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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 · 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 · 6 steps
    1. Mex ×2
    2. Wind
    3. Mex
    4. Wind ×6
    5. Energy storage
    6. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:47 · 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 · 28 steps
    1. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    2. Wind ×2
    3. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    4. Wind ×3
    5. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    6. Mex
    7. ValiantValiant
    8. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    9. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    10. Con turret
    11. ValiantValiant
    12. Wind
    13. Con turret
    14. ValiantValiant
    15. Con turret
    16. Wind
    17. ValiantValiant ×2
    18. Converter
    19. Wind
    20. HerculesLight transport
    21. Converter
    22. Wind
    23. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Geo
    24. Wind
    25. Converter
    26. Wind ×3
    27. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    28. Wind ×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 · 266 steps
    1. Wind ×28
    2. Con turret
    3. Wind
    4. Metal storage
    5. Wind
    6. Con turret
    7. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:17 · typical 6:54
    8. Con turret
    9. Wind
    10. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    11. Converter
    12. Wind
    13. Converter
    14. Wind
    15. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    16. Wind
    17. Converter
    18. Bot LabBot Labdone 8:04
    19. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    20. Construction BotCon bot
    21. Converter
    22. Wind
    23. Construction BotCon bot
    24. Converter
    25. Wind
    26. Converter
    27. Construction BotCon bot
    28. Wind
    29. Converter
    30. Wind ×2
    31. Construction BotCon bot
    32. Wind ×2
    33. Converter
    34. Construction BotCon bot
    35. Wind ×6
    36. Con turret
    37. Wind ×4
    38. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    39. Wind ×2
    40. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 9:19
    41. Wind ×3
    42. Con turret
    43. Wind ×2
    44. ValiantValiant
    45. Con turret
    46. Wind ×3
    47. ValiantValiant
    48. Wind ×2
    49. HephaestusHeavy transport
    50. Wind ×5
    51. Con turret
    52. Wind
    53. ValiantValiant
    54. Wind ×3
    55. ValiantValiant
    56. Wind ×2
    57. ValiantValiant
    58. Wind ×3
    59. ValiantValiant
    60. Wind ×4
    61. ValiantValiant
    62. Wind ×3
    63. ValiantValiant
    64. Wind ×3
    65. Con turret
    66. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    67. Wind ×5
    68. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    69. Wind
    70. Con turret
    71. Wind
    72. ValiantValiant
    73. Wind ×5
    74. ValiantValiant
    75. Wind ×5
    76. ValiantValiant
    77. Wind ×2
    78. Converter
    79. Advanced solar
    80. Wind
    81. ValiantValiant
    82. Wind ×3
    83. Converter
    84. Wind ×2
    85. ValiantValiant
    86. Wind
    87. Converter
    88. Wind ×3
    89. ValiantValiant
    90. Wind ×3
    91. Converter
    92. Wind ×2
    93. Converter
    94. Wind
    95. ValiantValiant
    96. Wind
    97. Converter
    98. Wind
    99. ValiantValiant
    100. Wind ×2
    101. Converter
    102. Wind
    103. ValiantValiant
    104. Wind ×4
    105. Advanced solar
    106. Converter
    107. Wind ×2
    108. ValiantValiant
    109. Wind
    110. Converter
    111. Wind ×4
    112. Converter
    113. ValiantValiant
    114. Wind ×4
    115. Converter
    116. Advanced solar
    117. Converter
    118. Wind
    119. ValiantValiant
    120. Wind ×2
    121. Converter
    122. Wind ×5
    123. Converter
    124. ValiantValiant
    125. Converter
    126. Wind
    127. ValiantValiant
    128. Wind ×3
    129. Converter
    130. Wind ×2
    131. ValiantValiant
    132. Converter
    133. Wind ×6
    134. ValiantValiant
    135. Converter
    136. Wind ×3
    137. ValiantValiant
    138. Converter
    139. Wind ×4
    140. ValiantValiant
    141. Converter
    142. NettleNettle
    143. Wind ×2
    144. ValiantValiant
    145. Converter
    146. Wind ×3
    147. Converter
    148. ValiantValiant
    149. Wind ×4
    150. ValiantValiant
    151. Wind
    152. Converter
    153. Wind
    154. ValiantValiant
    155. Wind ×3
    156. Converter
    157. ValiantValiant
    158. Wind ×4
    159. Converter
    160. Wind ×2
    161. ValiantValiant
    162. Wind
    163. Converter
    164. Wind ×3
    165. ValiantValiant
    166. Wind ×2
    167. Con turret
    168. Wind
    169. Converter
    170. Wind
    171. ValiantValiant
    172. Wind ×5
    173. ValiantValiant
    174. Converter
    175. Wind
    176. Con turret
    177. Wind ×4
    178. Converter
    179. Wind
    180. ValiantValiant
    181. Wind ×3
    182. ValiantValiant
    183. Converter
    184. T2 converter
    185. ValiantValiant
    186. Wind ×4
    187. ValiantValiant
    188. Converter
    189. ValiantValiant
    190. Wind ×2
    191. Converter
    192. Wind ×2
    193. ValiantValiant
    194. Con turret
    195. Wind ×2
    196. ValiantValiant
    197. Converter ×2
    198. Wind
    199. ValiantValiant
    200. Converter
    201. Wind ×2
    202. FinchFinch
    203. Wind
    204. FinchFinch
    205. Wind ×2
    206. FinchFinch
    207. Converter
    208. FinchFinch
    209. Wind
    210. FinchFinch
    211. Wind ×2
    212. Converter
    213. ValiantValiant ×2
    214. Converter
    215. Wind
    216. ValiantValiant
    217. Wind
    218. ValiantValiant
    219. Wind
    220. ValiantValiant
    221. Wind
    222. Converter
    223. ValiantValiant
    224. Converter
    225. Wind ×3
    226. ValiantValiant
    227. Converter
    228. ValiantValiant
    229. Wind
    230. ValiantValiant
    231. Wind
    232. ValiantValiant
    233. Wind ×2
    234. Advanced solar
    235. ValiantValiant
    236. Wind
    237. Converter
    238. ValiantValiant
    239. Wind
    240. Converter
    241. Wind
    242. ValiantValiant
    243. Wind
    244. Advanced solar
    245. Wind
    246. ValiantValiant
    247. Converter ×2
    248. Wind
    249. ValiantValiant
    250. Wind ×2
    251. Converter
    252. Advanced solar
    253. Wind
    254. ValiantValiant
    255. Wind
    256. ValiantValiant
    257. Wind ×2
    258. Converter ×2
    259. Wind
    260. ValiantValiant
    261. Wind
    262. ValiantValiant
    263. Advanced solar
    264. Wind ×2
    265. ValiantValiant
    266. Converter

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is bob7's (31 OS, 07/09/2026); 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

bob7

30.5 OS · 07/09/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
365 metal received · 55215 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