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Air / Cortex / Economy first / OBSERVED BUILD

Whirlwind bomber rush

Cortex Air build order · Supreme Isthmus

After the usual economy start, the player commits early (by 5:07) to T1 Whirlwind bombers that push forward and fight in the enemy base well before the role's norm, a clear forward plan rather than a reaction.

Usually transports first (65%)

#air #rush #raid · 75 distinct matches · 33 players · 3% of Cortex Air games · team won 56% of 75 · Recently observed

THE CATCH, AND WHAT COMES WITH IT
  • WhirlwindT1 air bombers from 5:04 · 6% of role by thenFrom the Aircraft Plant. Only 6% of Air games have it by then; others who build it get it around 11:03
  • WhirlwindWhirlwind in 41%3% of all Air games by then

Where those units first fight, in 73 games with kill data: in the middle 49%, in the enemy base 49%.

Those units destroy a typical 1,090 metal of enemy units by 15:00.

Then transitions into valiant (48% of army).

HOW TO PLAY IT

Key timing: Aircraft Plant by 1:28

  1. Build Aircraft Plant immediately instead of the usual later timing.
  2. Commit to Whirlwind bombers well before the role norm of 10:48.
  3. Send Whirlwinds forward to fight in middle and enemy base.
  4. Reclaim the Aircraft Plant once the rush has paid off.
  5. Build Fusion Reactor to transition back into team support.

Phase by phase

TYPICAL OF ITS 75 GAMES · AGAINST STANDARD AIR
  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
PLAY THE OPENING

Follow the example game's first 6:05 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 ~1:15, middle half 1:06–1:29

    By 0:57 in all: 3 mex · 4 wind

    The example game in this phase · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×6
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:29 · typical 1:15
  2. 2

    Aircraft Plant to T1 air bombers

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor1Mex
    • Wind Turbine9Wind
    • Wind Turbine2Wind
    • Energy Storage1Energy storage
    Order
    1. WhirlwindT1 air bombers after 3 mex, 13 wind, 2 con turret
    Builders
    • Construction Turret2 Con turret
    • Construction Aircraft1 Con aircraft
    Army
    • Valiant4 Valiant −2 vs standard
    • Finch2 Finch for allies
    • Hercules2 Light transport for allies
    • Finch1 Finch

    Some games also: converter (47%) · heavy transport for allies (45%) · light transport (40%) · shuriken (36%) · mex (36%)

    By 5:04 in all: 3 mex · 1 mex · 13 wind · 2 wind · 1 energy storage · 2 con turret

    The example game in this phase · 102 steps
    1. Wind
    2. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    3. FinchFinch ×2for Beach sea
    4. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    5. Con turret ×2
    6. Wind
    7. FinchFinch
    8. Wind
    9. Wind
    10. Wind
    11. FinchFinch
    12. Wind
    13. Mex
    14. Wind
    15. Wind ×2
    16. Wind
    17. ValiantValiant
    18. Wind
    19. Wind
    20. Wind ×3
    21. Wind
    22. ValiantValiant
    23. Wind
    24. Converter
    25. ShurikenShuriken
    26. Wind
    27. Wind
    28. Wind ×2
    29. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    30. Wind
    31. Wind
    32. Wind ×2
    33. Converter
    34. ValiantValiant
    35. Wind
    36. Wind
    37. Wind
    38. Converter
    39. Wind
    40. Wind
    41. Con turret
    42. Wind
    43. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    44. Wind
    45. Wind
    46. Wind
    47. Energy storage
    48. Converter
    49. Wind
    50. Wind
    51. Wind
    52. Converter
    53. Wind
    54. Converter
    55. Wind
    56. Wind
    57. Wind
    58. Converter
    59. Wind
    60. Wind
    61. Converter
    62. Wind
    63. Wind
    64. Converter
    65. Wind
    66. Wind
    67. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:12 · typical 6:54
    68. Converter
    69. Wind
    70. Wind ×2
    71. Converter
    72. Wind
    73. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    74. Wind ×2
    75. Converter
    76. Wind
    77. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    78. Wind
    79. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    80. Wind
    81. Con turret ×2
    82. Wind
    83. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 7:38
    84. Wind ×2
    85. ValiantValiant
    86. Wind
    87. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Tech
    88. Wind
    89. ValiantValiant
    90. Wind
    91. ValiantValiant ×2
    92. Wind
    93. ValiantValiant ×2
    94. Wind
    95. Con turret
    96. ValiantValiant
    97. Con turret
    98. ValiantValiant
    99. Con turret
    100. ValiantValiant ×2
    101. Wind
    102. WhirlwindWhirlwinddone 8:30
  3. 3

    T1 air bombers to 10:00

    Economy
    • Wind Turbine14Wind−7 vs standard
    • Wind Turbine5Wind
    • Energy Converter3Converter−3 vs standard
    Order
    1. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plant
    Builders
    • Construction Turret1 Con turret −2 vs standard
    Army
    • Valiant8 Valiant
    • Whirlwind5 Whirlwind +5 vs standard

    Some games also: light transport for allies (37%) · Aircraft Plant (37%) · finch (36%) · con turret (32%)

    By 10:00 in all: 3 mex · 1 mex · 28 wind (standard 20) · 24 wind · 8 converter · 1 energy storage

    The example game in this phase · 185 steps
    1. Wind
    2. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×3
    3. Wind
    4. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×4
    5. Wind
    6. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×4
    7. Wind
    8. ValiantValiant
    9. FinchFinch ×2
    10. Wind
    11. Wind
    12. FinchFinch ×2
    13. Wind
    14. ValiantValiant
    15. Bot LabBot Labdone 9:31
    16. Wind
    17. ValiantValiant
    18. Wind
    19. Wind
    20. Construction BotCon bot
    21. ValiantValiant
    22. Wind
    23. Construction BotCon bot
    24. ValiantValiant
    25. Wind
    26. Construction BotCon bot
    27. ValiantValiant
    28. Construction BotCon bot
    29. ValiantValiant
    30. Wind
    31. Construction BotCon bot
    32. Wind
    33. ValiantValiant
    34. Construction BotCon bot
    35. ValiantValiant
    36. Wind
    37. Construction BotCon bot
    38. ValiantValiant
    39. Wind
    40. Construction BotCon bot
    41. ValiantValiant
    42. Construction BotCon bot
    43. ValiantValiant
    44. Wind
    45. Construction BotCon bot
    46. ValiantValiant
    47. Wind
    48. ValiantValiant ×3
    49. Wind
    50. Wind
    51. ValiantValiant ×3
    52. Wind
    53. ValiantValiant ×3
    54. Wind
    55. ValiantValiant ×3
    56. Wind
    57. Wind
    58. ValiantValiant ×3
    59. Wind
    60. Wind
    61. ValiantValiant
    62. Wind
    63. ValiantValiant ×2
    64. Wind
    65. ValiantValiant ×2
    66. Wind ×2
    67. Wind
    68. ValiantValiant
    69. Wind
    70. ValiantValiant ×2
    71. Wind
    72. ValiantValiant
    73. Wind
    74. Wind
    75. Construction BotCon bot
    76. ValiantValiant
    77. Wind ×2
    78. Wind
    79. Wind
    80. Construction BotCon bot
    81. Wind ×2
    82. ValiantValiant
    83. Wind
    84. Wind
    85. Wind
    86. ValiantValiant
    87. Wind ×3
    88. Wind
    89. ValiantValiant
    90. Wind ×4
    91. Wind
    92. Wind ×4
    93. Wind
    94. ValiantValiant
    95. Wind ×4
    96. Wind
    97. ValiantValiant
    98. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    99. Wind ×3
    100. ValiantValiant
    101. Wind
    102. Wind
    103. Con turret
    104. ValiantValiant
    105. Wind ×2
    106. Con turret
    107. Wind ×3
    108. Wind
    109. Wind
    110. HerculesLight transport
    111. Wind ×4
    112. ValiantValiant
    113. Wind
    114. Wind ×2
    115. ValiantValiant
    116. Wind ×2
    117. ValiantValiant
    118. Con turret
    119. Wind ×2
    120. Wind
    121. Con turret
    122. Wind ×6
    123. Wind
    124. T2 converter
    125. Wind ×5
    126. ValiantValiant
    127. Wind
    128. Wind ×4
    129. Wind
    130. Wind ×4
    131. Wind
    132. Wind ×5
    133. Wind
    134. Wind ×4
    135. T2 converter
    136. Wind ×3
    137. Wind
    138. Wind ×7
    139. Wind
    140. Wind ×5
    141. T2 converter
    142. Wind ×2
    143. Wind
    144. ValiantValiant
    145. Wind ×5
    146. Wind
    147. Wind ×11
    148. Wind
    149. Wind ×4
    150. Wind
    151. Wind ×8
    152. T2 converter
    153. Wind ×2
    154. ValiantValiant
    155. Wind
    156. Wind ×8
    157. Wind
    158. Wind ×5
    159. Wind
    160. Wind ×7
    161. ValiantValiant
    162. Wind ×2
    163. Wind
    164. Wind
    165. T2 converter
    166. Wind ×9
    167. Wind
    168. Wind
    169. ValiantValiant
    170. Con turret
    171. Wind ×5
    172. Con turret
    173. Wind
    174. Wind ×9
    175. Con turret
    176. Wind ×3
    177. Con turret
    178. Wind
    179. Wind ×5
    180. ValiantValiant
    181. Wind ×6
    182. Hardened Energy Storage
    183. Wind
    184. ValiantValiant
    185. Wind ×3

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Herbiderpi's (33 OS, 12/10/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

  • Finch2 Finch to Geo sea or Beach seafirst at 1:45 · in 89% of games
  • Hercules3 Light transport to Tech or Geo sea or Geofirst at 2:13 · in 97% of games
  • Hephaestus1 Heavy transport to Beach sea or Techfirst at 2:17 · in 53% of games

You get

  • Wind Turbine2 Wind from Beach sea or Tech or Geo seafirst at 1:34 · in 40% of games
  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo seafirst at 1:41 · in 63% of games
  • Construction Bot1 Con bot from Techfirst at 2:17 · in 88% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Techfirst at 6:00 · in 93% 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

75 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
1:003893920000
2:009199230000
3:00144714560000
4:0020412052005151
5:00275927630517473
6:0037093709125102183124
7:0050965089190146257167
8:0067806903254190398219
9:0089119285336231541271
10:001148311765554292746380
11:0013907143738663671284535
12:00160721707412675121972780
13:001887519864170877523631095
14:0022225227101994126229141682
15:0025456257393100181135802415
WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY

Won more often than the standard build despite destroying less enemy metal early and losing more by 10:00.

  • + Destroys more enemy metal than standard by 15:00 (2779 vs 2089).
  • + Won more often than the Air role's standard build.
  • − Destroys nothing by 5:00, well behind standard's 73.
  • − Own losses by 10:00 nearly double the standard build's.
THE EXAMPLE YOU ARE READING

Herbiderpi

32.9 OS · 12/10/2026

Open source match ↗

2 received units · includes a constructor
720 metal received · 60469 energy received

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

Typical milestones

Aircraft Plant1:15Middle 50%: 1:06–1:29 · n=75
Advanced Metal Extractor6:54Middle 50%: 6:27–7:46 · n=70
Fusion Reactor11:14Middle 50%: 10:14–12:32 · n=45

Played most by

Milkdragon15games of this buildpownage22711games of this buildhaaven8games of this buildkrtf4games of this buildHerbiderpi3games of this build