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

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is mobius1's (33 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

mobius1

32.6 OS · 07/09/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
438 metal received · 8329 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
Standard air · Cortex Air build order · BAR Build Atlas