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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 · 1576 distinct matches · 259 players · 81% of Cortex Air games · team won 46% of 1885 · 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 1576 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 1:09 · 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%) · converter (45%) · energy storage (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 · 18 steps
    1. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    2. Wind ×4
    3. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    4. Wind ×3
    5. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    6. HerculesLight transport ×2for Pond
    7. ValiantValiant ×2
    8. Wind ×2
    9. ValiantValiant ×2
    10. Mex
    11. ValiantValiant
    12. ShurikenShuriken
    13. ValiantValiant ×3
    14. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    15. ValiantValiant
    16. HerculesLight transportfor Front
    17. ValiantValiant
    18. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Pond
  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 18 wind, 18 wind, 7 converterin 58% of games
    Builders
    • Construction Turret3 Con turret
    Army
    • Valiant9 Valiant

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

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is DarkandDarker's (30 OS, 25/08/2026); 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 2:22 · 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 1:41 · 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 6:04 · 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

1885 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039200
2:0092300
3:00145600
4:002053051
5:0027655173
6:003722102124
7:005096146167
8:006915190218
9:009300223270
10:0011774278365
11:0014395365524
12:0017092504758
13:00199297511058
14:002277612321659
15:002581017752390
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

DarkandDarker

30.3 OS · 25/08/2026

Open source match ↗

6 received units · includes a constructor
384 metal received · 18240 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=1885
Advanced Metal Extractor6:54Middle 50%: 6:26–7:26 · n=1824
Fusion Reactor10:51Middle 50%: 9:44–12:15 · n=1215

Played most by

TheGeneraI114games of this buildDad_The_Speedrunner73games of this buildHunfore63games of this buildDRM52games of this buildHALF_DALLAH_HABIT52games of this build
Standard air · Cortex Air build order · BAR Build Atlas