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

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is GazzGrim's (32 OS, 29/09/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

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

GazzGrim

32.1 OS · 29/09/2026

Open source match ↗

6 received units · includes a constructor
1405 metal received · 150182 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