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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 1:10 · 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 · 32 steps
    1. FinchFinch
    2. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    3. Wind
    4. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    5. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    6. Wind
    7. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    8. Wind ×2
    9. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Geo sea
    10. ValiantValiant ×2
    11. FinchFinch
    12. ValiantValiant
    13. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    14. Energy storage
    15. Mex
    16. Wind ×2
    17. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    18. ValiantValiant
    19. Wind
    20. ValiantValiant ×3
    21. Wind
    22. Wind
    23. ValiantValiant
    24. HerculesLight transportfor Pond
    25. Wind
    26. Con turret
    27. Wind
    28. Wind
    29. HerculesLight transportfor Pond
    30. ValiantValiant
    31. Wind
    32. WhirlwindWhirlwinddone 5:29
  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 · 146 steps
    1. Wind
    2. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexnot finished by 15:00 · typical 7:23
    3. Wind
    4. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    5. Wind
    6. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    7. Con turret
    8. Wind
    9. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    10. Wind ×2
    11. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    12. Wind
    13. ValiantValiant
    14. Wind
    15. ValiantValiant
    16. Wind
    17. ValiantValiant
    18. Wind
    19. ValiantValiant
    20. Wind
    21. ValiantValiant
    22. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    23. Wind
    24. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    25. Wind
    26. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    27. Wind
    28. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    29. Wind
    30. FinchFinch
    31. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    32. HerculesLight transport
    33. Con turret ×2
    34. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×3
    35. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 9:55
    36. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    37. Con turret
    38. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    39. Wind
    40. ShurikenShuriken
    41. Wind
    42. ShurikenShuriken
    43. Wind
    44. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    45. Wind
    46. ShurikenShuriken
    47. Con turret
    48. ShurikenShuriken
    49. Wind
    50. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    51. Wind
    52. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    53. Wind
    54. ShurikenShuriken
    55. Wind
    56. ShurikenShuriken
    57. Wind
    58. Wind
    59. ShurikenShuriken
    60. ValiantValiant
    61. Wind
    62. ValiantValiant
    63. Wind
    64. Wind
    65. ValiantValiant
    66. Wind
    67. Wind
    68. ValiantValiant
    69. Wind
    70. ValiantValiant
    71. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    72. Wind
    73. Wind
    74. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    75. Wind
    76. Wind
    77. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    78. Wind
    79. Wind
    80. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    81. Con turret
    82. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    83. Wind
    84. Wind
    85. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    86. Con turret
    87. Wind
    88. Wind
    89. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    90. Con turret
    91. Wind
    92. Wind
    93. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    94. Wind ×2
    95. Converter
    96. Wind ×6
    97. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 12:29
    98. Con turret
    99. Wind ×4
    100. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    101. Wind ×2
    102. Converter
    103. Wind ×2
    104. Con turret
    105. Advanced Aircraft PlantAdvanced Aircraft Plantdone 13:43
    106. Wind ×4
    107. Con turret
    108. Converter
    109. Wind ×4
    110. Converter
    111. Con turret
    112. Wind
    113. Converter
    114. Wind ×7
    115. Con turret
    116. Wind
    117. HighwindHighwind
    118. Wind
    119. Converter
    120. Wind ×2
    121. Converter
    122. Wind
    123. Con turret
    124. Wind
    125. HighwindHighwind
    126. Converter
    127. Wind ×2
    128. ChainsawChainsaw
    129. Converter
    130. Wind
    131. Converter
    132. Wind ×2
    133. Converter
    134. HighwindHighwind
    135. Wind
    136. Converter ×3
    137. Wind ×2
    138. Converter ×2
    139. Wind
    140. Converter
    141. HighwindHighwind
    142. Wind
    143. Converter
    144. Wind ×2
    145. Converter
    146. Wind ×2

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is krtf's (41 OS, 31/08/2026); 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

krtf

40.9 OS · 31/08/2026

Open source match ↗

8 received units · includes a constructor
3119 metal received · 41663 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