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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 · 1506 distinct matches · 252 players · 81% of Cortex Air games · team won 46% of 1811 · 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 1506 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 · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×2
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:12 · 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 · 38 steps
    1. Wind
    2. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    3. Wind
    4. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    5. Wind
    6. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    7. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    8. Wind ×2
    9. FinchFinch
    10. Con turret ×2
    11. ValiantValiant
    12. Wind
    13. Mex
    14. Wind ×3
    15. ValiantValiant
    16. Wind ×3
    17. Wind
    18. ValiantValiant
    19. Wind
    20. Wind ×2
    21. ValiantValiant
    22. Wind
    23. Wind
    24. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    25. ValiantValiant
    26. Wind
    27. Wind
    28. Wind
    29. Converter
    30. Wind
    31. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    32. Con turret
    33. Converter
    34. Wind
    35. Converter ×2
    36. Wind
    37. Converter
    38. 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 · 278 steps
    1. Wind
    2. Converter
    3. Wind
    4. Wind
    5. Wind
    6. Wind
    7. Converter
    8. Wind
    9. Wind
    10. Wind
    11. Converter
    12. Wind
    13. Wind ×2
    14. Wind
    15. Wind
    16. Converter
    17. Wind
    18. Wind
    19. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:22 · typical 6:54
    20. Wind
    21. Energy storage
    22. Wind
    23. Wind
    24. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×3
    25. Con turret
    26. Bot LabBot Labdone 7:44
    27. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    28. Con turret
    29. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    30. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 8:07
    31. Construction BotCon bot
    32. ValiantValiant
    33. Construction BotCon bot
    34. Wind
    35. ValiantValiant
    36. Wind
    37. ValiantValiant
    38. Construction BotCon bot
    39. ValiantValiant
    40. Wind ×2
    41. Construction BotCon bot
    42. ShurikenShuriken
    43. Construction BotCon bot
    44. ShurikenShuriken
    45. Wind ×2
    46. Wind
    47. Construction BotCon bot
    48. ShurikenShuriken
    49. Wind ×2
    50. Construction BotCon bot
    51. ShurikenShuriken
    52. ValiantValiant
    53. Wind
    54. Wind ×2
    55. Construction BotCon bot
    56. ValiantValiant
    57. Wind
    58. Wind
    59. ValiantValiant
    60. Wind ×2
    61. ValiantValiant
    62. Wind
    63. Construction BotCon bot
    64. ValiantValiant
    65. Wind ×2
    66. Wind
    67. T2 converter
    68. ValiantValiant
    69. Wind ×2
    70. ValiantValiant
    71. Wind
    72. Wind
    73. Wind ×2
    74. Wind
    75. Con turret
    76. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    77. ValiantValiant
    78. Wind ×3
    79. ValiantValiant
    80. Wind ×6
    81. ValiantValiant
    82. Wind ×2
    83. Wind
    84. Wind ×4
    85. Wind
    86. Wind ×3
    87. ValiantValiant
    88. Wind ×2
    89. Wind
    90. Wind ×4
    91. Wind
    92. Wind ×4
    93. Wind
    94. Wind ×5
    95. Wind
    96. Wind ×4
    97. Wind
    98. Wind ×3
    99. ValiantValiant
    100. Wind
    101. Wind
    102. Wind ×4
    103. ValiantValiant
    104. Wind
    105. Wind
    106. ValiantValiant
    107. Wind ×2
    108. ValiantValiant
    109. Wind
    110. ValiantValiant
    111. Wind
    112. Wind ×3
    113. ValiantValiant
    114. Wind
    115. ValiantValiant
    116. Wind ×2
    117. Wind
    118. ValiantValiant
    119. Wind ×2
    120. ValiantValiant
    121. Wind
    122. ValiantValiant
    123. Wind
    124. Wind ×3
    125. ValiantValiant ×2
    126. Wind ×2
    127. Wind
    128. Wind
    129. ValiantValiant
    130. Wind
    131. ValiantValiant
    132. Wind ×2
    133. Wind
    134. ValiantValiant
    135. Wind
    136. Con turret
    137. Wind
    138. Wind
    139. HerculesLight transport
    140. Con turret
    141. Wind ×4
    142. Wind
    143. HerculesLight transport
    144. Wind ×4
    145. ValiantValiant
    146. Wind
    147. ValiantValiant
    148. Wind
    149. Wind
    150. Wind
    151. ValiantValiant
    152. Wind
    153. Wind
    154. ValiantValiant
    155. Wind ×3
    156. ValiantValiant ×2
    157. Wind ×2
    158. ValiantValiant
    159. Wind ×2
    160. Wind
    161. Wind ×2
    162. ValiantValiant
    163. Wind
    164. ValiantValiant
    165. Wind
    166. Wind ×2
    167. FinchFinch
    168. Wind
    169. FinchFinch
    170. Wind ×2
    171. FinchFinch
    172. Wind
    173. FinchFinch
    174. Wind
    175. Wind
    176. Wind ×5
    177. FinchFinch ×2
    178. Wind
    179. Wind
    180. Wind
    181. FinchFinch
    182. Wind ×2
    183. FinchFinch ×2
    184. Wind ×3
    185. ValiantValiant
    186. Wind
    187. Wind
    188. Wind
    189. ValiantValiant
    190. Wind ×3
    191. ValiantValiant
    192. Wind
    193. Wind ×3
    194. ValiantValiant
    195. Wind
    196. ValiantValiant
    197. Wind ×3
    198. T2 converter
    199. Wind
    200. Wind
    201. ValiantValiant
    202. Wind ×3
    203. Wind
    204. Wind ×9
    205. Wind
    206. T2 converter
    207. Wind ×4
    208. Wind
    209. Wind
    210. Con turret
    211. Wind ×2
    212. ValiantValiant
    213. Wind ×3
    214. Con turret
    215. Wind ×2
    216. Wind
    217. Wind
    218. ValiantValiant
    219. Wind ×3
    220. Wind
    221. ValiantValiant
    222. Con turret
    223. Wind ×5
    224. Con turret
    225. Wind
    226. Wind
    227. Wind ×5
    228. Wind
    229. Wind
    230. Con turret
    231. Wind
    232. ValiantValiant
    233. Wind ×3
    234. Wind
    235. Wind ×4
    236. T2 converter
    237. Wind ×2
    238. ValiantValiant
    239. Wind ×7
    240. ValiantValiant
    241. Wind ×2
    242. T2 converter
    243. Wind ×8
    244. Wind
    245. ValiantValiant
    246. Wind ×5
    247. Wind
    248. T2 converter
    249. Wind ×2
    250. ValiantValiant ×2
    251. Wind ×6
    252. Wind
    253. Wind ×2
    254. ValiantValiant
    255. Wind ×2
    256. Wind
    257. Wind ×3
    258. T2 converter
    259. ValiantValiant
    260. Wind
    261. ValiantValiant ×2
    262. Wind
    263. ValiantValiant
    264. Wind ×2
    265. ValiantValiant
    266. Wind ×4
    267. Con turret
    268. ValiantValiant
    269. Con turret
    270. Wind ×2
    271. ValiantValiant
    272. Con turret
    273. Wind ×3
    274. Con turret
    275. Wind
    276. ValiantValiant ×2
    277. Con turret
    278. Wind ×4

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Herbiderpi's (33 OS, 11/10/2026); 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 72% 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 2:23 · 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

1811 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
6:003707102124
7:005089146167
8:006902190219
9:009284230270
10:0011758292380
11:0014356369536
12:0017069512781
13:00198597811102
14:002270412641689
15:002573618132420
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

Herbiderpi

32.9 OS · 11/10/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
526 metal received · 67280 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=1811
Advanced Metal Extractor6:54Middle 50%: 6:27–7:26 · n=1751
Fusion Reactor10:53Middle 50%: 9:45–12:17 · n=1159

Played most by

TheGeneraI114games of this buildDad_The_Speedrunner72games of this buildHunfore62games of this buildDRM52games of this buildMilkdragon52games of this build