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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 · 1480 distinct matches · 250 players · 81% of Cortex Air games · team won 46% of 1783 · 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 1480 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 1:18 · 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. Wind
    4. Solar
    5. FinchFinch
    6. Wind ×2
    7. ValiantValiant
    8. Wind ×3
    9. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    10. Wind
    11. ValiantValiant
    12. Wind ×3
    13. ValiantValiant
    14. Energy storage
    15. Mex
    16. Wind
    17. ValiantValiant
    18. Wind ×4
    19. ValiantValiant
    20. Converter
    21. Con turret
    22. ValiantValiant
    23. Con turret
    24. Converter ×2
    25. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    26. Energy storage
    27. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    28. 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 · 24 wind · 20 wind · 8 converter · 1 energy storage

    The example game in this phase · 275 steps
    1. ValiantValiant
    2. Wind
    3. Energy storage
    4. ValiantValiant
    5. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    6. Wind
    7. ValiantValiant
    8. Wind
    9. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    10. Wind
    11. Converter
    12. Con turret
    13. Wind
    14. Con turret
    15. HerculesLight transport
    16. Wind ×7
    17. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:10 · typical 6:54
    18. Wind
    19. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    20. Wind ×3
    21. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    22. Bot LabBot Labdone 8:02
    23. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    24. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    25. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    26. Wind
    27. ShurikenShuriken
    28. Construction BotCon bot
    29. ShurikenShuriken
    30. Construction BotCon bot
    31. Wind ×2
    32. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    33. Wind
    34. Construction BotCon bot
    35. Wind ×2
    36. Construction BotCon bot
    37. Wind ×2
    38. Construction BotCon bot
    39. Wind ×2
    40. Construction BotCon bot
    41. Wind
    42. Construction BotCon bot
    43. Wind ×3
    44. Construction BotCon bot
    45. Wind
    46. Construction BotCon bot
    47. Wind ×2
    48. Construction BotCon bot
    49. Wind ×2
    50. Construction BotCon bot
    51. Wind ×3
    52. Con turret
    53. T2 converter
    54. Wind ×3
    55. Con turret
    56. Wind ×5
    57. Con turret
    58. Con turret
    59. Wind ×3
    60. Con turret
    61. Wind ×2
    62. Con turret
    63. Wind ×3
    64. Con turret
    65. Wind ×2
    66. Converter
    67. Wind ×7
    68. Con turret
    69. Wind ×2
    70. T2 converter
    71. ValiantValiant
    72. Converter
    73. Con turret
    74. Wind ×8
    75. Converter
    76. ValiantValiant
    77. Wind ×3
    78. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    79. Wind ×2
    80. ValiantValiant
    81. Wind ×3
    82. ValiantValiant
    83. Wind
    84. ValiantValiant
    85. Wind ×2
    86. Converter
    87. ValiantValiant
    88. Wind ×3
    89. ValiantValiant
    90. Wind ×2
    91. ValiantValiant
    92. Wind
    93. ValiantValiant
    94. Wind ×3
    95. Converter
    96. ValiantValiant
    97. Wind ×3
    98. ValiantValiant
    99. Wind ×2
    100. ValiantValiant
    101. Wind ×3
    102. ValiantValiant
    103. Wind ×2
    104. ValiantValiant
    105. Wind
    106. Converter
    107. ValiantValiant
    108. Wind ×5
    109. FinchFinch
    110. Wind
    111. FinchFinch
    112. Wind ×2
    113. FinchFinch
    114. Wind ×3
    115. Converter
    116. FinchFinch ×3
    117. Wind ×5
    118. ValiantValiant
    119. Wind
    120. ValiantValiant
    121. Wind
    122. Converter
    123. Wind ×2
    124. ValiantValiant
    125. Wind ×2
    126. ValiantValiant
    127. Wind ×3
    128. ValiantValiant
    129. Wind ×3
    130. ValiantValiant
    131. Wind
    132. Converter
    133. ValiantValiant
    134. Wind ×4
    135. T2 converter
    136. ValiantValiant
    137. Con turret
    138. Wind ×7
    139. ValiantValiant
    140. Converter
    141. Wind
    142. Converter
    143. Wind
    144. Con turret
    145. Wind
    146. ValiantValiant
    147. Wind ×7
    148. ValiantValiant
    149. Converter
    150. Wind ×6
    151. ValiantValiant
    152. Converter
    153. Wind ×6
    154. Converter
    155. ValiantValiant
    156. Wind ×7
    157. ValiantValiant
    158. Wind ×3
    159. ValiantValiant
    160. Converter ×2
    161. Wind ×2
    162. ValiantValiant
    163. Wind ×3
    164. ValiantValiant
    165. Wind ×4
    166. ValiantValiant
    167. Wind
    168. ValiantValiant
    169. Wind ×2
    170. ValiantValiant
    171. Converter
    172. Wind ×4
    173. ValiantValiant
    174. Wind ×2
    175. ValiantValiant
    176. Wind ×2
    177. Converter
    178. Wind
    179. ValiantValiant
    180. Wind ×2
    181. ValiantValiant
    182. Wind ×3
    183. ValiantValiant
    184. Wind ×2
    185. ValiantValiant
    186. Converter
    187. Wind ×4
    188. ValiantValiant
    189. Wind ×2
    190. ValiantValiant
    191. Wind ×2
    192. ValiantValiant
    193. Wind ×3
    194. Converter
    195. ValiantValiant
    196. Wind ×2
    197. Converter
    198. ValiantValiant
    199. Wind ×4
    200. ValiantValiant
    201. Wind ×2
    202. ValiantValiant
    203. Wind ×3
    204. ValiantValiant
    205. Wind ×2
    206. ValiantValiant
    207. Wind ×2
    208. Converter
    209. Wind
    210. ValiantValiant
    211. Wind
    212. Converter
    213. ValiantValiant
    214. Wind ×3
    215. ValiantValiant
    216. Wind ×3
    217. ValiantValiant
    218. Wind
    219. ValiantValiant
    220. Wind ×2
    221. ValiantValiant
    222. Wind ×2
    223. Converter
    224. ValiantValiant
    225. Wind ×2
    226. ValiantValiant
    227. Wind ×2
    228. ValiantValiant
    229. Wind ×3
    230. ValiantValiant
    231. Converter
    232. Wind
    233. ValiantValiant
    234. Wind ×3
    235. ValiantValiant
    236. Wind ×3
    237. ValiantValiant
    238. Wind
    239. Converter
    240. ValiantValiant
    241. Wind ×2
    242. ValiantValiant
    243. Wind ×2
    244. ValiantValiant
    245. Wind ×2
    246. ValiantValiant
    247. Wind ×3
    248. ValiantValiant
    249. Con turret
    250. Converter
    251. Wind ×3
    252. ValiantValiant
    253. Wind ×3
    254. Con turret
    255. Converter
    256. Wind
    257. ValiantValiant
    258. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    259. Wind ×4
    260. ValiantValiant
    261. Con turret
    262. Wind ×4
    263. Advanced Aircraft PlantAdvanced Aircraft Plantnot finished by 15:00
    264. Wind ×2
    265. ValiantValiant
    266. Converter ×2
    267. Wind ×4
    268. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    269. Wind ×6
    270. Converter
    271. Wind ×7
    272. Converter
    273. Wind ×2
    274. Converter
    275. Wind ×7

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Flerpz's (32 OS, 14/08/2026); 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

1783 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039200
2:0092300
3:00145600
4:002053051
5:0027635173
6:003715102124
7:005089146167
8:006904190219
9:009291230271
10:0011771292384
11:0014395373538
12:0017078517781
13:00198597811115
14:002270012691689
15:002572918312440
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

Flerpz

31.6 OS · 14/08/2026

Open source match ↗

4 received units · includes a constructor
214 metal received · 127279 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=1783
Advanced Metal Extractor6:54Middle 50%: 6:27–7:26 · n=1724
Fusion Reactor10:53Middle 50%: 9:45–12:17 · n=1143

Played most by

TheGeneraI112games of this buildDad_The_Speedrunner72games of this buildHunfore62games of this buildMilkdragon52games of this buildAdeus50games of this build