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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 ×2
    2. Solar
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 0:48 · 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 · 37 steps
    1. HerculesLight transport
    2. Mex
    3. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    4. Mex
    5. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    6. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    7. Energy storage
    8. Con turret
    9. Wind ×10
    10. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    11. Con turret ×2
    12. FinchFinch
    13. ValiantValiant ×2
    14. Converter
    15. ValiantValiant
    16. Converter
    17. ValiantValiant
    18. Converter
    19. ValiantValiant
    20. Wind
    21. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    22. Converter
    23. ValiantValiant ×2
    24. Wind
    25. Converter
    26. Wind
    27. Converter
    28. Wind
    29. Converter
    30. Wind
    31. Converter
    32. Wind ×2
    33. ShurikenShuriken
    34. Wind
    35. ShurikenShuriken
    36. Wind
    37. 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 (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 · 246 steps
    1. ShurikenShuriken
    2. Wind
    3. ShurikenShuriken
    4. Wind
    5. Wind
    6. ShurikenShuriken
    7. Wind
    8. Wind
    9. ShurikenShuriken
    10. Wind
    11. ShurikenShuriken
    12. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:09 · typical 6:54
    13. Wind
    14. Wind ×3
    15. ValiantValiant
    16. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    17. ValiantValiant
    18. Wind ×2
    19. ValiantValiant
    20. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    21. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    22. Con turret
    23. Bot LabBot Labdone 7:20
    24. Construction BotCon bot ×3
    25. Wind
    26. Construction BotCon bot
    27. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    28. Wind ×2
    29. Construction BotCon bot
    30. Wind ×2
    31. Construction BotCon bot
    32. Wind
    33. Construction BotCon bot
    34. Wind ×2
    35. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    36. Wind ×7
    37. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 8:21
    38. Wind ×3
    39. ValiantValiant
    40. Wind ×4
    41. ValiantValiant
    42. Wind ×4
    43. ValiantValiant ×2
    44. Wind ×2
    45. ValiantValiant
    46. Wind
    47. ValiantValiant
    48. Wind
    49. Con turret
    50. ValiantValiant
    51. Wind ×4
    52. ValiantValiant
    53. Wind
    54. ValiantValiant
    55. Wind ×3
    56. ValiantValiant
    57. Wind
    58. ValiantValiant
    59. Wind ×2
    60. ValiantValiant
    61. Wind ×2
    62. Con turret
    63. Wind
    64. ValiantValiant
    65. Wind ×2
    66. Con turret
    67. ValiantValiant
    68. Wind
    69. Con turret
    70. ValiantValiant
    71. Wind ×2
    72. Converter
    73. ValiantValiant
    74. Wind
    75. Con turret
    76. Wind
    77. ValiantValiant
    78. Wind ×2
    79. ValiantValiant
    80. Wind
    81. Converter
    82. ValiantValiant
    83. Wind
    84. ValiantValiant
    85. Wind ×2
    86. ValiantValiant
    87. Wind
    88. Converter
    89. Wind
    90. ValiantValiant
    91. Wind ×2
    92. ValiantValiant
    93. Wind
    94. ValiantValiant
    95. Converter
    96. Con turret
    97. Wind
    98. Con turret
    99. ShurikenShuriken
    100. Con turret
    101. Converter
    102. Wind ×2
    103. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    104. Wind
    105. ShurikenShuriken
    106. Wind
    107. ShurikenShuriken
    108. Converter
    109. ShurikenShuriken
    110. Wind
    111. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    112. Converter
    113. ShurikenShuriken
    114. Wind
    115. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    116. Converter
    117. Wind
    118. ShurikenShuriken
    119. Wind
    120. ShurikenShuriken
    121. Wind
    122. ShurikenShuriken
    123. Converter
    124. Wind
    125. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    126. Converter
    127. ShurikenShuriken
    128. Wind
    129. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    130. Wind
    131. ShurikenShuriken
    132. Converter
    133. ShurikenShuriken
    134. Wind
    135. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    136. Converter
    137. Wind ×2
    138. ShurikenShuriken
    139. Wind
    140. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    141. Converter
    142. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    143. Wind
    144. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    145. Converter
    146. ShurikenShuriken
    147. Wind
    148. ShurikenShuriken
    149. Wind
    150. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    151. Converter
    152. Wind ×2
    153. ShurikenShuriken
    154. Wind
    155. ShurikenShuriken ×4
    156. Wind
    157. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    158. Converter
    159. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    160. Wind
    161. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    162. Converter
    163. Wind
    164. ShurikenShuriken
    165. Wind ×2
    166. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    167. ValiantValiant
    168. Wind
    169. ValiantValiant
    170. Converter
    171. Wind
    172. ValiantValiant ×3
    173. Wind
    174. ValiantValiant ×2
    175. Converter
    176. ValiantValiant
    177. Wind
    178. ValiantValiant ×2
    179. Wind ×3
    180. ValiantValiant ×2
    181. Converter
    182. ValiantValiant
    183. Wind
    184. ValiantValiant ×3
    185. Wind
    186. ValiantValiant ×4
    187. Wind ×3
    188. ValiantValiant ×2
    189. Converter
    190. ValiantValiant
    191. Wind ×2
    192. ValiantValiant ×2
    193. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 14:14 · typical 10:52
    194. ValiantValiant ×2
    195. Converter
    196. ValiantValiant ×2
    197. Wind
    198. ValiantValiant
    199. Wind
    200. ValiantValiant
    201. Wind ×2
    202. ValiantValiant
    203. Converter
    204. ValiantValiant
    205. Wind
    206. ValiantValiant ×2
    207. Wind
    208. ValiantValiant ×2
    209. Converter
    210. ValiantValiant ×2
    211. Wind
    212. ValiantValiant
    213. Wind
    214. ValiantValiant
    215. Wind ×2
    216. Converter
    217. ValiantValiant
    218. Wind
    219. ValiantValiant ×2
    220. Converter
    221. Wind
    222. ValiantValiant
    223. Wind
    224. Converter
    225. ValiantValiant
    226. Wind ×3
    227. Converter
    228. Wind ×2
    229. Converter
    230. Wind ×2
    231. Converter
    232. Wind
    233. Converter
    234. Fusion ReactorFusion
    235. ValiantValiant
    236. Wind
    237. ValiantValiant
    238. Wind
    239. ValiantValiant
    240. Converter
    241. Wind ×2
    242. ValiantValiant
    243. Wind
    244. Converter
    245. Wind
    246. ValiantValiant

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is El_Turco's (38 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

El_Turco

38.1 OS · 13/10/2026

Open source match ↗

8 received units · includes a constructor
277 metal received · 186092 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