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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 · 19 distinct matches · 12 players · 3% of Cortex Air games · team won 63% of 19 · Recently observed

THE CATCH, AND WHAT COMES WITH IT
  • WhirlwindT1 air bombers from 5:04 · 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
  • Aircraft PlantAircraft Plant in 47%10% of all Air games by then
  • WhirlwindWhirlwind in 47%3% of all Air games by then
  • HerculesLight transport in 42%18% of all Air games by then

Where those units first fight, in 19 games with kill data: in the middle 58%, in the enemy base 42%.

Those units destroy a typical 480 metal of enemy units by 15:00.

Then transitions into valiant (35% of army), fighter (10% 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 19 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 ~1:27, middle half 1:14–1:32

    Some games also: energy storage (47%)

    By 1:09 in all: 3 mex · 4 wind

    The example game in this phase · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×3
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:06 · typical 1:27
  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
    • Valiant4 Valiant
    • Finch2 Finch for allies
    • Hercules2 Light transport for allies
    • Finch1 Finch
    • Hephaestus1 Heavy transport for allies

    Some games also: converter (42%) · shuriken (37%) · energy storage (32%)

    By 4:55 in all: 3 mex · 1 mex · 11 wind · 4 wind · 1 energy storage · 2 con turret

    The example game in this phase · 2 steps
    1. Wind
    2. WhirlwindWhirlwinddone 1:40
  3. 3

    T1 air bombers to 10:00

    Economy
    • Wind Turbine20Wind
    • Wind Turbine1Wind−4 vs standard
    • Energy Converter1Converter−6 vs standard
    Builders
    • Construction Turret1 Con turret −3 vs standard
    Army
    • Valiant5 Valiant −4 vs standard
    • Whirlwind5 Whirlwind +5 vs standard

    Some games also: con turret (47%) · light transport for allies (42%)

    By 10:00 in all: 3 mex · 1 mex · 24 wind · 14 wind (standard 20) · 6 converter (standard 8) · 1 energy storage

    The example game in this phase · 136 steps
    1. Wind ×5
    2. FinchFinch
    3. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    4. FinchFinch ×2for Geo sea
    5. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    6. Solar
    7. Mex
    8. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    9. Wind ×2
    10. ValiantValiant
    11. Wind
    12. ValiantValiant
    13. Wind ×2
    14. Con turret
    15. ValiantValiant
    16. Wind
    17. Con turret
    18. Wind
    19. ValiantValiant
    20. Wind ×3
    21. Con turret
    22. ValiantValiant
    23. Converter
    24. Wind
    25. ShurikenShuriken
    26. ValiantValiant
    27. Wind
    28. Converter
    29. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    30. ValiantValiant
    31. Wind
    32. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    33. ValiantValiant
    34. Wind
    35. ValiantValiant
    36. Wind
    37. FinchFinch
    38. ValiantValiant
    39. Wind
    40. ValiantValiant
    41. Wind
    42. Converter
    43. ShurikenShuriken
    44. Wind
    45. HerculesLight transportfor Pond
    46. Converter
    47. ShurikenShuriken
    48. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Front
    49. Wind
    50. Converter
    51. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    52. Wind
    53. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    54. Wind
    55. ShurikenShuriken
    56. Wind
    57. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    58. Wind
    59. ShurikenShuriken
    60. Wind
    61. ShurikenShuriken
    62. Wind ×2
    63. Mexfor Front
    64. Wind ×3
    65. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:50 · typical 7:23
    66. Wind ×5
    67. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×2
    68. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 8:55
    69. FalconFighter
    70. Con turret ×2
    71. FalconFighter
    72. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    73. Energy storage
    74. FalconFighter ×4
    75. Con turret
    76. FalconFighter ×4
    77. BlinkScout plane ×2
    78. FalconFighter ×12
    79. Con turret
    80. FalconFighter
    81. Advanced solar
    82. FalconFighter
    83. Wind
    84. FalconFighter
    85. StorkLight transport
    86. Wind
    87. FalconFighter ×4
    88. Wind
    89. FalconFighter
    90. Wind
    91. FalconFighter
    92. Wind
    93. FalconFighter
    94. Con turret ×2
    95. FalconFighter
    96. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    97. BansheeBanshee
    98. Wind
    99. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    100. Wind
    101. FalconFighter ×2
    102. Wind
    103. FalconFighter ×2
    104. Wind
    105. FalconFighter ×2
    106. Wind
    107. FalconFighter
    108. Wind
    109. FalconFighter ×2
    110. Wind
    111. FalconFighter
    112. BlinkScout plane
    113. Wind
    114. BlinkScout plane
    115. StormbringerBomber
    116. Wind
    117. StormbringerBomber ×2
    118. Wind
    119. StormbringerBomber
    120. Wind
    121. StormbringerBomber
    122. Wind
    123. StormbringerBomber ×2
    124. Wind
    125. StormbringerBomber
    126. Wind
    127. StormbringerBomber
    128. Wind
    129. StormbringerBomber
    130. Wind
    131. StormbringerBomber ×10
    132. FalconFighter ×3
    133. StormbringerBomber ×5
    134. FalconFighter ×6
    135. BlinkScout plane ×2
    136. FalconFighter ×12

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Immort's (55 OS, 19/08/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

  • Finch2 Finch to Geo sea or Beach seafirst at 1:58 · in 95% of games
  • Hercules3 Light transport to Tech or Geo sea or Pondfirst at 2:18 · in 100% of games
  • Hephaestus1 Heavy transport to Beach sea or Techfirst at 2:33 · in 74% of games

You get

  • Wind Turbine16 Wind from Beach sea or Tech or Frontfirst at 1:28 · in 32% of games
  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo seafirst at 1:42 · in 79% 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 42% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Techfirst at 6:20 · 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

02k4k6k
0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

19 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
1:003933930000
2:009219240000
3:00145514570000
4:0020582052005151
5:002793276507374102
6:0036803779125124182147
7:0050065128221176240219
8:0064507036279220413281
9:0083239352298250541341
10:0010965118414653141162464
11:00131741439510734391963635
12:00157621710910976052207955
13:001831619932162890724011256
14:0021897226191933139132201819
15:0025456254893836205940462748
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

Immort

54.9 OS · 19/08/2026

Open source match ↗

7 received units · includes a constructor
121 metal received · 58885 energy received

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

Typical milestones

Aircraft Plant1:27Middle 50%: 1:14–1:32 · n=19
Advanced Metal Extractor7:23Middle 50%: 6:12–7:57 · n=19
Fusion Reactor11:01Middle 50%: 10:08–12:19 · n=11

Played most by

haaven4games of this buildkrtf4games of this buildMischievousDragonGF2games of this buildGeeGee1game of this buildImmort1game of this build