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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 · 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 ×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 · 27 steps
    1. Wind
    2. FinchFinch
    3. Wind ×2
    4. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    5. Wind ×2
    6. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    7. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    8. ShurikenShurikenfor Geo sea
    9. ValiantValiant
    10. Wind
    11. ValiantValiant
    12. Wind ×2
    13. ValiantValiant ×3
    14. Mex
    15. ValiantValiant
    16. Wind ×2
    17. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    18. Wind ×2
    19. Energy storage
    20. ValiantValiant
    21. Con turret
    22. Wind
    23. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Pond
    24. Wind
    25. ValiantValiant
    26. Con turret
    27. Wind
  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 · 159 steps
    1. Wind
    2. Converter
    3. Wind
    4. Converter
    5. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    6. Wind
    7. Converter ×2
    8. ValiantValiant
    9. Wind ×2
    10. Converter
    11. Wind ×2
    12. Converter
    13. Wind
    14. ValiantValiant
    15. Wind
    16. Converter
    17. Wind
    18. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:49 · typical 6:54
    19. Wind
    20. ValiantValiant
    21. Wind ×2
    22. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    23. Wind ×4
    24. ValiantValiant
    25. Wind ×2
    26. Con turret
    27. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    28. ValiantValiant
    29. Con turret
    30. ValiantValiant ×2
    31. Wind
    32. ValiantValiant
    33. Wind
    34. ValiantValiant
    35. Wind
    36. ValiantValiant
    37. Wind ×3
    38. ValiantValiant
    39. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    40. Wind ×2
    41. ValiantValiant
    42. Wind ×3
    43. ValiantValiant
    44. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    45. Wind
    46. ShurikenShuriken ×4
    47. Con turret
    48. ShurikenShuriken ×4
    49. ValiantValiant
    50. Wind
    51. ValiantValiant
    52. Wind
    53. ValiantValiant
    54. Wind
    55. ValiantValiant
    56. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 11:29 · typical 10:52
    57. ValiantValiant ×2
    58. Wind
    59. ValiantValiant
    60. Wind
    61. ValiantValiant ×2
    62. Wind ×2
    63. ValiantValiant
    64. Wind ×2
    65. ValiantValiant
    66. Wind
    67. ValiantValiant
    68. Wind
    69. ValiantValiant
    70. Wind
    71. ValiantValiant ×2
    72. Wind
    73. ValiantValiant
    74. Wind
    75. ValiantValiant ×2
    76. Wind
    77. ValiantValiant ×2
    78. Con turret
    79. Fusion ReactorFusion
    80. Con turret
    81. Construction AircraftCon aircraft ×3
    82. Con turret
    83. Construction AircraftCon aircraft ×3
    84. FinchFinch
    85. Converter
    86. FinchFinch ×2
    87. Converter
    88. Con turret
    89. Converter
    90. Con turret
    91. Converter
    92. FinchFinch
    93. Converter
    94. Wind
    95. Converter
    96. FinchFinch
    97. Converter
    98. FinchFinch
    99. Wind
    100. Converter
    101. FinchFinch ×2
    102. Wind
    103. FinchFinch
    104. Wind
    105. FinchFinch
    106. Converter
    107. ValiantValiant
    108. Wind
    109. ValiantValiant
    110. TracerTracer
    111. Converter
    112. ValiantValiant
    113. Wind
    114. ValiantValiant
    115. Converter
    116. ValiantValiant
    117. Converter
    118. ValiantValiant
    119. Converter
    120. ValiantValiant
    121. Converter
    122. ValiantValiant ×3
    123. Converter
    124. ValiantValiant
    125. Wind
    126. ValiantValiant
    127. Wind
    128. ValiantValiant
    129. Converter
    130. Wind
    131. ValiantValiant
    132. Wind
    133. ValiantValiant
    134. Wind
    135. ValiantValiant
    136. Converter
    137. Wind
    138. ValiantValiant
    139. Wind
    140. ValiantValiant ×2
    141. Converter
    142. ValiantValiant
    143. Wind
    144. Converter
    145. ValiantValiant ×2
    146. Converter
    147. ValiantValiant
    148. Wind
    149. ValiantValiant ×2
    150. Converter
    151. ValiantValiant ×4
    152. Converter
    153. ValiantValiant ×2
    154. Wind
    155. ValiantValiant ×3
    156. Converter
    157. ValiantValiant ×4
    158. Converter
    159. ValiantValiant ×3

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Hunfore's (32 OS, 14/10/2026); 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

Hunfore

32.4 OS · 14/10/2026

Open source match ↗

2 received units · includes a constructor
1112 metal received · 21342 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