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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 · 1599 distinct matches · 261 players · 81% of Cortex Air games · team won 46% of 1908 · 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 1599 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 (39%)

    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 1:14 · 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%) · converter (45%) · energy storage (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 · 29 steps
    1. Wind
    2. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    3. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    4. Wind
    5. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    6. Wind
    7. ValiantValiant
    8. Energy storage
    9. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    10. Wind
    11. ValiantValiant ×2
    12. Wind
    13. FinchFinch
    14. Mex
    15. Wind ×2
    16. ValiantValiant
    17. Wind
    18. Converter
    19. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    20. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    21. Con turret
    22. Converter ×2
    23. ValiantValiant
    24. Con turret
    25. Converter
    26. ValiantValiant
    27. Con turret
    28. ShurikenShuriken ×5
    29. ValiantValiant ×4
  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 18 wind, 18 wind, 7 converterin 58% of games
    Builders
    • Construction Turret3 Con turret
    Army
    • Valiant9 Valiant

    Some games also: shuriken (47%) · fusion (39%) · con aircraft (34%) · 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 · 236 steps
    1. HerculesLight transport
    2. ValiantValiant
    3. Wind
    4. ValiantValiant ×2
    5. Wind
    6. ValiantValiant
    7. Wind
    8. ValiantValiant
    9. Wind ×7
    10. Con turret
    11. Wind ×6
    12. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:14 · typical 6:54
    13. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    14. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×2
    15. Bot LabBot Labdone 8:28
    16. Construction BotCon bot ×3
    17. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    18. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    19. Wind
    20. Construction BotCon bot
    21. Wind
    22. Construction BotCon bot
    23. Wind
    24. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    25. Wind ×2
    26. Construction BotCon bot
    27. Wind
    28. Construction BotCon bot
    29. Wind ×6
    30. Con turret
    31. Wind
    32. Converter
    33. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    34. Wind ×4
    35. Converter
    36. Con turret
    37. Wind ×4
    38. Converter
    39. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 10:30
    40. Wind
    41. Converter
    42. Con turret
    43. Wind
    44. T2 converter
    45. Con turret
    46. Wind ×5
    47. Converter
    48. Converter
    49. Wind ×5
    50. Converter
    51. Wind ×3
    52. ValiantValiant
    53. Wind
    54. Converter
    55. ValiantValiant
    56. Converter
    57. Wind
    58. ValiantValiant
    59. Wind ×3
    60. ShurikenShuriken
    61. Wind
    62. ShurikenShuriken
    63. Converter
    64. Wind
    65. ShurikenShuriken
    66. Wind ×3
    67. Converter
    68. ShurikenShuriken
    69. Wind
    70. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    71. Converter
    72. Wind
    73. ShurikenShuriken
    74. Wind ×2
    75. ShurikenShuriken
    76. Wind
    77. ShurikenShuriken
    78. ValiantValiant
    79. Wind
    80. ValiantValiant
    81. Converter
    82. Converter
    83. ValiantValiant
    84. Wind ×2
    85. ValiantValiant
    86. Wind ×2
    87. ValiantValiant
    88. Wind
    89. ValiantValiant ×2
    90. Converter
    91. ValiantValiant
    92. Wind ×4
    93. ValiantValiant
    94. Converter
    95. ValiantValiant
    96. Wind
    97. ValiantValiant
    98. Converter
    99. ValiantValiant
    100. Wind ×4
    101. ValiantValiant ×2
    102. Wind
    103. ValiantValiant
    104. Converter
    105. ValiantValiant ×2
    106. Wind ×4
    107. Converter
    108. ValiantValiant
    109. Wind
    110. ValiantValiant ×2
    111. Converter
    112. ShurikenShuriken
    113. Wind ×4
    114. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    115. Wind
    116. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    117. Converter
    118. Converter
    119. ShurikenShuriken
    120. Wind ×2
    121. ShurikenShuriken
    122. Wind ×2
    123. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    124. Wind
    125. ShurikenShuriken
    126. ValiantValiant
    127. Converter
    128. Wind
    129. ValiantValiant
    130. Wind ×3
    131. ValiantValiant
    132. Converter
    133. Wind
    134. ValiantValiant ×2
    135. Converter
    136. ValiantValiant
    137. Wind ×4
    138. ValiantValiant
    139. Wind
    140. ValiantValiant ×2
    141. Converter
    142. ValiantValiant
    143. Wind
    144. Converter
    145. Wind ×3
    146. ValiantValiant ×2
    147. Wind
    148. ValiantValiant
    149. Converter
    150. ValiantValiant
    151. Wind
    152. ValiantValiant
    153. Wind ×3
    154. ValiantValiant
    155. Wind
    156. Converter
    157. ValiantValiant
    158. Converter
    159. Wind
    160. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    161. Wind ×2
    162. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 13:32 · typical 10:51
    163. Wind ×2
    164. Converter
    165. Wind ×5
    166. Converter
    167. Wind
    168. Converter
    169. Wind ×4
    170. Converter
    171. Wind ×3
    172. Converter
    173. Wind
    174. Con turret
    175. Wind ×2
    176. Con turret
    177. Converter
    178. Wind ×3
    179. Con turret
    180. Wind ×2
    181. Con turret
    182. Converter
    183. Converter
    184. Wind ×2
    185. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 14:04
    186. Wind ×4
    187. Converter
    188. Wind ×2
    189. ValiantValiant
    190. Wind
    191. ValiantValiant
    192. Converter
    193. ValiantValiant
    194. Wind
    195. ValiantValiant
    196. Wind
    197. Converter
    198. ValiantValiant
    199. Wind
    200. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    201. Wind
    202. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    203. Wind
    204. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    205. Wind
    206. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    207. Wind ×2
    208. Converter
    209. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    210. Wind
    211. Converter
    212. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    213. Wind ×2
    214. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    215. Wind
    216. Converter
    217. Wind
    218. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    219. Wind
    220. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    221. Wind ×2
    222. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    223. Wind
    224. Converter
    225. Wind ×2
    226. ValiantValiant
    227. Converter
    228. Wind
    229. ValiantValiant ×2
    230. Wind
    231. ValiantValiant
    232. Wind
    233. ValiantValiant
    234. Wind ×2
    235. ValiantValiant
    236. Converter

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Atra's (30 OS, 12/10/2026); 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 2:07 · in 99% of games
  • Hephaestus1 Heavy transport to Beach sea or Pond or Techfirst at 2:22 · in 71% of games

You get

  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo seafirst at 1:37 · in 63% of games
  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo sea or Pondfirst at 1:41 · 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 6:04 · 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

1908 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039200
2:0092300
3:00145600
4:002053051
5:0027665173
6:003725102124
7:005096146160
8:006916190204
9:009293221270
10:0011771275365
11:0014395365522
12:0017093490750
13:00199367451053
14:002278512201652
15:002584617572386
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

Atra

30.4 OS · 12/10/2026

Open source match ↗

8 received units · includes a constructor
229 metal received · 93942 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=1908
Advanced Metal Extractor6:54Middle 50%: 6:26–7:26 · n=1847
Fusion Reactor10:51Middle 50%: 9:45–12:15 · n=1230

Played most by

TheGeneraI114games of this buildDad_The_Speedrunner73games of this buildHunfore63games of this buildDRM52games of this buildHALF_DALLAH_HABIT52games of this build