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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 · 1506 distinct matches · 252 players · 81% of Cortex Air games · team won 46% of 1811 · 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 1506 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 1:12 · 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 · 26 steps
    1. FinchFinchfor Suicide front
    2. HerculesLight transport
    3. Wind ×2
    4. HerculesLight transportfor Suicide front
    5. Wind ×2
    6. FinchFinch
    7. HerculesLight transportfor Geo
    8. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    9. HerculesLight transport ×2for Geo
    10. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    11. ValiantValiant
    12. Con turret
    13. FinchFinch
    14. Energy storage
    15. Wind ×3
    16. Con turret
    17. Mex
    18. Wind ×4
    19. ValiantValiant
    20. Wind
    21. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    22. Wind ×2
    23. ValiantValiant
    24. Wind ×2
    25. Con turret
    26. 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 · 193 steps
    1. Con turret
    2. Wind ×3
    3. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Pond
    4. Wind
    5. Converter ×2
    6. Wind
    7. ValiantValiant
    8. Converter
    9. ValiantValiant
    10. Wind
    11. Converter
    12. ValiantValiant
    13. Converter
    14. ValiantValiant
    15. FinchFinch
    16. Wind
    17. Converter
    18. Wind
    19. ValiantValiant
    20. Wind
    21. Converter
    22. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    23. Wind ×2
    24. Converter
    25. Con turret
    26. ShurikenShuriken
    27. Wind ×2
    28. Converter
    29. ShurikenShuriken
    30. Converter
    31. Wind ×2
    32. Converter
    33. Wind
    34. FinchFinch
    35. Wind
    36. Converter
    37. Wind
    38. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 8:09 · typical 6:54
    39. Converter
    40. HerculesLight transport
    41. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    42. Wind ×2
    43. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    44. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    45. Wind
    46. Con turret
    47. Wind ×6
    48. Con turret
    49. Wind ×4
    50. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 8:57
    51. Wind
    52. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    53. Wind ×2
    54. Converter
    55. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    56. Wind ×2
    57. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    58. Converter
    59. Advanced solar
    60. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    61. Converter
    62. Wind
    63. Converter
    64. Advanced solar
    65. Wind
    66. Advanced solar
    67. Converter ×2
    68. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    69. Wind ×2
    70. Converter
    71. ValiantValiant
    72. Wind
    73. ValiantValiant
    74. Wind
    75. ValiantValiant
    76. Converter
    77. Wind
    78. ValiantValiant ×2
    79. Wind
    80. ValiantValiant
    81. Wind
    82. ValiantValiant
    83. Wind ×2
    84. ValiantValiant
    85. Wind
    86. ValiantValiant
    87. Wind ×2
    88. ValiantValiant
    89. Converter
    90. Wind
    91. ValiantValiant
    92. Wind
    93. ValiantValiant
    94. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    95. Wind
    96. Converter
    97. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    98. Wind
    99. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    100. Wind
    101. Con turret
    102. Wind
    103. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    104. Wind
    105. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    106. Wind
    107. Converter
    108. Wind
    109. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    110. Wind
    111. Con turret
    112. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    113. Wind
    114. Converter
    115. Con turret
    116. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    117. Wind ×2
    118. Converter
    119. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    120. Wind ×2
    121. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    122. Wind
    123. Converter
    124. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    125. Wind
    126. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    127. Wind ×2
    128. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    129. Con turret
    130. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    131. Converter
    132. ValiantValiant ×2
    133. Wind ×2
    134. ValiantValiant
    135. Wind
    136. ValiantValiant
    137. Wind ×2
    138. ValiantValiant
    139. Wind
    140. ValiantValiant
    141. Wind
    142. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 14:00 · typical 10:53
    143. ValiantValiant ×2
    144. Wind ×2
    145. ValiantValiant ×8
    146. Wind
    147. ValiantValiant
    148. Wind
    149. ValiantValiant ×11
    150. Wind ×2
    151. ValiantValiant ×2
    152. Wind ×2
    153. ValiantValiant
    154. Wind
    155. ValiantValiant
    156. Wind
    157. Converter
    158. Con turret ×2
    159. ValiantValiant
    160. Converter
    161. Con turret ×2
    162. Wind
    163. Converter
    164. ValiantValiant
    165. Con turret
    166. Wind
    167. Converter
    168. ValiantValiant
    169. Wind ×2
    170. ValiantValiant
    171. Wind
    172. ValiantValiant
    173. Wind ×2
    174. ValiantValiant
    175. Converter
    176. Wind
    177. ValiantValiant
    178. Wind
    179. ValiantValiant
    180. Converter
    181. Wind
    182. ValiantValiant
    183. Wind
    184. ValiantValiant ×2
    185. Wind
    186. ValiantValiant
    187. Converter
    188. Wind ×2
    189. ValiantValiant
    190. Wind
    191. Converter
    192. ValiantValiant
    193. Wind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Milkdragon's (32 OS, 29/09/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

  • Finch2 Finch to Geo sea or Beach seafirst at 1:50 · 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 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

1811 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
6:003707102124
7:005089146167
8:006902190219
9:009284230270
10:0011758292380
11:0014356369536
12:0017069512781
13:00198597811102
14:002270412641689
15:002573618132420
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

Milkdragon

31.7 OS · 29/09/2026

Open source match ↗

3 received units · includes a constructor
417 metal received · 47414 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=1811
Advanced Metal Extractor6:54Middle 50%: 6:27–7:26 · n=1751
Fusion Reactor10:53Middle 50%: 9:45–12:17 · n=1159

Played most by

TheGeneraI114games of this buildDad_The_Speedrunner72games of this buildHunfore62games of this buildDRM52games of this buildMilkdragon52games of this build
Standard air · Cortex Air build order · BAR Build Atlas