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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 ×6
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:24 · 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 · 21 steps
    1. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    2. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    3. ShurikenShurikenfor Geo sea
    4. FinchFinchfor Pond
    5. HerculesLight transport ×2for Pond
    6. ValiantValiant
    7. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    8. ValiantValiant
    9. Con turret
    10. Wind ×3
    11. Mex
    12. ValiantValiant
    13. Wind ×4
    14. ValiantValiant
    15. Wind
    16. Con turret
    17. Wind ×2
    18. Con turret
    19. HerculesLight transport
    20. Converter
    21. Wind ×2
  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 · 263 steps
    1. Wind
    2. Converter
    3. Wind ×4
    4. Converter
    5. Wind ×3
    6. Wind
    7. ValiantValiant
    8. Converter
    9. Wind
    10. ValiantValiant
    11. Wind
    12. Converter
    13. ValiantValiant
    14. Wind
    15. Wind
    16. Converter
    17. Wind
    18. Wind
    19. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    20. Wind
    21. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:21 · typical 6:54
    22. Wind ×2
    23. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×2
    24. Wind ×2
    25. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    26. Wind ×4
    27. Wind ×2
    28. Wind
    29. Energy storage
    30. Bot LabBot Labdone 8:18
    31. Wind
    32. Construction BotCon bot
    33. Wind
    34. Construction BotCon bot
    35. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 8:39
    36. Construction BotCon bot ×5
    37. ValiantValiant
    38. Construction BotCon bot
    39. ValiantValiant
    40. Construction BotCon bot
    41. ValiantValiant
    42. Wind
    43. Construction BotCon bot
    44. ValiantValiant
    45. Wind
    46. ValiantValiant
    47. Construction BotCon bot
    48. ValiantValiant
    49. Wind
    50. Construction BotCon bot
    51. ValiantValiant
    52. Wind
    53. Construction BotCon bot
    54. Wind
    55. ValiantValiant
    56. Con turret
    57. Construction BotCon bot
    58. Wind ×2
    59. ValiantValiant
    60. Wind
    61. Construction BotCon bot
    62. Con turret
    63. Wind
    64. ValiantValiant
    65. Wind ×2
    66. ValiantValiant
    67. Con turret
    68. Wind ×2
    69. ValiantValiant
    70. Con turret
    71. Wind ×2
    72. ValiantValiant
    73. Wind
    74. ValiantValiant
    75. Wind
    76. ShurikenShuriken
    77. Wind
    78. ShurikenShuriken
    79. Wind
    80. ShurikenShuriken
    81. Wind
    82. ShurikenShuriken
    83. Wind
    84. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    85. Wind
    86. Construction BotCon bot
    87. ShurikenShuriken
    88. Wind
    89. ShurikenShuriken
    90. Wind
    91. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    92. Wind ×2
    93. ShurikenShuriken
    94. Converter
    95. ShurikenShuriken
    96. Wind ×2
    97. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    98. Wind ×2
    99. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    100. Converter
    101. ShurikenShuriken
    102. Wind ×3
    103. ShurikenShuriken
    104. Wind
    105. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    106. Wind
    107. ShurikenShuriken
    108. Wind
    109. Converter
    110. Wind
    111. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    112. Converter
    113. ShurikenShuriken
    114. Wind ×3
    115. ShurikenShuriken
    116. Wind
    117. ShurikenShuriken
    118. Wind
    119. Converter
    120. ShurikenShuriken
    121. Wind
    122. ShurikenShuriken
    123. Wind
    124. ShurikenShuriken
    125. Converter
    126. ShurikenShuriken
    127. Wind ×3
    128. ShurikenShuriken
    129. Wind ×2
    130. ShurikenShuriken
    131. Converter
    132. ValiantValiant
    133. Wind
    134. ValiantValiant
    135. Converter
    136. Wind ×4
    137. ValiantValiant
    138. Converter
    139. Wind
    140. ValiantValiant
    141. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    142. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 12:03
    143. Wind ×5
    144. Converter
    145. ValiantValiant
    146. IncisorIncisor
    147. Wind ×2
    148. Converter
    149. Wind ×4
    150. IncisorIncisor
    151. Wind ×2
    152. Converter
    153. Converter
    154. Wind ×3
    155. IncisorIncisor
    156. Wind ×2
    157. Converter
    158. Wind ×2
    159. Converter
    160. Wind
    161. IncisorIncisor ×2
    162. Wind
    163. ValiantValiant
    164. Converter
    165. IncisorIncisor
    166. Converter
    167. IncisorIncisor
    168. Wind ×3
    169. IncisorIncisor
    170. Wind
    171. Converter
    172. ValiantValiant
    173. IncisorIncisor
    174. Converter
    175. Wind ×4
    176. ValiantValiant
    177. Wind
    178. Vehicle PlantEat Vehicle Plantreclaimed for its metal
    179. Wind
    180. Converter
    181. Converter
    182. ValiantValiant
    183. Wind ×3
    184. ValiantValiant
    185. Wind
    186. ValiantValiant
    187. Wind ×4
    188. ValiantValiant
    189. Converter
    190. Converter
    191. Wind
    192. ValiantValiant
    193. Wind ×2
    194. ValiantValiant
    195. Wind
    196. ValiantValiant
    197. Wind ×2
    198. Converter
    199. ValiantValiant
    200. Converter
    201. Wind ×3
    202. ValiantValiant
    203. Wind ×3
    204. Converter
    205. Wind
    206. ValiantValiant
    207. Wind ×3
    208. FinchFinchfor Front
    209. Wind
    210. Converter
    211. ValiantValiant
    212. Converter
    213. Wind ×5
    214. ValiantValiant
    215. Wind
    216. Converter
    217. Wind
    218. ValiantValiant
    219. Wind ×4
    220. ValiantValiant
    221. Converter
    222. ValiantValiant
    223. Wind ×2
    224. Converter
    225. Wind
    226. ValiantValiant
    227. Wind
    228. ValiantValiant
    229. Wind ×3
    230. ValiantValiant
    231. Wind ×2
    232. Converter
    233. ValiantValiant
    234. Converter
    235. ValiantValiant
    236. Wind ×5
    237. ValiantValiant ×2
    238. Wind ×4
    239. ValiantValiant
    240. Converter
    241. Converter
    242. ValiantValiant
    243. Wind ×3
    244. ValiantValiant
    245. Wind ×2
    246. ValiantValiant
    247. Wind
    248. Converter
    249. ValiantValiant
    250. Wind
    251. Converter
    252. Wind
    253. ValiantValiant
    254. Wind ×2
    255. ValiantValiant
    256. Wind ×3
    257. ValiantValiant
    258. Converter
    259. Wind
    260. Converter
    261. ValiantValiant
    262. Wind ×2
    263. ValiantValiant

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is heihallo's (32 OS, 14/08/2026); 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 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

heihallo

32.2 OS · 14/08/2026

Open source match ↗

4 received units · includes a constructor
147 metal received · 17666 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