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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 · 4 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×4
    3. Energy storage
    4. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:34 · 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. FinchFinch ×2for Geo sea
    2. Wind ×2
    3. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    4. HerculesLight transport
    5. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    6. ValiantValiant
    7. Con turret
    8. Wind
    9. Mex
    10. Wind
    11. Con turret
    12. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    13. Wind ×2
    14. ValiantValiant ×3
    15. Wind
    16. ValiantValiant
    17. Wind ×4
    18. Con turret
    19. Wind ×2
    20. Converter
    21. Wind ×2
    22. Con turret
    23. 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 · 315 steps
    1. Wind ×2
    2. ValiantValiant
    3. Wind
    4. ValiantValiant ×2
    5. Wind ×8
    6. ValiantValiant
    7. Con turret
    8. ValiantValiant
    9. Converter
    10. Wind
    11. Energy storage
    12. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×2done 6:38 · typical 6:54
    13. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    14. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    15. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 7:23
    16. HerculesLight transport
    17. Wind ×2
    18. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    19. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    20. Bot LabBot Labdone 8:06
    21. Construction BotCon bot ×4
    22. Converter
    23. Construction BotCon bot
    24. Wind
    25. Converter
    26. Construction BotCon bot
    27. Converter
    28. Construction BotCon bot
    29. Wind
    30. Converter
    31. Construction BotCon bot
    32. Wind
    33. Converter
    34. Construction BotCon bot
    35. Wind
    36. Construction BotCon bot
    37. Wind ×2
    38. Construction BotCon bot
    39. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 9:13
    40. Wind ×2
    41. Construction BotCon bot
    42. Wind ×2
    43. Con turret
    44. ValiantValiant
    45. Wind ×2
    46. Construction BotCon bot
    47. Wind
    48. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Tech
    49. Wind ×5
    50. ValiantValiant
    51. Wind
    52. Converter
    53. ValiantValiant
    54. Wind ×3
    55. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    56. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    57. Wind ×2
    58. Converter
    59. Wind ×3
    60. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    61. Con turret
    62. Wind ×5
    63. Con turret
    64. Wind ×2
    65. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    66. Wind
    67. Con turret
    68. Wind
    69. Converter
    70. Wind ×3
    71. ValiantValiant
    72. Wind ×2
    73. Con turret
    74. ValiantValiant
    75. Wind ×2
    76. ValiantValiant
    77. Wind
    78. Converter
    79. Wind
    80. ValiantValiant
    81. Wind ×2
    82. ValiantValiant
    83. Converter
    84. Wind
    85. ValiantValiant
    86. Wind ×3
    87. ShurikenShuriken
    88. Wind ×3
    89. ShurikenShuriken
    90. Wind
    91. Converter
    92. ShurikenShuriken
    93. Wind
    94. ShurikenShuriken
    95. Wind ×2
    96. ShurikenShuriken
    97. Wind ×3
    98. ShurikenShuriken
    99. Converter
    100. Wind
    101. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    102. Converter
    103. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    104. Wind ×3
    105. ShurikenShuriken
    106. Wind
    107. ShurikenShuriken
    108. Wind ×3
    109. ShurikenShuriken
    110. Wind
    111. ShurikenShuriken
    112. Converter ×2
    113. Wind
    114. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    115. Wind
    116. Converter
    117. Wind
    118. ShurikenShuriken
    119. Wind ×3
    120. ShurikenShuriken
    121. Converter
    122. Wind ×2
    123. ShurikenShuriken
    124. Converter
    125. Wind ×4
    126. Converter
    127. Wind ×2
    128. Converter
    129. Wind ×4
    130. Converter
    131. Wind ×4
    132. Converter
    133. Wind ×5
    134. Converter
    135. Wind ×4
    136. Converter
    137. Wind ×5
    138. ValiantValiant
    139. Wind
    140. ValiantValiant
    141. Wind ×2
    142. Converter
    143. ValiantValiant
    144. Wind
    145. Converter
    146. Con turret
    147. Wind ×4
    148. ValiantValiant
    149. Wind
    150. Con turret
    151. Wind ×2
    152. ValiantValiant
    153. Wind ×2
    154. Converter ×2
    155. ValiantValiant
    156. Wind ×3
    157. ValiantValiant
    158. Wind
    159. Converter
    160. Wind
    161. ValiantValiant
    162. Converter
    163. Wind
    164. ValiantValiant
    165. Wind ×3
    166. ValiantValiant
    167. Wind
    168. Converter
    169. Wind ×2
    170. ValiantValiant
    171. Converter
    172. Wind ×3
    173. ValiantValiant
    174. Converter
    175. ValiantValiant
    176. Wind ×3
    177. Converter
    178. ValiantValiant
    179. Wind ×2
    180. FinchFinch
    181. Wind
    182. FinchFinch
    183. Wind ×3
    184. Converter
    185. FinchFinch
    186. Converter
    187. Wind
    188. FinchFinch
    189. Wind ×2
    190. FinchFinch
    191. Wind ×2
    192. FinchFinch
    193. Converter
    194. ValiantValiant
    195. Wind ×3
    196. Converter
    197. ValiantValiant
    198. Wind
    199. Converter
    200. Wind ×2
    201. ValiantValiant
    202. Converter
    203. Wind
    204. Converter
    205. Wind
    206. Converter
    207. ValiantValiant ×2
    208. Wind ×2
    209. Converter
    210. Wind ×2
    211. Converter
    212. Wind
    213. ValiantValiant
    214. Wind
    215. Converter
    216. Wind
    217. ValiantValiant
    218. Wind
    219. Converter
    220. Wind
    221. ValiantValiant
    222. Wind ×5
    223. ValiantValiant
    224. Wind ×2
    225. ValiantValiant
    226. Wind ×3
    227. ValiantValiant
    228. Wind
    229. Converter
    230. Wind ×2
    231. ValiantValiant
    232. Wind ×3
    233. ValiantValiant
    234. Wind ×2
    235. ValiantValiant
    236. Converter
    237. ValiantValiant
    238. Wind ×4
    239. ValiantValiant
    240. Wind
    241. ValiantValiant
    242. Wind ×4
    243. ValiantValiant
    244. Wind
    245. ValiantValiant
    246. Wind ×2
    247. Converter
    248. Wind
    249. ValiantValiant
    250. Wind
    251. Converter
    252. ValiantValiant
    253. Wind
    254. Converter
    255. Wind
    256. Converter
    257. Wind ×2
    258. ValiantValiant
    259. Wind
    260. ValiantValiant
    261. Converter
    262. Wind ×2
    263. ValiantValiant
    264. Wind ×2
    265. Converter
    266. ValiantValiant
    267. Wind
    268. ValiantValiant
    269. Wind ×2
    270. Converter
    271. Wind
    272. ValiantValiant
    273. Wind ×2
    274. Converter
    275. ValiantValiant
    276. Wind
    277. ValiantValiant
    278. Wind ×3
    279. ValiantValiant
    280. Wind ×2
    281. Converter
    282. Wind
    283. ValiantValiant
    284. Wind ×2
    285. HerculesLight transport
    286. Converter
    287. Con turret
    288. Wind ×3
    289. Converter
    290. ValiantValiant
    291. Wind ×2
    292. ValiantValiant
    293. Wind
    294. Converter
    295. ValiantValiant
    296. Wind ×3
    297. ValiantValiant ×2
    298. Wind ×2
    299. ValiantValiant
    300. Converter
    301. Wind ×3
    302. ValiantValiant
    303. Wind
    304. ValiantValiant
    305. Wind ×2
    306. Converter
    307. Wind
    308. ValiantValiant ×2
    309. Wind ×3
    310. Converter
    311. ValiantValiant
    312. Converter
    313. Wind ×3
    314. HephaestusHeavy transport
    315. Wind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is mobius1's (31 OS, 20/08/2026); 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 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

mobius1

31.2 OS · 20/08/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
586 metal received · 93214 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
Standard air · Cortex Air build order · BAR Build Atlas