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Air / Cortex / Economy first / OBSERVED BUILD

Standard air

Cortex Air build order · Supreme Isthmus

The role's baseline: Aircraft Plant immediately, transports and scouts for the team first, Advanced Metal Extractor and Fusion Reactor on a normal timeline, transitioning into Valiant fighter coverage over the game.

Usually transports first (72%)

#eco #team support #air · 633 distinct matches · 123 players · 79% of Cortex Air games · team won 48% of 707 · Recently observed

HOW TO PLAY IT

Key timing: Aircraft Plant by 1:24

  1. Take 3 mex and open wind before committing to aircraft plant.
  2. Finish aircraft plant to start churning scouts and transports.
  3. Send Hercules, Finch and Hephaestus to allies as they ask.
  4. Get your advanced metal extractor up to fund fighter spam.
  5. Bring fusion online and shift into Valiant fighter coverage.

Phase by phase

TYPICAL OF ITS 633 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 ~1:22, middle half 1:13–1:35

    Some games also: energy storage (38%)

    By 1:03 in all: 3 mex · 4 wind

    The example game in this phase · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×2
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:07 · typical 1:22
  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
    • Finch2 Finch for allies
    • Hercules2 Light transport for allies
    • Hephaestus1 Heavy transport for allies
    • Shuriken1 Shuriken

    Some games also: energy storage (46%) · light transport (44%) · converter (40%) · con turret (33%)

    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 · 33 steps
    1. Wind
    2. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    3. Wind ×3
    4. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    5. Wind
    6. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    7. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    8. FinchFinch
    9. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    10. Con turret
    11. Mex
    12. Energy storage
    13. ValiantValiant
    14. Wind ×2
    15. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    16. Wind ×2
    17. Con turret
    18. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    19. Wind ×2
    20. ValiantValiant
    21. Con turret
    22. ValiantValiant
    23. Wind
    24. ValiantValiant
    25. Wind
    26. ValiantValiant
    27. Wind
    28. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    29. Wind ×3
    30. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    31. Wind ×2
    32. Converter
    33. Wind
  3. 3

    5:00 to 10:00

    Economy
    • Wind Turbine20Wind
    • Wind Turbine4Wind
    • Energy Converter6Converter
    Order
    1. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plant
    2. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plant after 18 wind, 17 wind, 6 converterin 58% of games
    Builders
    • Construction Turret4 Con turret
    Army
    • Valiant9 Valiant

    Some games also: shuriken (50%) · fusion (36%) · con aircraft (35%) · light transport (31%)

    By 10:00 in all: 3 mex · 1 mex · 24 wind · 19 wind · 8 converter · 1 energy storage

    The example game in this phase · 296 steps
    1. Converter
    2. Wind ×4
    3. Converter
    4. Wind ×4
    5. Converter
    6. Wind ×3
    7. Converter ×2
    8. Wind
    9. Converter ×6
    10. Wind
    11. Converter ×3
    12. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 6:15
    13. HerculesLight transport
    14. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    15. Con turret
    16. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×4done 6:56 · typical 6:50
    17. Con turret ×6
    18. Wind
    19. Con turret
    20. Wind ×6
    21. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 8:26
    22. Wind ×3
    23. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    24. Wind ×2
    25. ValiantValiant
    26. Wind
    27. ValiantValiant
    28. Wind ×2
    29. ValiantValiant
    30. Wind ×2
    31. ValiantValiant
    32. Wind ×2
    33. ValiantValiant
    34. Wind ×2
    35. ValiantValiant
    36. Wind ×3
    37. ValiantValiant
    38. Wind ×3
    39. ValiantValiant
    40. Wind ×3
    41. ValiantValiant
    42. Wind ×2
    43. ValiantValiant
    44. Wind ×2
    45. ValiantValiant
    46. Wind ×3
    47. ValiantValiant
    48. Wind ×3
    49. ValiantValiant
    50. Wind ×3
    51. ValiantValiant
    52. Wind ×2
    53. ValiantValiant
    54. Wind ×2
    55. ValiantValiant
    56. Wind ×2
    57. ValiantValiant
    58. Wind
    59. ValiantValiant
    60. Wind ×2
    61. ValiantValiant
    62. Wind
    63. ValiantValiant
    64. Wind ×4
    65. ValiantValiant
    66. Wind ×2
    67. ValiantValiant
    68. Con turret
    69. ValiantValiant
    70. Con turret
    71. Wind
    72. Con turret ×2
    73. ValiantValiant
    74. Converter
    75. ValiantValiant
    76. Converter
    77. Con turret
    78. Wind
    79. ValiantValiant
    80. Converter
    81. Wind
    82. ValiantValiant
    83. Wind
    84. Converter
    85. Con turret
    86. Wind
    87. ValiantValiant
    88. Wind
    89. Converter
    90. Con turret
    91. ValiantValiant
    92. Wind
    93. Converter
    94. Wind
    95. ValiantValiant
    96. Converter
    97. Wind
    98. ValiantValiant
    99. Converter
    100. Wind ×2
    101. ValiantValiant
    102. Wind ×2
    103. Converter
    104. Wind
    105. ValiantValiant
    106. Wind
    107. ValiantValiant
    108. Wind
    109. Converter
    110. Wind
    111. ValiantValiant
    112. Wind ×2
    113. ValiantValiant
    114. Wind ×3
    115. Converter
    116. Wind
    117. ValiantValiant
    118. Wind ×2
    119. ValiantValiant
    120. Wind ×2
    121. Converter
    122. Wind
    123. ValiantValiant
    124. Wind ×3
    125. ValiantValiant
    126. Wind ×3
    127. ValiantValiant
    128. Wind ×3
    129. ValiantValiant
    130. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    131. Wind
    132. Converter
    133. Con turret
    134. Wind ×2
    135. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    136. Wind
    137. Converter
    138. Wind ×3
    139. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    140. Wind
    141. Converter
    142. Wind
    143. Con turret
    144. Wind
    145. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    146. Wind
    147. Converter
    148. Wind
    149. Con turret
    150. Wind
    151. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    152. Wind
    153. Converter
    154. Wind ×2
    155. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    156. Wind
    157. Converter
    158. Wind
    159. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    160. Wind
    161. Con turret
    162. Wind
    163. Converter
    164. Wind ×2
    165. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    166. Wind ×3
    167. Converter
    168. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    169. Wind ×3
    170. Converter
    171. Wind
    172. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    173. Wind
    174. Converter
    175. Wind ×3
    176. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    177. Wind
    178. Converter
    179. Wind ×2
    180. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    181. Wind
    182. Converter
    183. Wind ×3
    184. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    185. Wind
    186. Converter
    187. Wind ×2
    188. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    189. Converter
    190. Wind ×2
    191. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    192. Wind
    193. Converter
    194. Wind ×2
    195. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    196. Wind ×3
    197. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    198. Wind ×2
    199. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    200. Wind ×2
    201. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    202. Wind ×2
    203. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    204. Wind
    205. ValiantValiant
    206. Wind ×2
    207. Converter
    208. ValiantValiant
    209. Wind ×2
    210. ValiantValiant
    211. Wind
    212. ValiantValiant
    213. Wind ×2
    214. ValiantValiant
    215. Wind
    216. ValiantValiant
    217. Wind ×2
    218. Converter
    219. ValiantValiant
    220. Wind ×2
    221. ValiantValiant
    222. Wind ×2
    223. ValiantValiant
    224. Wind ×2
    225. ValiantValiant
    226. Wind
    227. ValiantValiant
    228. Converter
    229. Wind ×2
    230. ValiantValiant
    231. Wind
    232. Converter
    233. ValiantValiant
    234. Wind
    235. Converter
    236. Wind
    237. ValiantValiant
    238. Wind
    239. Converter
    240. ValiantValiant
    241. Wind ×2
    242. ValiantValiant
    243. Wind
    244. Converter
    245. ValiantValiant
    246. Wind
    247. ValiantValiant
    248. Wind
    249. Con turret
    250. Wind
    251. Con turret
    252. Wind ×2
    253. ValiantValiant
    254. Wind
    255. Converter
    256. ValiantValiant
    257. Wind
    258. ValiantValiant
    259. Wind ×2
    260. ValiantValiant
    261. Converter
    262. ValiantValiant
    263. Wind
    264. ValiantValiant
    265. Wind ×2
    266. Converter
    267. ValiantValiant
    268. Wind
    269. ValiantValiant
    270. Converter
    271. Wind
    272. ValiantValiant
    273. Con turret
    274. ValiantValiant
    275. Wind
    276. ValiantValiant
    277. Converter
    278. ValiantValiant
    279. Wind
    280. Con turret
    281. ValiantValiant
    282. Wind
    283. Converter
    284. ValiantValiant
    285. Wind
    286. Converter
    287. ValiantValiant
    288. Wind
    289. Converter
    290. ValiantValiant
    291. Con turret
    292. Wind
    293. ValiantValiant
    294. Converter
    295. Wind
    296. ValiantValiant

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Dad_The_Speedrunner's (36 OS, 05/10/2026); 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 2:26 · in 74% of games

You get

  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo seafirst at 1:38 · in 65% of games
  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo sea or Pondfirst at 1:44 · in 48% of games
  • Construction Bot1 Con bot from Techfirst at 2:20 · in 85% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Techfirst at 6:03 · in 95% 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

01k2k3k
0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

Own metal lost

01k2k3k
0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

707 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039300
2:0092500
3:00145900
4:002057051
5:00276873116
6:003751125167
7:005142190225
8:007010240292
9:009301263344
10:0011805340474
11:0014399440641
12:0017093607949
13:00199139491280
14:002269914671852
15:002558321432789
WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY

Standard air sits below average team win rate at 48%, reflecting the role's support nature rather than kills.

  • + Aircraft plant lands fast at 1:24, enabling early transport and scout support.
  • − Own metal lost still reaches 2705 by 15:00 despite a support-first role.
THE EXAMPLE YOU ARE READING

Dad_The_Speedrunner

36.1 OS · 05/10/2026

Open source match ↗

6 received units · includes a constructor
114 metal received · 34568 energy received

Allied construction assistance is unknown. Timings are observations, not a promise of solo reproducibility.

Typical milestones

Aircraft Plant1:22Middle 50%: 1:13–1:35 · n=707
Advanced Metal Extractor6:50Middle 50%: 6:24–7:25 · n=681
Fusion Reactor10:52Middle 50%: 9:53–12:08 · n=442

Played most by

DRM44games of this buildAdeus37games of this buildTheGeneraI32games of this buildImmort29games of this buildNutzz29games of this build