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Whirlwind bomber rush

Skips the usual transport-first routine to build Whirlwind bombers from an Aircraft Plant as early as 5 minutes, sending them to hit the enemy base and middle well before the front stabilizes, before easing back into the normal…

#rush #raid #air · 20 distinct matches · 12 players · 3% of Cortex Air games · team won 60% of 20 · Recently observed

THE CATCH, AND WHAT COMES WITH IT
  • WhirlwindT1 air bombers from 5:07 · 7% of role by thenFrom the Aircraft Plant. Only 7% of Air games have it by then; others who build it get it around 10:48
  • WhirlwindWhirlwind in 50%3% of all Air games by then
  • Aircraft PlantAircraft Plant in 45%11% of all Air games by then
  • HerculesLight transport in 45%18% of all Air games by then

Where those units first fight, in 20 games with kill data: in the middle 60%, in the enemy base 40%.

Those units destroy a typical 667 metal of enemy units by 15:00.

Then transitions into valiant (35% of army), fighter (9% of army).

HOW TO PLAY IT

Key timing: Whirlwind bombers from 5:13

  1. Open aircraft plant immediately instead of the usual delay.
  2. Stack wind turbines heavily to fund the air push.
  3. Commit to T1 bombers led by Whirlwind far earlier than norm.
  4. Send bombers into the enemy base or contest the middle.
  5. Transition into fusion reactor and standard air composition.

Phase by phase

TYPICAL OF ITS 20 GAMES · AGAINST STANDARD AIR
  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
PLAY THE OPENING

Follow the example game's first 6:07 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 ~1:28, middle half 1:14–1:32

    Some games also: energy storage (50%)

    By 1:10 in all: 3 mex · 4 wind

    The example game in this phase · 4 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×4
    3. Energy storage
    4. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:32 · typical 1:28
  2. 2

    Aircraft Plant to T1 air bombers

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor1Mex
    • Wind Turbine7Wind
    • Wind Turbine4Wind
    Order
    1. WhirlwindT1 air bombers after 3 mex, 11 wind, 4 wind
    Builders
    • Construction Turret2 Con turret
    • Construction Aircraft1 Con aircraft
    Army
    • Valiant5 Valiant
    • Finch2 Finch for allies
    • Hercules2 Light transport for allies
    • Finch1 Finch
    • Hephaestus1 Heavy transport for allies

    Some games also: shuriken (40%) · converter (40%) · energy storage (30%) · Aircraft Plant (30%)

    By 5:01 in all: 3 mex · 1 mex · 11 wind · 4 wind · 1 energy storage · 2 con turret

    The example game in this phase · 27 steps
    1. Wind
    2. FinchFinch
    3. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    4. ValiantValiant
    5. Wind ×2
    6. ValiantValiant
    7. Wind
    8. FinchFinch
    9. Wind ×2
    10. ValiantValiant
    11. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    12. Mex
    13. Con turret
    14. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    15. ShurikenShuriken
    16. ValiantValiant ×2
    17. Wind
    18. ValiantValiant
    19. Wind
    20. ValiantValiant
    21. HerculesLight transportfor Geo
    22. ValiantValiant
    23. Wind
    24. ValiantValiant
    25. Wind
    26. Con turret
    27. WhirlwindWhirlwinddone 4:42
  3. 3

    T1 air bombers to 10:00

    Economy
    • Wind Turbine20Wind
    • Wind Turbine1Wind−4 vs standard
    Builders
    • Construction Turret1 Con turret −3 vs standard
    Army
    • Whirlwind5 Whirlwind +5 vs standard
    • Valiant4 Valiant −5 vs standard

    Some games also: converter (50%) · con turret (45%) · light transport for allies (40%) · finch (30%)

    The standard build makes here, this one skips: 6 converter

    By 10:00 in all: 3 mex · 1 mex · 25 wind · 15 wind (standard 20) · 6 converter (standard 8) · 1 energy storage

    The example game in this phase · 124 steps
    1. Wind ×2
    2. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    3. Wind ×4
    4. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    5. Wind ×3
    6. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    7. Wind ×2
    8. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    9. Wind ×2
    10. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    11. Wind ×4
    12. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    13. Wind ×2
    14. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    15. Wind
    16. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    17. Wind ×2
    18. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:42 · typical 7:19
    19. HerculesLight transportfor Front
    20. Wind
    21. Con turret
    22. Wind
    23. Con turret
    24. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×3
    25. Converter ×4
    26. Wind
    27. Converter
    28. Con turret
    29. Converter
    30. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 9:23
    31. Converter
    32. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    33. Wind
    34. Converter
    35. Wind
    36. Converter
    37. OspreyHeavy transportfor Geo
    38. Wind
    39. StorkLight transport
    40. Wind
    41. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    42. Wind ×2
    43. Advanced Aircraft PlantAdvanced Aircraft Plantdone 10:48
    44. Wind ×8
    45. LicheLichedone 11:43
    46. Wind ×6
    47. OracleOracle
    48. Wind
    49. Con turret
    50. Con turret
    51. Con turret
    52. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 12:21
    53. Wind
    54. HighwindHighwind
    55. Wind
    56. HighwindHighwind
    57. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    58. Wind
    59. Con turret
    60. HighwindHighwind
    61. Wind
    62. HighwindHighwind
    63. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    64. Wind
    65. HighwindHighwind
    66. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    67. HighwindHighwind
    68. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    69. HighwindHighwind
    70. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    71. HighwindHighwind
    72. Wind
    73. HighwindHighwind
    74. Wind
    75. HighwindHighwind
    76. Wind
    77. HighwindHighwind
    78. Wind
    79. HighwindHighwind ×2
    80. Wind
    81. HighwindHighwind
    82. Wind
    83. HighwindHighwind
    84. Wind
    85. HighwindHighwind
    86. Wind
    87. Wind
    88. HighwindHighwind
    89. Wind
    90. Wind
    91. Wind
    92. HighwindHighwind
    93. Wind
    94. Bot LabBot Labdone 14:14
    95. Wind
    96. HighwindHighwind
    97. PawnPawn
    98. Wind
    99. Wind
    100. PawnPawn
    101. HighwindHighwind
    102. PawnPawn ×2
    103. Wind
    104. Wind
    105. HighwindHighwind
    106. PawnPawn
    107. Wind
    108. PawnPawn
    109. Wind
    110. HighwindHighwind
    111. PawnPawn
    112. Wind
    113. PawnPawn
    114. Wind
    115. PawnPawn
    116. HighwindHighwind
    117. Wind
    118. PawnPawn
    119. Wind
    120. HighwindHighwind
    121. Wind
    122. Wind
    123. HighwindHighwind
    124. Wind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is krtf's (43 OS, 11/09/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

  • Finch2 Finch to Geo sea or Beach seafirst at 1:56 · in 95% of games
  • Hercules3 Light transport to Tech or Geo sea or Pondfirst at 2:17 · in 100% of games
  • Hephaestus1 Heavy transport to Beach sea or Techfirst at 2:33 · in 70% of games

You get

  • Wind Turbine2 Wind from Beach sea or Tech or Frontfirst at 1:30 · in 35% of games
  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo seafirst at 1:42 · in 75% of games
  • Construction Bot1 Con bot from Tech or Frontfirst at 2:11 · in 100% of games
  • Advanced Metal Extractor1 T2 mex from Tech or Beach seafirst at 6:00 · in 40% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Techfirst at 6:10 · in 100% of games

How it plays out

Typical game of this build against the role’s standard build, running totals by minute

  • This build
  • Standard air

Metal produced

010k20k30k
0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

Enemy metal destroyed

02k4k
0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

Own metal lost

02k4k
0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

20 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildMetal produced: Standard airEnemy metal destroyed: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: Standard airOwn metal lost: This buildOwn metal lost: Standard air
1:003913930000
2:009219250000
3:00145514580000
4:0020632052005151
5:002803276507374109
6:0038773755124125154167
7:0050655136206190208219
8:0065037019278220406290
9:0084119335289250533341
10:0011005117954263271101471
11:0013313143998734391760641
12:00158051710011076192255962
13:001839119948178193024611269
14:0021844226411964139532141807
15:0025139255303461204938542701
WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY

Won more often than the standard build and destroyed noticeably more enemy metal by 15:00.

  • + Enemy metal destroyed more than doubles standard by 15:00.
  • + Team win rate well above the role's standard build.
  • − Own metal lost roughly doubles the standard build by 10:00.
  • − Very rare timing, only 7% of role games this fast.
THE EXAMPLE YOU ARE READING

krtf

42.8 OS · 11/09/2026

Open source match ↗

4 received units · includes a constructor
621 metal received · 47853 energy received

Allied construction assistance is unknown. Timings are observations, not a promise of solo reproducibility.

Typical milestones

Aircraft Plant1:28Middle 50%: 1:14–1:32 · n=20
Advanced Metal Extractor7:19Middle 50%: 6:18–7:56 · n=20
Fusion Reactor11:24Middle 50%: 10:10–12:33 · n=12

Played most by

haaven5games of this buildkrtf4games of this buildMischievousDragonGF2games of this buildGeeGee1game of this buildImmort1game of this build