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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 · 1508 distinct matches · 252 players · 81% of Cortex Air games · team won 46% of 1813 · 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 1508 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 1:16 · 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 · 22 steps
    1. FinchFinchfor Tech
    2. Wind
    3. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    4. Wind ×3
    5. Solar
    6. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    7. ValiantValiant
    8. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    9. ValiantValiant ×2
    10. Mex
    11. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    12. HerculesLight transportfor Beach sea
    13. Energy storage
    14. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    15. Wind
    16. ValiantValiant
    17. Con turret ×2
    18. Wind
    19. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    20. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Pond
    21. Wind
    22. HerculesLight transport
  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 · 154 steps
    1. ValiantValiant
    2. Wind
    3. ValiantValiant
    4. Wind
    5. ValiantValiant ×2
    6. Wind
    7. ValiantValiant
    8. Wind ×4
    9. ShurikenShuriken
    10. Wind
    11. ShurikenShuriken
    12. Wind ×2
    13. ShurikenShuriken
    14. Wind
    15. ShurikenShuriken ×5
    16. Wind
    17. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    18. ValiantValiant ×2
    19. Wind
    20. ValiantValiant ×3
    21. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    22. Wind
    23. Converter
    24. Con turret
    25. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    26. Wind
    27. Con turret
    28. Wind
    29. Converter
    30. Wind
    31. Converter
    32. Wind
    33. Converter
    34. Wind ×2
    35. Converter
    36. Wind
    37. Converter
    38. Wind
    39. Converter
    40. Wind
    41. Converter
    42. Wind ×2
    43. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 8:34 · typical 6:54
    44. Wind ×4
    45. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    46. Wind ×2
    47. Con turret
    48. Wind ×4
    49. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    50. Wind
    51. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 11:12 · typical 10:52
    52. Wind
    53. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    54. Wind ×2
    55. Con turret
    56. Wind ×2
    57. Converter
    58. Wind
    59. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 11:24
    60. Converter
    61. Wind
    62. Converter
    63. ValiantValiant
    64. Wind
    65. ValiantValiant ×2
    66. Converter
    67. ValiantValiant
    68. Wind
    69. ValiantValiant ×2
    70. Converter
    71. ValiantValiant
    72. Wind
    73. ValiantValiant ×2
    74. Converter
    75. ValiantValiant
    76. Wind
    77. ValiantValiant ×2
    78. Wind
    79. ValiantValiant
    80. Converter
    81. ValiantValiant
    82. Wind
    83. ValiantValiant ×2
    84. Converter
    85. ValiantValiant
    86. Wind
    87. ValiantValiant
    88. Con turret
    89. Converter
    90. Wind
    91. ValiantValiant
    92. Con turret
    93. Converter
    94. ValiantValiant
    95. Wind
    96. Con turret ×2
    97. Converter
    98. ValiantValiant
    99. Con turret
    100. Wind
    101. Con turret
    102. Converter
    103. ValiantValiant
    104. Con turret
    105. Wind
    106. Con turret
    107. ValiantValiant
    108. Converter
    109. Con turret
    110. Wind
    111. ValiantValiant
    112. Con turret
    113. Wind
    114. ValiantValiant
    115. Con turret
    116. ValiantValiant
    117. Wind
    118. Converter
    119. ValiantValiant
    120. Wind
    121. ValiantValiant ×3
    122. Converter
    123. ValiantValiant
    124. Wind
    125. ValiantValiant ×2
    126. Wind
    127. ValiantValiant ×2
    128. Converter
    129. ValiantValiant
    130. Wind
    131. ValiantValiant
    132. Wind
    133. ValiantValiant
    134. Converter
    135. ValiantValiant
    136. Fusion ReactorFusion
    137. Wind
    138. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    139. Wind
    140. Converter
    141. Wind
    142. Converter
    143. Wind ×2
    144. Converter
    145. Wind ×2
    146. Converter
    147. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 14:49
    148. Wind
    149. Converter
    150. Wind
    151. ValiantValiant ×4
    152. Converter
    153. ValiantValiant ×3
    154. Wind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is DRM's (43 OS, 13/10/2026); 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 2:06 · in 99% of games
  • Hephaestus1 Heavy transport to Beach sea or Pond or Techfirst at 2:23 · in 71% 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 2:22 · 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

1813 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
6:003711102124
7:005089146167
8:006903190219
9:009285230270
10:0011761292379
11:0014370369533
12:0017069512781
13:00198597811101
14:002270412631689
15:002573618082409
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

DRM

42.8 OS · 13/10/2026

Open source match ↗

4 received units · includes a constructor
704 metal received · 40026 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=1813
Advanced Metal Extractor6:54Middle 50%: 6:27–7:26 · n=1753
Fusion Reactor10:52Middle 50%: 9:46–12:17 · n=1160

Played most by

TheGeneraI114games of this buildDad_The_Speedrunner72games of this buildHunfore62games of this buildDRM52games of this buildMilkdragon52games of this build
Standard air · Cortex Air build order · BAR Build Atlas