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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 · 1490 distinct matches · 252 players · 80% of Cortex Air games · team won 46% of 1793 · 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 1490 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
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:08 · 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 · 31 steps
    1. Wind
    2. FinchFinch
    3. Wind ×2
    4. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    5. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    6. Mex
    7. HerculesLight transportfor Beach sea
    8. FinchFinch ×2for Geo sea
    9. ValiantValiant
    10. ShurikenShuriken
    11. ValiantValiant
    12. Wind
    13. Con turret
    14. HerculesLight transportfor Pond
    15. ValiantValiant
    16. Wind
    17. ValiantValiant
    18. FinchFinchfor Pond
    19. HerculesLight transport
    20. ShurikenShuriken
    21. Wind
    22. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    23. FinchFinch
    24. Wind
    25. ValiantValiant
    26. Wind
    27. Con turret
    28. Wind
    29. ValiantValiant ×2
    30. Wind
    31. ValiantValiant ×2
  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 · 274 steps
    1. Wind
    2. Energy storage
    3. ValiantValiant
    4. Wind
    5. Converter
    6. Wind
    7. ValiantValiant
    8. Wind
    9. Wind
    10. ValiantValiant
    11. Wind
    12. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    13. Wind
    14. HerculesLight transportfor Geo
    15. Wind
    16. Wind
    17. Wind
    18. ValiantValiant
    19. Wind
    20. Wind
    21. ValiantValiant
    22. Wind
    23. HerculesLight transportfor Front
    24. Con turret
    25. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    26. Converter
    27. Wind
    28. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:55 · typical 6:54
    29. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    30. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    31. Wind
    32. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×2
    33. Wind ×2
    34. Con turret
    35. Wind
    36. Con turret
    37. Hardened Energy Storage
    38. Wind
    39. Con turret
    40. Wind
    41. Wind
    42. Con turret
    43. Wind
    44. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 8:51
    45. Wind
    46. Wind
    47. Wind
    48. Wind
    49. Wind
    50. Wind
    51. ValiantValiant
    52. Wind
    53. Wind
    54. Wind ×3
    55. Wind
    56. Wind
    57. HerculesLight transportfor Pond
    58. Wind ×2
    59. Wind
    60. ValiantValiant
    61. Wind
    62. ValiantValiant
    63. Wind
    64. Wind ×2
    65. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    66. Wind
    67. Wind ×2
    68. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    69. Wind
    70. Wind
    71. Wind
    72. Wind
    73. ValiantValiant
    74. Wind ×2
    75. Wind
    76. ValiantValiant
    77. Wind
    78. Wind
    79. Wind
    80. Wind
    81. Wind
    82. ValiantValiant
    83. Wind ×2
    84. Wind
    85. ValiantValiant
    86. Wind
    87. ValiantValiant
    88. Wind
    89. Wind
    90. Wind
    91. ValiantValiant
    92. Wind
    93. Wind
    94. ValiantValiant
    95. Wind ×2
    96. ValiantValiant
    97. Wind ×2
    98. ValiantValiant
    99. Wind
    100. Wind
    101. Wind ×2
    102. Con turret
    103. Wind
    104. ValiantValiant
    105. Wind
    106. Wind
    107. Con turret
    108. Wind
    109. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    110. Wind
    111. Wind
    112. ValiantValiant
    113. Wind
    114. Wind
    115. Wind ×3
    116. ValiantValiant
    117. Wind ×3
    118. ShurikenShuriken
    119. Wind
    120. Wind
    121. Wind
    122. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    123. Wind
    124. Wind
    125. Wind ×2
    126. ShurikenShuriken
    127. Wind
    128. ShurikenShuriken
    129. Wind ×3
    130. ShurikenShuriken
    131. Wind
    132. Wind
    133. Wind
    134. ShurikenShuriken
    135. Wind ×2
    136. Converter
    137. Wind
    138. ShurikenShuriken
    139. Wind
    140. Wind
    141. Converter
    142. Wind
    143. ShurikenShuriken
    144. Wind ×3
    145. ShurikenShuriken
    146. Wind
    147. Wind
    148. ShurikenShuriken
    149. Converter
    150. Wind ×2
    151. ShurikenShuriken
    152. Wind
    153. Wind ×3
    154. ValiantValiant
    155. Wind
    156. Wind
    157. ValiantValiant
    158. Converter
    159. Wind
    160. Wind ×2
    161. ValiantValiant
    162. Wind ×2
    163. Wind
    164. ValiantValiant
    165. Wind ×2
    166. ValiantValiant ×2
    167. Wind
    168. ValiantValiant
    169. Wind ×3
    170. ValiantValiant ×2
    171. Wind
    172. ValiantValiant ×2
    173. Converter
    174. ValiantValiant
    175. Wind
    176. ValiantValiant ×3
    177. Wind
    178. ValiantValiant
    179. Wind ×2
    180. ValiantValiant ×3
    181. Wind
    182. Con turret
    183. ValiantValiant
    184. Wind ×2
    185. ValiantValiant ×2
    186. Wind
    187. ValiantValiant ×2
    188. Con turret
    189. ValiantValiant
    190. Wind
    191. Wind
    192. Wind
    193. HerculesLight transport
    194. Wind ×3
    195. ValiantValiant
    196. Converter
    197. ValiantValiant ×2
    198. Wind
    199. Converter
    200. Wind
    201. ValiantValiant ×2
    202. Wind
    203. Converter
    204. Wind
    205. ValiantValiant
    206. Wind
    207. Converter
    208. FinchFinch ×2
    209. Wind ×2
    210. FinchFinch
    211. Converter
    212. FinchFinch
    213. Wind
    214. Wind ×2
    215. FinchFinch
    216. Converter
    217. ValiantValiant
    218. Wind ×2
    219. ValiantValiant
    220. Converter
    221. ValiantValiant ×2
    222. Wind ×2
    223. Converter
    224. ValiantValiant
    225. Wind ×2
    226. ValiantValiant
    227. Converter
    228. ValiantValiant
    229. Wind
    230. Wind
    231. Wind
    232. ValiantValiant
    233. Converter
    234. ValiantValiant
    235. Wind ×2
    236. ValiantValiant
    237. Wind
    238. Converter
    239. ValiantValiant
    240. FinchFinch
    241. Wind
    242. Converter
    243. ValiantValiant
    244. Wind ×2
    245. ValiantValiant
    246. Wind
    247. Converter
    248. ValiantValiant
    249. Wind
    250. ValiantValiant
    251. Wind
    252. Converter
    253. ValiantValiant
    254. Fusion ReactorFusionnot finished by 15:00 · typical 10:53
    255. ValiantValiant
    256. Converter
    257. Wind
    258. ValiantValiant ×2
    259. Converter
    260. ValiantValiant ×2
    261. Converter
    262. Wind
    263. ValiantValiant
    264. Wind
    265. FinchFinch
    266. Wind
    267. Converter
    268. ValiantValiant ×2
    269. Wind
    270. Converter
    271. ValiantValiant ×2
    272. Wind
    273. ValiantValiant
    274. Converter

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, 06/10/2026); 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 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 2:22 · 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

1793 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
6:003706102124
7:005088146167
8:006900190219
9:009279232270
10:0011757292384
11:0014351373540
12:0017061515781
13:00198467811109
14:002269912691689
15:002570018082409
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

32.6 OS · 06/10/2026

Open source match ↗

6 received units · includes a constructor
240 metal received · 68799 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=1793
Advanced Metal Extractor6:54Middle 50%: 6:27–7:26 · n=1734
Fusion Reactor10:53Middle 50%: 9:47–12:18 · n=1147

Played most by

TheGeneraI113games of this buildDad_The_Speedrunner72games of this buildHunfore62games of this buildMilkdragon51games of this buildAdeus50games of this build
Standard air · Cortex Air build order · BAR Build Atlas