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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 · 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 · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×4
    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%) · 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 · 39 steps
    1. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    2. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    3. FinchFinchfor Geo
    4. Energy storage
    5. Wind ×2
    6. HephaestusHeavy transport
    7. HerculesLight transport
    8. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    9. Con turret ×2
    10. Mex
    11. FinchFinch
    12. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    13. HerculesLight transport
    14. Wind
    15. ShurikenShuriken
    16. Wind ×3
    17. Con turret
    18. Wind ×2
    19. Con turret
    20. Wind ×2
    21. Wind
    22. Converter
    23. Wind
    24. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    25. Wind
    26. Converter
    27. Wind
    28. Wind
    29. Wind
    30. Converter
    31. Wind
    32. Wind
    33. Converter
    34. Wind
    35. Wind ×2
    36. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    37. Wind
    38. Converter
    39. 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 (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 · 227 steps
    1. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    2. Converter
    3. Wind
    4. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    5. Converter
    6. Wind
    7. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    8. Wind
    9. Converter
    10. Advanced solar
    11. Wind
    12. Converter ×2
    13. Con turret
    14. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    15. Wind
    16. Wind
    17. Wind ×2
    18. Wind
    19. Wind ×7
    20. Converter
    21. Wind ×2
    22. Wind
    23. Wind ×4
    24. Wind
    25. Converter
    26. Wind
    27. Wind
    28. Wind ×2
    29. Converter
    30. Wind ×2
    31. Converter
    32. Wind
    33. Wind ×2
    34. Wind
    35. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:28 · typical 6:54
    36. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 7:35
    37. Wind
    38. Con turret
    39. Wind
    40. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    41. HerculesLight transport
    42. Converter
    43. Wind
    44. Converter
    45. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    46. HerculesLight transport
    47. ValiantValiant ×2for Geo
    48. Wind
    49. Converter
    50. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    51. Wind
    52. ValiantValiant ×4for Geo
    53. ValiantValiant
    54. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    55. ValiantValiant
    56. Wind
    57. ValiantValiant
    58. Converter
    59. Wind
    60. ValiantValiant ×2
    61. Converter
    62. ValiantValiant ×2
    63. Converter
    64. ValiantValiant ×2
    65. Wind
    66. Converter
    67. ValiantValiant ×2
    68. Converter
    69. ValiantValiant ×2
    70. Converter
    71. ValiantValiant ×2
    72. Converter
    73. ValiantValiant
    74. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    75. Converter
    76. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    77. Advanced solar
    78. Converter
    79. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    80. Wind
    81. Advanced solar
    82. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    83. Con turret
    84. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    85. Wind
    86. Con turret
    87. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    88. Con turret ×3
    89. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    90. Converter
    91. Wind
    92. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    93. Wind
    94. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    95. Wind
    96. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    97. Wind
    98. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    99. Wind
    100. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    101. Wind
    102. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 12:09 · typical 10:53
    103. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    104. Wind
    105. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    106. Advanced solar
    107. Wind
    108. FinchFinch
    109. Wind
    110. FinchFinch
    111. Wind ×2
    112. ValiantValiant
    113. Wind ×2
    114. ValiantValiant
    115. Wind
    116. ValiantValiant
    117. Wind
    118. ValiantValiant ×11
    119. Wind
    120. Wind
    121. ValiantValiant
    122. Wind
    123. Wind
    124. ValiantValiant
    125. Wind
    126. Wind
    127. ValiantValiant
    128. Wind
    129. ValiantValiant
    130. Wind
    131. Converter
    132. Wind
    133. ValiantValiant
    134. Wind
    135. ValiantValiant
    136. Converter
    137. Wind
    138. ValiantValiant ×2
    139. Wind
    140. ValiantValiant
    141. Converter
    142. Con turret
    143. ValiantValiant ×2
    144. Wind
    145. ValiantValiant
    146. Wind
    147. ValiantValiant
    148. Con turret
    149. ValiantValiant
    150. Con turret
    151. ValiantValiant
    152. Wind
    153. ValiantValiant
    154. Wind
    155. Converter
    156. ValiantValiant
    157. Wind
    158. ValiantValiant
    159. Wind
    160. ValiantValiant
    161. Converter
    162. ValiantValiant
    163. Wind
    164. Wind
    165. ValiantValiant
    166. Converter
    167. Wind
    168. Wind
    169. ValiantValiant
    170. Converter
    171. ValiantValiant
    172. Wind
    173. Wind
    174. ValiantValiant
    175. Converter
    176. ValiantValiant
    177. Wind
    178. Wind
    179. ValiantValiant ×2
    180. Converter
    181. Wind
    182. ValiantValiant
    183. Wind
    184. Wind
    185. ValiantValiant
    186. Wind
    187. Converter
    188. ValiantValiant
    189. Wind
    190. ValiantValiant
    191. Wind
    192. ValiantValiant
    193. Wind
    194. ValiantValiant ×2
    195. Wind
    196. ValiantValiant
    197. Wind
    198. Wind
    199. ValiantValiant
    200. Converter
    201. Wind
    202. ValiantValiant
    203. Wind
    204. ValiantValiant
    205. Wind
    206. ValiantValiant ×2
    207. Wind
    208. ValiantValiant
    209. Wind
    210. Converter
    211. ValiantValiant
    212. Wind
    213. ValiantValiant
    214. Wind
    215. ValiantValiant
    216. Wind
    217. Wind
    218. ValiantValiant ×3
    219. Wind
    220. ValiantValiant
    221. Wind
    222. ValiantValiant ×2
    223. Wind
    224. ValiantValiant ×2
    225. Wind
    226. ValiantValiant
    227. Con turret

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Milkdragon's (32 OS, 29/09/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

  • Finch2 Finch to Geo sea or Beach seafirst at 1:51 · 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

Milkdragon

31.7 OS · 29/09/2026

Open source match ↗

4 received units · includes a constructor
270 metal received · 73362 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