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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 · 1496 distinct matches · 252 players · 80% of Cortex Air games · team won 46% of 1799 · 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 1496 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 ×3
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:07 · 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 · 32 steps
    1. Wind
    2. FinchFinch
    3. Wind ×2
    4. Solar ×2
    5. ValiantValiant
    6. Wind ×2
    7. FinchFinch ×2for Geo sea
    8. Wind
    9. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    10. HerculesLight transportfor Geo
    11. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    12. ShurikenShuriken
    13. Mex
    14. Con turret
    15. ShurikenShuriken
    16. ValiantValiant ×2
    17. Con turret
    18. ValiantValiant
    19. Wind
    20. ValiantValiant ×2
    21. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    22. Wind
    23. Energy storage
    24. ValiantValiant
    25. Wind
    26. HerculesLight transport
    27. Wind
    28. Converter
    29. Wind
    30. Wind ×2
    31. Wind
    32. Wind ×2
  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 (48%) · 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 · 202 steps
    1. Wind
    2. HerculesLight transport
    3. Wind
    4. Wind ×2
    5. Converter
    6. Wind
    7. Wind
    8. Wind
    9. ValiantValiant
    10. Wind ×2
    11. ValiantValiant
    12. Wind
    13. Converter
    14. Wind ×2
    15. ValiantValiant
    16. Converter ×2
    17. Wind
    18. ValiantValiant
    19. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    20. Converter
    21. Wind
    22. Wind
    23. Con turret
    24. Wind ×2
    25. Wind
    26. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:23 · typical 6:54
    27. Converter
    28. Wind
    29. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×3
    30. Wind ×3
    31. Con turret
    32. Wind
    33. Con turret
    34. Wind
    35. Wind
    36. Wind
    37. Wind
    38. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 8:34
    39. Wind
    40. Wind
    41. Hardened Energy Storage
    42. Wind
    43. Con turret
    44. ValiantValiant
    45. Wind
    46. Wind
    47. Con turret
    48. Wind
    49. Wind
    50. Wind
    51. Wind
    52. ValiantValiant
    53. Wind
    54. Wind ×2
    55. ValiantValiant
    56. Wind
    57. Con turret
    58. Wind
    59. ValiantValiant
    60. Wind
    61. ValiantValiant
    62. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 11:54 · typical 10:53
    63. Wind
    64. ValiantValiant
    65. Wind ×2
    66. ValiantValiant
    67. Wind
    68. Wind
    69. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    70. Wind
    71. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    72. Wind
    73. Converter
    74. ShurikenShuriken
    75. ValiantValiant
    76. Con turret
    77. Wind
    78. ValiantValiant
    79. Wind
    80. ValiantValiant
    81. Wind
    82. FinchFinch
    83. ValiantValiant
    84. Wind
    85. ValiantValiant ×3
    86. Wind
    87. Wind
    88. ValiantValiant
    89. Converter
    90. Wind
    91. ValiantValiant ×2
    92. Converter
    93. ValiantValiant
    94. Wind
    95. ValiantValiant ×2
    96. Converter
    97. FinchFinch
    98. Wind
    99. Wind
    100. ValiantValiant ×2
    101. Wind
    102. Converter
    103. ValiantValiant
    104. Wind
    105. ValiantValiant
    106. Converter
    107. Wind
    108. ValiantValiant
    109. Wind
    110. ValiantValiant
    111. Wind
    112. Converter
    113. Wind
    114. Wind
    115. Converter
    116. Wind ×2
    117. ValiantValiant
    118. Converter
    119. Fusion ReactorFusion
    120. ValiantValiant
    121. Wind
    122. Wind
    123. Wind
    124. Converter
    125. Wind
    126. Converter
    127. Wind
    128. Wind
    129. ValiantValiant
    130. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    131. Wind
    132. Wind
    133. Wind
    134. Wind ×3
    135. Wind
    136. Wind
    137. Wind
    138. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 13:16
    139. Wind
    140. Wind
    141. Wind
    142. Wind
    143. ValiantValiant ×2
    144. Wind
    145. Wind
    146. ValiantValiant ×2
    147. Con turret
    148. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    149. Wind
    150. ArbalestArbalest
    151. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    152. Wind
    153. Wind
    154. Con turret ×2
    155. Wind
    156. Con turret
    157. Wind
    158. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    159. Wind
    160. Con turret
    161. Wind
    162. Wind
    163. Con turret
    164. ValiantValiant
    165. Con turret
    166. Wind
    167. Wind
    168. Con turret
    169. ValiantValiant
    170. Wind
    171. Wind
    172. Wind
    173. ValiantValiant ×2
    174. Con turret
    175. Wind
    176. ValiantValiant
    177. Wind
    178. ValiantValiant
    179. Wind
    180. Con turret
    181. FinchFinch
    182. ValiantValiant
    183. Wind
    184. Converter
    185. Wind
    186. ValiantValiant
    187. Converter
    188. ValiantValiant
    189. Wind
    190. Converter
    191. Con turret
    192. ValiantValiant
    193. Converter
    194. Wind
    195. ShurikenShuriken
    196. Converter
    197. Con turret
    198. ShurikenShuriken
    199. Converter
    200. ShurikenShuriken
    201. Converter
    202. Wind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is HALF_DALLAH_HABIT's (33 OS, 04/10/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

  • Finch2 Finch to Geo sea or Beach seafirst at 1:51 · 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

1799 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
6:003705102124
7:005088146167
8:006898190219
9:009278232270
10:0011753292384
11:0014351373538
12:0017061513781
13:00198507811102
14:002270012641689
15:002570818042405
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

HALF_DALLAH_HABIT

32.8 OS · 04/10/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
806 metal received · 51432 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=1799
Advanced Metal Extractor6:54Middle 50%: 6:27–7:26 · n=1740
Fusion Reactor10:53Middle 50%: 9:47–12:18 · n=1151

Played most by

TheGeneraI114games of this buildDad_The_Speedrunner72games of this buildHunfore62games of this buildMilkdragon51games of this buildAdeus50games of this build
Standard air · Cortex Air build order · BAR Build Atlas