BAR / BUILD ATLAS
← All builds
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. Solar
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:02 · 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. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Pond
    3. Wind
    4. Solar ×2
    5. HephaestusHeavy transportfor unknown
    6. Wind ×2
    7. FinchFinch ×2for unknown
    8. ValiantValiantfor Pond
    9. Solar
    10. ValiantValiantfor Pond
    11. ValiantValiant
    12. FinchFinchfor Pond
    13. ValiantValiant ×3
    14. Wind ×2
    15. ValiantValiant
    16. Wind ×2
    17. ShurikenShuriken
    18. ValiantValiant
    19. Energy storage
    20. Mex
    21. ValiantValiant
    22. Wind ×3
    23. ValiantValiant
    24. Wind
    25. Con turret
  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 · 230 steps
    1. ValiantValiant ×2
    2. Wind
    3. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    4. Wind ×2
    5. ValiantValiant
    6. Wind ×2
    7. ValiantValiant
    8. Wind
    9. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    10. Con turret
    11. Wind ×3
    12. ValiantValiant
    13. Wind
    14. ValiantValiant
    15. Wind
    16. ValiantValiant ×2
    17. Wind ×3
    18. ValiantValiant
    19. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    20. Wind
    21. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:21
    22. Wind ×7
    23. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    24. Wind ×4
    25. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    26. Wind ×6
    27. Con turret
    28. Wind ×2
    29. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 9:05
    30. Wind ×3
    31. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    32. Wind
    33. ValiantValiant
    34. Wind
    35. ValiantValiant
    36. Wind
    37. ValiantValiant
    38. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Tech
    39. Wind
    40. ValiantValiant ×2
    41. Wind
    42. ValiantValiant
    43. Wind
    44. ValiantValiant
    45. Con turret
    46. Bot LabBot Labdone 10:00
    47. ValiantValiant
    48. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    49. Wind
    50. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    51. Construction BotCon bot
    52. Wind
    53. Construction BotCon bot
    54. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    55. Construction BotCon bot
    56. Wind
    57. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    58. Construction BotCon bot
    59. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    60. Wind
    61. Construction BotCon bot
    62. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    63. Construction BotCon bot
    64. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    65. Construction BotCon bot
    66. Wind
    67. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    68. Wind
    69. Construction BotCon bot
    70. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    71. Wind ×2
    72. Construction BotCon bot
    73. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    74. ValiantValiant
    75. Wind ×2
    76. Construction BotCon bot
    77. ValiantValiant
    78. Wind
    79. Converter
    80. Wind
    81. ValiantValiant
    82. Wind
    83. ValiantValiant
    84. Wind
    85. ValiantValiant
    86. Converter
    87. Wind
    88. ValiantValiant
    89. Wind ×2
    90. ValiantValiant
    91. Wind ×3
    92. ValiantValiant
    93. Converter
    94. ValiantValiant
    95. Wind ×3
    96. ValiantValiant
    97. Wind
    98. ValiantValiant
    99. Wind ×2
    100. Con turret
    101. Wind
    102. ValiantValiant
    103. Converter
    104. Wind ×3
    105. ValiantValiant ×2
    106. Wind
    107. Converter
    108. Wind ×2
    109. ValiantValiant
    110. Wind ×2
    111. ValiantValiant
    112. Wind
    113. Converter
    114. Wind
    115. ValiantValiant
    116. Wind ×2
    117. ValiantValiant
    118. Wind ×2
    119. ValiantValiant
    120. Converter
    121. Wind ×2
    122. ValiantValiant
    123. Wind ×3
    124. Converter
    125. Con turret
    126. Wind ×3
    127. ValiantValiant
    128. Con turret
    129. Converter
    130. Wind ×2
    131. ValiantValiant
    132. Wind ×2
    133. Con turret
    134. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    135. Converter
    136. Wind ×2
    137. Con turret
    138. Wind
    139. Con turret
    140. Wind ×3
    141. Con turret
    142. ValiantValiant
    143. Converter
    144. Wind ×2
    145. ValiantValiant ×2
    146. Wind
    147. ValiantValiant
    148. Wind
    149. ValiantValiant
    150. Wind
    151. ValiantValiant ×2
    152. Wind ×2
    153. ValiantValiant
    154. Converter
    155. ValiantValiant
    156. Wind
    157. ValiantValiant
    158. Wind
    159. ValiantValiant
    160. Wind
    161. ValiantValiant
    162. Wind
    163. ValiantValiant
    164. Wind
    165. Converter
    166. ValiantValiant
    167. Wind
    168. ValiantValiant ×2
    169. Wind ×2
    170. ValiantValiant ×2
    171. Converter
    172. Wind
    173. ValiantValiant
    174. Wind
    175. ValiantValiant
    176. Wind
    177. ValiantValiant ×2
    178. Wind ×2
    179. ValiantValiant
    180. Converter
    181. ValiantValiant
    182. Wind
    183. ValiantValiant
    184. Wind
    185. ValiantValiant
    186. Wind
    187. ValiantValiant
    188. Wind
    189. ValiantValiant
    190. Wind
    191. ValiantValiant
    192. Converter
    193. Wind
    194. ValiantValiant ×2
    195. Wind ×2
    196. ValiantValiant ×2
    197. Wind
    198. ValiantValiant
    199. Wind
    200. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    201. Wind
    202. Converter
    203. Wind ×4
    204. Converter
    205. Wind ×4
    206. Converter
    207. Wind
    208. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    209. Wind
    210. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    211. Wind ×2
    212. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    213. Converter
    214. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    215. Wind
    216. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    217. Wind
    218. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    219. Wind
    220. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    221. Wind ×2
    222. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    223. Wind
    224. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    225. Converter
    226. Wind
    227. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    228. Wind
    229. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    230. Wind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is [MADO]SovietRabbit's (34 OS, 07/09/2026); 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 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

[MADO]SovietRabbit

33.5 OS · 07/09/2026

Open source match ↗

3 received units · includes a constructor
675 metal received · 68037 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