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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 · 1506 distinct matches · 252 players · 81% of Cortex Air games · team won 46% of 1811 · 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 1506 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 1:16 · 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 · 25 steps
    1. Wind
    2. FinchFinch
    3. Wind
    4. FinchFinch ×2for Beach sea
    5. Wind ×2
    6. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    7. Wind ×3
    8. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    9. ShurikenShurikenfor Geo sea
    10. Mex
    11. ValiantValiant ×2
    12. Wind ×3
    13. ValiantValiant ×2
    14. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    15. Con turret
    16. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    17. ValiantValiant ×2
    18. Wind
    19. ValiantValiant
    20. Wind
    21. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    22. Wind
    23. ValiantValiant
    24. Con turret
    25. 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 (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 · 156 steps
    1. Wind
    2. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexnot finished by 15:00 · typical 6:54
    3. Wind
    4. Energy storage
    5. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    6. Wind ×2
    7. Converter ×4
    8. ValiantValiant
    9. Wind
    10. Converter ×3
    11. Wind
    12. ValiantValiant ×2
    13. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    14. Wind
    15. ValiantValiant
    16. Wind ×4
    17. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    18. Wind
    19. ValiantValiant
    20. Wind ×2
    21. ValiantValiant
    22. Wind ×4
    23. ShurikenShuriken
    24. Wind
    25. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    26. ShurikenShuriken
    27. Wind
    28. ShurikenShuriken
    29. Con turret
    30. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    31. Con turret
    32. ShurikenShuriken ×5
    33. Wind
    34. ValiantValiant
    35. Wind
    36. ValiantValiant
    37. Wind
    38. ValiantValiant
    39. Wind ×2
    40. ValiantValiant
    41. Wind
    42. ValiantValiant ×2
    43. Wind
    44. ValiantValiant
    45. Wind
    46. ValiantValiant
    47. Wind
    48. ValiantValiant
    49. Wind ×2
    50. ValiantValiant
    51. Wind
    52. ValiantValiant
    53. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 10:27 · typical 10:53
    54. ValiantValiant
    55. Con turret
    56. ValiantValiant
    57. Wind
    58. ValiantValiant
    59. Wind
    60. ValiantValiant ×2
    61. Wind
    62. ValiantValiant ×2
    63. Fusion ReactorFusion
    64. Wind
    65. ValiantValiant
    66. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    67. Wind ×5
    68. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    69. Wind ×4
    70. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    71. Wind ×2
    72. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    73. Con turret
    74. Construction AircraftCon aircraft ×2
    75. ValiantValiant
    76. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 11:41
    77. ValiantValiant ×5
    78. Converter
    79. ValiantValiant
    80. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    81. ValiantValiant
    82. Con turret
    83. Converter
    84. ValiantValiant
    85. Con turret
    86. Converter
    87. ValiantValiant
    88. Con turret
    89. Converter ×2
    90. Con turret
    91. Converter
    92. ValiantValiant
    93. Converter
    94. Wind ×2
    95. ValiantValiant
    96. Converter
    97. Wind
    98. Converter ×4
    99. ValiantValiant
    100. Converter
    101. Wind
    102. ValiantValiant ×2
    103. Converter
    104. ValiantValiant
    105. Wind
    106. ValiantValiant ×3
    107. Wind
    108. Converter
    109. ValiantValiant ×3
    110. TracerTracer
    111. ValiantValiant
    112. Wind
    113. Converter
    114. ValiantValiant ×2
    115. Wind
    116. Converter
    117. ValiantValiant
    118. Wind
    119. ValiantValiant
    120. Wind
    121. Converter
    122. Wind
    123. ValiantValiant
    124. Wind
    125. ValiantValiant
    126. Converter
    127. ValiantValiant ×2
    128. Wind
    129. ValiantValiant ×2
    130. Converter
    131. ValiantValiant
    132. Wind
    133. ValiantValiant
    134. Fusion ReactorFusion
    135. ValiantValiant ×3
    136. Converter
    137. ValiantValiant ×3
    138. Converter
    139. ValiantValiant ×2
    140. Converter
    141. ValiantValiant
    142. Wind
    143. Converter
    144. ValiantValiant ×2
    145. Converter
    146. ValiantValiant ×2
    147. Converter
    148. ValiantValiant ×2
    149. Converter
    150. ValiantValiant ×3
    151. Converter
    152. ValiantValiant
    153. Wind
    154. ValiantValiant ×3
    155. Con turret
    156. ValiantValiant ×2

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Hunfore's (32 OS, 14/10/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

  • Finch2 Finch to Geo sea or Beach seafirst at 1:50 · 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

1811 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
6:003707102124
7:005089146167
8:006902190219
9:009284230270
10:0011758292380
11:0014356369536
12:0017069512781
13:00198597811102
14:002270412641689
15:002573618132420
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

Hunfore

32.4 OS · 14/10/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
1223 metal received · 51477 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=1811
Advanced Metal Extractor6:54Middle 50%: 6:27–7:26 · n=1751
Fusion Reactor10:53Middle 50%: 9:45–12:17 · n=1159

Played most by

TheGeneraI114games of this buildDad_The_Speedrunner72games of this buildHunfore62games of this buildDRM52games of this buildMilkdragon52games of this build