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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 ×4
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:23 · 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 ×2for Geo sea
    3. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    4. Wind ×4
    5. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    6. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    7. Wind ×5
    8. Con turret
    9. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    10. Mex
    11. Con turret
    12. Wind ×2
    13. ValiantValiant
    14. Wind ×2
    15. ValiantValiant
    16. Wind ×2
    17. ShurikenShuriken
    18. Wind
    19. Wind
    20. Converter
    21. Wind
    22. ShurikenShuriken
    23. Wind
    24. Wind
    25. ValiantValiant
    26. Wind
    27. Wind
    28. ValiantValiant
    29. Wind
    30. Wind
    31. Wind
    32. 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 (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 · 289 steps
    1. Wind
    2. Converter
    3. Wind
    4. Wind
    5. Converter
    6. Wind ×2
    7. Wind
    8. Wind
    9. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    10. Con turret
    11. Wind
    12. Wind
    13. Wind ×2
    14. Wind
    15. Wind
    16. Wind ×2
    17. Wind ×2
    18. Wind ×4
    19. Wind
    20. Wind ×2
    21. Wind
    22. Converter
    23. Wind
    24. Converter
    25. Wind
    26. Wind
    27. Wind
    28. Wind ×2
    29. Converter
    30. Wind
    31. Energy storage
    32. Wind
    33. Converter
    34. Wind
    35. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:09 · typical 6:54
    36. Converter
    37. Wind ×2
    38. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    39. Wind
    40. Converter ×2
    41. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×2
    42. Bot LabBot Labdone 8:02
    43. Construction BotCon bot ×6
    44. Wind
    45. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 8:44
    46. Construction BotCon bot
    47. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    48. Wind ×2
    49. ValiantValiant
    50. Wind ×2
    51. Construction BotCon bot
    52. ValiantValiant
    53. Wind ×2
    54. Construction BotCon bot
    55. ValiantValiant
    56. Wind
    57. ValiantValiant
    58. Wind
    59. Wind ×3
    60. ValiantValiant
    61. Construction BotCon bot
    62. Wind
    63. Wind
    64. ValiantValiant
    65. Wind ×2
    66. ValiantValiant
    67. Wind
    68. Wind
    69. Construction BotCon bot
    70. Wind
    71. ValiantValiant
    72. Wind ×3
    73. ValiantValiant
    74. Wind
    75. Wind
    76. ValiantValiant
    77. Construction BotCon bot
    78. Wind ×2
    79. Wind
    80. ValiantValiant
    81. Wind
    82. ValiantValiant
    83. Wind ×3
    84. Wind
    85. Wind
    86. ValiantValiant
    87. Wind ×2
    88. Wind
    89. Wind ×5
    90. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    91. ValiantValiant
    92. Con turret
    93. Wind
    94. Wind ×2
    95. T2 converter
    96. Wind
    97. Wind
    98. Wind
    99. Con turret
    100. Wind
    101. ValiantValiant
    102. Wind ×4
    103. Wind
    104. Wind ×3
    105. Wind
    106. Wind
    107. Con turret
    108. Wind ×2
    109. Con turret
    110. Wind ×2
    111. ValiantValiant
    112. Wind
    113. Wind
    114. Con turret
    115. Wind ×4
    116. Wind
    117. Wind ×3
    118. Wind
    119. Wind ×5
    120. Wind
    121. Wind ×2
    122. ValiantValiant
    123. Wind ×3
    124. Wind
    125. ValiantValiant
    126. Wind ×2
    127. ValiantValiant
    128. Wind
    129. Wind
    130. ValiantValiant
    131. Wind ×3
    132. ValiantValiant
    133. Wind ×4
    134. Wind
    135. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    136. ValiantValiant
    137. Wind ×4
    138. Wind
    139. ValiantValiant
    140. Wind ×3
    141. ValiantValiant
    142. Wind
    143. Wind
    144. Wind ×4
    145. ValiantValiant
    146. Wind
    147. Wind
    148. Wind ×2
    149. ValiantValiant
    150. Wind ×2
    151. Wind
    152. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    153. Wind
    154. ValiantValiant
    155. Wind
    156. ValiantValiant
    157. Wind
    158. Wind
    159. Wind
    160. ValiantValiant
    161. Wind ×2
    162. ValiantValiant
    163. Wind
    164. Wind ×2
    165. ValiantValiant
    166. Wind ×2
    167. ValiantValiant
    168. Wind
    169. Wind
    170. ValiantValiant
    171. Wind ×2
    172. ValiantValiant
    173. Wind
    174. Wind
    175. ValiantValiant
    176. T2 converter
    177. Wind ×2
    178. ValiantValiant
    179. Wind ×2
    180. Wind
    181. Wind ×5
    182. Wind
    183. Wind ×2
    184. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    185. Wind ×4
    186. HerculesLight transportfor Beach sea
    187. Wind
    188. Wind
    189. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    190. Wind ×2
    191. ValiantValiant
    192. Wind
    193. Wind
    194. Wind
    195. ValiantValiant
    196. Wind
    197. ValiantValiant
    198. Wind
    199. ValiantValiant
    200. Con turret
    201. Wind
    202. Wind ×3
    203. ValiantValiant
    204. Wind
    205. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    206. Wind
    207. ValiantValiant
    208. Wind ×2
    209. Wind
    210. ValiantValiant ×2
    211. Wind
    212. ValiantValiant ×2
    213. Wind ×2
    214. Wind
    215. Wind
    216. ValiantValiant
    217. Wind
    218. ValiantValiant
    219. Wind
    220. ValiantValiant
    221. Wind
    222. ValiantValiant
    223. Wind
    224. ValiantValiant
    225. Wind
    226. ValiantValiant
    227. Wind
    228. ValiantValiant
    229. Wind ×3
    230. T2 converter
    231. ValiantValiant
    232. Wind
    233. Wind ×2
    234. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    235. Wind
    236. Wind
    237. Wind ×5
    238. ValiantValiant
    239. Wind
    240. Wind ×2
    241. T2 converter
    242. Wind
    243. Con turret
    244. ValiantValiant
    245. Wind ×2
    246. Con turret
    247. Wind
    248. Wind
    249. Wind
    250. ValiantValiant
    251. Con turret
    252. Wind
    253. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    254. Wind
    255. Wind
    256. Wind ×3
    257. ValiantValiant
    258. Wind
    259. Wind
    260. Wind ×6
    261. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    262. Wind
    263. Wind ×2
    264. ValiantValiant
    265. Wind ×2
    266. T2 converter
    267. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    268. Wind
    269. Wind
    270. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    271. Wind ×2
    272. T2 converter
    273. Wind
    274. Wind ×4
    275. Wind
    276. Wind ×3
    277. T2 converter
    278. Wind ×4
    279. ValiantValiant
    280. Con turret
    281. Wind ×6
    282. T2 converter
    283. Wind ×5
    284. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    285. Wind
    286. Con turret
    287. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    288. Con turret
    289. Wind ×2

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Herbiderpi's (32 OS, 13/10/2026); 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

Herbiderpi

32.0 OS · 13/10/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
425 metal received · 52876 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