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 · 1496 distinct matches · 252 players · 80% of Cortex Air games · team won 46% of 1799 · 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 1496 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 1:31 · 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 · 28 steps
    1. FinchFinch
    2. Wind ×3
    3. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    4. Wind ×3
    5. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    6. Wind
    7. ValiantValiant
    8. Wind
    9. ValiantValiant
    10. Wind ×3
    11. ValiantValiant ×2
    12. FinchFinch
    13. ValiantValiant ×2
    14. Mex
    15. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    16. ValiantValiant
    17. Con turret
    18. ValiantValiant
    19. Wind
    20. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    21. Wind
    22. ValiantValiant
    23. Wind
    24. ShurikenShuriken
    25. Con turret
    26. ShurikenShuriken
    27. Wind
    28. ShurikenShuriken
  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 (48%) · 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 · 262 steps
    1. Wind
    2. ValiantValiant
    3. Wind
    4. Wind
    5. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    6. Wind
    7. Wind
    8. Wind
    9. Wind
    10. Energy storage ×2
    11. Wind
    12. Wind
    13. Wind
    14. Converter ×2
    15. Wind
    16. Converter ×2
    17. Wind
    18. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:08 · typical 6:54
    19. Con turret
    20. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×3
    21. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 7:59
    22. ShurikenShuriken
    23. ValiantValiant
    24. ShurikenShuriken
    25. ValiantValiant
    26. ShurikenShuriken
    27. Con turret
    28. ValiantValiant
    29. Wind
    30. ShurikenShuriken
    31. ValiantValiant
    32. ShurikenShuriken
    33. Wind
    34. ValiantValiant
    35. ShurikenShuriken
    36. ValiantValiant
    37. Con turret
    38. ShurikenShuriken
    39. ValiantValiant
    40. Wind ×2
    41. ShurikenShuriken
    42. Wind ×2
    43. ValiantValiant
    44. Wind
    45. ShurikenShuriken
    46. ValiantValiant
    47. Wind
    48. ShurikenShuriken
    49. Wind
    50. ValiantValiant
    51. Wind
    52. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    53. Wind
    54. ValiantValiant
    55. Wind
    56. Bot LabBot Labdone 9:54
    57. ShurikenShuriken
    58. Wind
    59. ValiantValiant
    60. Wind
    61. Wind
    62. Con turret
    63. Wind
    64. ShurikenShuriken
    65. Wind
    66. ValiantValiant
    67. Wind
    68. ShurikenShuriken
    69. Construction BotCon bot
    70. Wind
    71. ValiantValiant
    72. Wind
    73. Wind
    74. ShurikenShuriken
    75. Con turret
    76. Construction BotCon bot
    77. ValiantValiant
    78. Wind ×2
    79. ShurikenShuriken
    80. Construction BotCon bot
    81. ValiantValiant
    82. Wind
    83. ShurikenShuriken
    84. Wind
    85. ValiantValiant
    86. Construction BotCon bot
    87. Wind
    88. Wind
    89. Wind
    90. ShurikenShuriken
    91. Wind
    92. ValiantValiant
    93. Construction BotCon bot
    94. Wind
    95. Wind
    96. ShurikenShuriken
    97. Wind ×2
    98. ValiantValiant
    99. Construction BotCon bot
    100. Wind
    101. Wind
    102. ShurikenShuriken
    103. Wind
    104. ValiantValiant
    105. Wind
    106. Construction BotCon bot
    107. Wind
    108. ShurikenShuriken
    109. Wind
    110. ValiantValiant
    111. Wind
    112. Wind
    113. Construction BotCon bot
    114. ShurikenShuriken
    115. Wind
    116. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    117. ValiantValiant
    118. Wind
    119. Wind
    120. Wind
    121. Wind
    122. ShurikenShuriken
    123. ValiantValiant
    124. Wind
    125. Wind ×2
    126. ShurikenShuriken
    127. Wind
    128. ValiantValiant
    129. Wind ×3
    130. ShurikenShuriken
    131. Wind
    132. ValiantValiant
    133. Wind
    134. Wind
    135. Wind
    136. ShurikenShuriken
    137. ValiantValiant
    138. T2 converter
    139. Con turret
    140. Wind ×4
    141. ShurikenShuriken
    142. Wind ×2
    143. ValiantValiant
    144. Wind ×4
    145. ShurikenShuriken
    146. Wind
    147. ValiantValiant
    148. Wind ×4
    149. Wind ×2
    150. Wind
    151. T2 converter
    152. ShurikenShuriken
    153. Wind
    154. Wind ×2
    155. Wind
    156. ValiantValiant
    157. Wind
    158. Wind
    159. ShurikenShuriken
    160. ValiantValiant
    161. Wind ×2
    162. ValiantValiant
    163. Wind
    164. ValiantValiant
    165. Wind
    166. Wind ×4
    167. ValiantValiant
    168. Wind
    169. Wind
    170. ValiantValiant
    171. Wind
    172. Wind
    173. Wind
    174. ValiantValiant
    175. Wind
    176. Wind ×2
    177. ValiantValiant
    178. Wind
    179. Wind
    180. ValiantValiant
    181. Wind
    182. Wind
    183. Wind ×2
    184. ValiantValiant ×2
    185. Wind
    186. Wind
    187. ValiantValiant
    188. Wind ×2
    189. Wind
    190. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    191. Wind
    192. Wind
    193. ValiantValiant
    194. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 13:14
    195. Wind
    196. ValiantValiant
    197. Wind ×3
    198. Wind
    199. ValiantValiant
    200. Wind ×2
    201. ValiantValiant
    202. Wind ×2
    203. ValiantValiant
    204. Wind
    205. ValiantValiant
    206. Wind
    207. Wind
    208. ValiantValiant
    209. Wind
    210. ValiantValiant
    211. Wind
    212. Wind
    213. ValiantValiant ×3
    214. Wind
    215. ValiantValiant ×2
    216. Wind ×3
    217. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    218. Wind ×3
    219. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    220. Wind
    221. Wind
    222. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    223. Wind ×2
    224. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    225. Wind ×2
    226. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    227. Wind ×3
    228. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    229. Wind
    230. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    231. Wind
    232. Wind
    233. Wind
    234. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    235. Wind ×3
    236. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    237. Wind
    238. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    239. Wind
    240. FinchFinch ×2
    241. Wind
    242. FinchFinch
    243. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    244. FinchFinch
    245. Wind ×2
    246. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    247. Wind
    248. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    249. Wind ×3
    250. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    251. Wind
    252. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    253. ValiantValiant
    254. Wind
    255. ValiantValiant
    256. Wind
    257. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    258. ValiantValiant
    259. Wind ×5
    260. ValiantValiant
    261. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    262. Wind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Spongeb0b's (31 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 1:51 · 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

1799 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
6:003705102124
7:005088146167
8:006898190219
9:009278232270
10:0011753292384
11:0014351373538
12:0017061513781
13:00198507811102
14:002270012641689
15:002570818042405
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

Spongeb0b

31.5 OS · 14/08/2026

Open source match ↗

4 received units · includes a constructor
38 metal received · 41229 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=1799
Advanced Metal Extractor6:54Middle 50%: 6:27–7:26 · n=1740
Fusion Reactor10:53Middle 50%: 9:47–12:18 · n=1151

Played most by

TheGeneraI114games of this buildDad_The_Speedrunner72games of this buildHunfore62games of this buildMilkdragon51games of this buildAdeus50games of this build