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

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is q[o_o]p's (34 OS, 12/09/2026); 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

q[o_o]p

34.1 OS · 12/09/2026

Open source match ↗

10 received units · includes a constructor
172 metal received · 23545 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