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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 1:16 · 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 · 38 steps
    1. Wind
    2. FinchFinch
    3. Wind
    4. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    5. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    6. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    7. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    8. ThistleThistle
    9. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    10. Con turret
    11. HerculesLight transportfor Geo
    12. Mex
    13. Wind
    14. ValiantValiant
    15. Wind
    16. Wind
    17. ValiantValiant ×2
    18. Wind
    19. Wind
    20. Con turret
    21. Wind
    22. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    23. Wind ×2
    24. Wind
    25. Wind ×2
    26. Wind
    27. Wind
    28. Energy storage
    29. Wind
    30. Converter
    31. Wind
    32. Converter ×3
    33. Wind
    34. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 5:19 · typical 6:54
    35. Converter ×2
    36. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    37. Wind
    38. Converter
  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 · 240 steps
    1. Wind ×2
    2. Converter
    3. Wind ×2
    4. Con turret
    5. Wind ×2
    6. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    7. Con turret
    8. Wind
    9. Con turret
    10. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    11. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 6:49
    12. HerculesLight transport
    13. Wind ×6
    14. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    15. Wind
    16. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    17. Wind
    18. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    19. Converter
    20. Wind
    21. ValiantValiant ×2
    22. Wind ×2
    23. ValiantValiant
    24. Wind
    25. ValiantValiant
    26. Wind
    27. Con turret
    28. ValiantValiant
    29. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    30. Wind
    31. ValiantValiant ×2
    32. Wind
    33. Wind
    34. ValiantValiant
    35. Wind
    36. ValiantValiant
    37. Wind
    38. Wind
    39. ValiantValiant
    40. FinchFinch
    41. Wind
    42. FinchFinch
    43. Wind ×3
    44. ValiantValiant
    45. Wind
    46. ValiantValiant
    47. Wind
    48. Wind
    49. Wind
    50. Wind
    51. Wind
    52. ValiantValiant
    53. Wind
    54. Wind
    55. ValiantValiant
    56. Wind
    57. Wind
    58. ValiantValiant
    59. Wind
    60. HephaestusHeavy transport
    61. Wind
    62. Wind ×2
    63. Wind
    64. ValiantValiant
    65. Wind
    66. Wind
    67. ValiantValiant
    68. Wind
    69. Wind
    70. Con turret
    71. Wind
    72. Con turret
    73. Wind
    74. ValiantValiant
    75. Con turret
    76. Wind
    77. Wind
    78. ValiantValiant
    79. Con turret
    80. Wind
    81. Con turret
    82. Wind
    83. Con turret
    84. Wind
    85. Wind
    86. Wind
    87. ValiantValiant ×2
    88. Wind
    89. ValiantValiant
    90. Wind
    91. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    92. ValiantValiant
    93. Wind
    94. ValiantValiant ×2
    95. Wind
    96. ValiantValiant ×3
    97. Wind
    98. Construction AircraftCon aircraft ×2
    99. Wind
    100. Con turret
    101. ValiantValiant
    102. Wind
    103. Wind
    104. Con turret
    105. Wind
    106. ValiantValiant ×2
    107. Wind ×2
    108. Con turret
    109. Wind
    110. ValiantValiant
    111. Con turret
    112. Mexfor Beach sea
    113. ValiantValiant
    114. Wind
    115. ValiantValiant
    116. Con turret
    117. Wind
    118. Wind
    119. ValiantValiant ×2
    120. Wind
    121. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 11:38 · typical 10:53
    122. ValiantValiant
    123. Wind ×2
    124. ValiantValiant
    125. Wind
    126. Wind
    127. Wind
    128. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    129. Wind
    130. Wind
    131. Mexfor Beach sea
    132. Wind
    133. Wind
    134. Wind ×4
    135. T2 converter
    136. Wind
    137. Wind ×2
    138. T2 converter
    139. Wind ×4
    140. T2 converter
    141. Wind ×2
    142. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 12:07
    143. Wind
    144. T2 converter
    145. Wind ×14
    146. ValiantValiant ×4
    147. Wind
    148. ValiantValiant ×4
    149. Wind ×2
    150. ValiantValiant ×3
    151. Con turret
    152. Wind
    153. Con turret
    154. ValiantValiant
    155. Con turret
    156. Wind
    157. ValiantValiant
    158. Con turret
    159. Wind
    160. ValiantValiant
    161. Con turret
    162. Wind
    163. ValiantValiant
    164. Wind
    165. ValiantValiant ×3
    166. Wind
    167. ValiantValiant
    168. Wind
    169. ValiantValiant
    170. Hardened Energy Storage
    171. ValiantValiant
    172. Wind
    173. ValiantValiant ×2
    174. Wind
    175. FinchFinch
    176. Wind
    177. FinchFinch ×2
    178. ValiantValiant ×3
    179. Wind
    180. ValiantValiant ×2
    181. Wind
    182. Wind
    183. ValiantValiant ×4
    184. Wind
    185. ValiantValiant
    186. Wind
    187. ValiantValiant ×3
    188. Wind ×2
    189. ValiantValiant ×4
    190. Wind
    191. ValiantValiant
    192. Wind
    193. ValiantValiant
    194. Wind
    195. ValiantValiant ×2
    196. Wind ×2
    197. ValiantValiant ×5
    198. Wind
    199. ValiantValiant ×3
    200. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    201. Wind
    202. ValiantValiant
    203. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    204. ValiantValiant
    205. Wind
    206. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    207. Wind
    208. ValiantValiant
    209. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    210. Wind
    211. ValiantValiant
    212. Wind
    213. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    214. ValiantValiant
    215. Wind
    216. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    217. ValiantValiant
    218. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    219. Wind
    220. ValiantValiant
    221. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    222. Wind
    223. Wind
    224. ValiantValiant
    225. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    226. Wind
    227. ValiantValiant
    228. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    229. ValiantValiant
    230. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    231. Wind
    232. ValiantValiant
    233. Wind
    234. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    235. Wind
    236. ValiantValiant
    237. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    238. FinchFinch
    239. Wind
    240. ValiantValiant

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Zippo9's (37 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 1:51 · 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

Zippo9

37.3 OS · 13/10/2026

Open source match ↗

9 received units · includes a constructor
1255 metal received · 88970 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