighter
    49. Wind
    50. FalconFighter ×3
    51. Wind ×2
    52. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    53. Wind ×2
    54. StorkLight transport
    55. Wind
    56. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    57. Wind ×2
    58. Construction AircraftCon aircraft ×2
    59. FalconFighter ×2
    60. Wind ×2
    61. Converter
    62. FalconFighter
    63. Wind
    64. FalconFighter
    65. Converter
    66. Wind
    67. FalconFighter
    68. Windfor Geo sea
    69. Converter
    70. Wind ×2
    71. Con turret
    72. Wind ×2
    73. FalconFighter
    74. Con turret
    75. FalconFighter ×2
    76. Windfor Geo sea
    77. Wind ×2
    78. FalconFighter
    79. Wind
    80. FalconFighter
    81. Windfor Geo sea
    82. Wind
    83. Con turret
    84. Wind ×2
    85. FalconFighter
    86. Wind
    87. Windfor Geo sea
    88. Wind
    89. FalconFighter
    90. Wind
    91. Windfor Geo sea
    92. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    93. Wind ×2
    94. Windfor Geo sea
    95. Wind ×3
    96. Con turret
    97. Wind ×2
    98. BansheeBanshee
    99. Wind
    100. Converter
    101. Windfor Geo sea
    102. Wind
    103. Converter
    104. BansheeBanshee
    105. Converter
    106. Wind
    107. Windfor Geo sea
    108. BansheeBanshee
    109. Windfor Geo sea
    110. BansheeBanshee
    111. Wind
    112. Windfor Geo sea
    113. Wind
    114. BansheeBanshee
    115. Wind ×2
    116. FalconFighter ×2
    117. Wind ×3
    118. FalconFighter
    119. Wind ×6
    120. FalconFighter
    121. Wind ×3
    122. FalconFighter
    123. Converter
    124. Wind
    125. FalconFighter ×2
    126. Wind
    127. Converter
    128. FalconFighter
    129. Wind ×2
    130. FalconFighter
    131. Wind
    132. FalconFighter
    133. Wind
    134. Converter
    135. Wind ×3
    136. FalconFighter
    137. Wind ×2
    138. Converter
    139. Wind
    140. FalconFighter
    141. Converter
    142. Wind ×2
    143. FalconFighter ×2
    144. Wind ×2
    145. Converter
    146. FalconFighter
    147. Wind ×2
    148. FalconFighter
    149. Wind
    150. FalconFighter
    151. Wind
    152. Converter
    153. FalconFighter
    154. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    155. Wind ×3
    156. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 13:07 · typical 10:52
    157. Converter
    158. Wind ×8
    159. Converter ×3
    160. Wind
    161. Converter
    162. Wind ×2
    163. Converter
    164. Wind ×5
    165. Converter
    166. Wind ×6
    167. Converter
    168. Wind
    169. Advanced Aircraft PlantAdvanced Aircraft Plantdone 13:59
    170. Wind ×6
    171. Converter
    172. Wind
    173. RattlesnakeRattlesnakenot finished by 15:00
    174. Wind
    175. Converter
    176. Wind
    177. Converter
    178. Wind ×2
    179. Converter
    180. Wind ×2
    181. Converter
    182. Wind ×2
    183. HighwindHighwind
    184. Converter
    185. Wind
    186. Converter
    187. Wind
    188. HighwindHighwind
    189. Wind ×3
    190. StilettoStilettodone 14:40
    191. Converter
    192. Wind ×3
    193. Converter
    194. Wind ×4
    195. Converter
    196. Wind
    197. HornetHornetnot finished by 15:00
    198. Wind
    199. Converter
    200. Wind
    201. Converter
    202. Wind ×2
    203. Converter ×2

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Spongeb0b's (32 OS, 24/09/2026); 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

Spongeb0b

31.7 OS · 24/09/2026

Open source match ↗

4 received units · includes a constructor
2093 metal received · 100996 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