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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
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 0:57 · 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 · 44 steps
    1. Wind
    2. FinchFinch
    3. Wind ×2
    4. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    5. Wind ×2
    6. ValiantValiant
    7. FinchFinch ×2for Geo sea
    8. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    9. Wind
    10. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    11. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    12. FinchFinchfor Tech
    13. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    14. Mex
    15. ValiantValiant
    16. Con turret
    17. ValiantValiant
    18. Wind
    19. ValiantValiant
    20. Wind
    21. Con turret
    22. Wind ×2
    23. ValiantValiant
    24. Wind
    25. Wind
    26. Energy storage
    27. Wind
    28. ValiantValiant
    29. Wind
    30. ValiantValiant
    31. Wind
    32. Wind
    33. Wind
    34. HephaestusHeavy transport
    35. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    36. Wind
    37. Converter
    38. Wind
    39. Wind
    40. Wind
    41. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Tech
    42. Wind
    43. Wind
    44. 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 · 187 steps
    1. Converter
    2. ValiantValiant
    3. Wind
    4. ValiantValiant ×3
    5. Wind
    6. ValiantValiant
    7. FinchFinch
    8. HerculesLight transport
    9. Wind
    10. FinchFinch
    11. Converter
    12. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    13. Wind
    14. Con turret
    15. Wind
    16. Converter
    17. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:54 · typical 6:54
    18. Converter
    19. Wind
    20. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×2
    21. Converter
    22. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    23. Converter
    24. Wind
    25. Con turret ×2
    26. Wind ×4
    27. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 8:58 · typical 10:53
    28. Wind ×2
    29. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 9:25
    30. Con turret
    31. Wind
    32. ValiantValiant
    33. Hardened Energy Storage
    34. Wind
    35. ValiantValiant
    36. Wind
    37. Con turret
    38. ValiantValiant
    39. Con turret
    40. ValiantValiant
    41. Wind
    42. Con turret
    43. Wind
    44. ValiantValiant
    45. Wind
    46. ValiantValiant
    47. Con turret
    48. Wind
    49. ValiantValiant ×3
    50. Wind
    51. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    52. Wind
    53. ValiantValiant
    54. FinchFinch
    55. ValiantValiant
    56. Wind
    57. ValiantValiant
    58. Wind
    59. ValiantValiant ×2
    60. Wind
    61. ValiantValiant ×2
    62. Converter
    63. ValiantValiant
    64. Wind
    65. ValiantValiant
    66. Converter
    67. ValiantValiant
    68. Wind
    69. Fusion ReactorFusion
    70. ValiantValiant
    71. Converter
    72. Wind
    73. FinchFinch
    74. ValiantValiant
    75. Wind
    76. Converter
    77. ValiantValiant
    78. Wind
    79. ValiantValiant
    80. Wind
    81. ValiantValiant
    82. Wind
    83. ValiantValiant
    84. Converter
    85. Con turret
    86. Wind
    87. ValiantValiant
    88. Wind
    89. ValiantValiant
    90. Wind
    91. ValiantValiant
    92. Converter ×2
    93. ValiantValiant
    94. Wind
    95. Con turret
    96. Wind
    97. ValiantValiant
    98. Wind
    99. FinchFinch
    100. Con turret
    101. Wind
    102. Converter
    103. Con turret
    104. ValiantValiant
    105. Converter
    106. Con turret
    107. Wind
    108. ValiantValiant
    109. Converter
    110. ValiantValiant
    111. Con turret
    112. Wind
    113. Con turret
    114. Converter
    115. ValiantValiant
    116. Con turret
    117. Wind
    118. ValiantValiant ×4
    119. Wind
    120. ValiantValiant
    121. Converter
    122. ValiantValiant
    123. FinchFinch
    124. ValiantValiant
    125. Wind
    126. Con turret
    127. ValiantValiant ×2
    128. Wind
    129. Converter
    130. ValiantValiant ×2
    131. Wind
    132. ValiantValiant
    133. Con turret
    134. Converter ×2
    135. ValiantValiant
    136. Wind
    137. Con turret
    138. ValiantValiant
    139. Converter ×2
    140. Con turret
    141. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    142. Wind
    143. T2 converter
    144. Converter
    145. Wind
    146. Converter
    147. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    148. ValiantValiant ×2
    149. Converter
    150. Wind
    151. FinchFinch
    152. ValiantValiant
    153. Converter
    154. ValiantValiant ×2
    155. Converter
    156. Wind
    157. ValiantValiant ×2
    158. Converter
    159. ValiantValiant
    160. Converter
    161. ValiantValiant
    162. Converter
    163. ValiantValiant
    164. Converter
    165. Wind
    166. ValiantValiant
    167. Converter
    168. ValiantValiant
    169. FinchFinch
    170. Converter
    171. ValiantValiant
    172. Wind
    173. ValiantValiant
    174. Converter
    175. ValiantValiant ×4
    176. Converter
    177. ValiantValiant ×3
    178. Converter
    179. ValiantValiant
    180. FinchFinch
    181. ValiantValiant
    182. Converter
    183. ValiantValiant ×3
    184. Converter
    185. ValiantValiant ×3
    186. Converter
    187. ValiantValiant ×2

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is HALF_DALLAH_HABIT's (33 OS, 04/10/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

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

HALF_DALLAH_HABIT

32.8 OS · 04/10/2026

Open source match ↗

7 received units · includes a constructor
91 metal received · 68090 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