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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 · 4 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Solar
    3. Wind ×2
    4. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:11 · 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 · 25 steps
    1. Wind
    2. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    3. Wind ×2
    4. FinchFinch
    5. Wind ×3
    6. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    7. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    8. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    9. HerculesLight transport
    10. ValiantValiant
    11. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    12. Wind ×4
    13. ValiantValiant
    14. Con turret
    15. Energy storage
    16. ValiantValiant
    17. Mex
    18. Con turret
    19. Converter
    20. ValiantValiant
    21. Converter ×2
    22. ValiantValiant
    23. Converter
    24. Wind
    25. WhirlwindWhirlwindnot finished by 15:00
  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 · 186 steps
    1. Converter
    2. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Tech
    3. Wind
    4. Converter ×2
    5. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    6. Wind
    7. Converter
    8. Wind
    9. Converter
    10. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    11. Wind
    12. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    13. Wind
    14. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    15. Wind
    16. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    17. Wind
    18. ValiantValiant
    19. Wind
    20. ValiantValiant
    21. Wind ×2
    22. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×2done 7:50 · typical 7:23
    23. Wind ×3
    24. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×2
    25. Con turret
    26. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 9:05
    27. Con turret
    28. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    29. Con turret
    30. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    31. Wind
    32. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    33. Wind
    34. FalconFighter ×2
    35. Wind
    36. FalconFighter
    37. Wind
    38. Con turret
    39. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    40. Wind
    41. FalconFighter
    42. Wind ×2
    43. Converter
    44. FalconFighter
    45. Wind
    46. Con turret
    47. Converter
    48. Wind ×2
    49. Con turret
    50. Con turret
    51. FalconFighter
    52. Wind ×2
    53. Converter
    54. FalconFighter
    55. Wind
    56. Con turret
    57. Wind ×3
    58. Converter
    59. FalconFighter
    60. Con turret
    61. Wind ×2
    62. Wind
    63. Wind ×2
    64. Converter
    65. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 12:30 · typical 11:01
    66. Wind
    67. Wind
    68. FalconFighter
    69. Wind ×3
    70. Wind
    71. FalconFighter
    72. Converter
    73. Wind ×2
    74. FalconFighter
    75. Wind
    76. Wind ×3
    77. FalconFighter
    78. Wind
    79. Wind
    80. Converter
    81. Wind
    82. FalconFighter
    83. Wind
    84. Wind ×2
    85. FalconFighter
    86. Wind
    87. Wind
    88. FalconFighter
    89. Converter
    90. Wind ×2
    91. Wind
    92. FalconFighter
    93. Wind
    94. Wind
    95. NettleNettle
    96. Converter
    97. FalconFighter
    98. Wind ×2
    99. FalconFighter
    100. Wind
    101. Wind
    102. NettleNettle
    103. FalconFighter ×5
    104. Construction AircraftCon aircraft ×3
    105. Wind
    106. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    107. Wind ×2
    108. FalconFighter
    109. Wind ×2
    110. FalconFighter
    111. Wind ×2
    112. FalconFighter
    113. Wind ×2
    114. FalconFighter
    115. Wind
    116. FalconFighter
    117. Wind ×2
    118. FalconFighter
    119. Wind ×2
    120. FalconFighter
    121. Wind
    122. FalconFighter
    123. Converter
    124. Wind ×2
    125. FalconFighter
    126. Wind ×2
    127. FalconFighter
    128. Wind
    129. Converter
    130. Wind
    131. FalconFighter
    132. Wind
    133. FalconFighter
    134. Wind ×2
    135. FalconFighter
    136. Wind
    137. Converter
    138. FalconFighter
    139. Wind ×2
    140. FalconFighter
    141. Wind ×2
    142. FalconFighter
    143. Wind
    144. FalconFighter
    145. Wind
    146. Converter
    147. Wind
    148. FalconFighter
    149. Wind
    150. FalconFighter
    151. Wind
    152. FalconFighter
    153. Wind ×2
    154. FalconFighter
    155. Converter
    156. Wind ×2
    157. FalconFighter
    158. Wind
    159. FalconFighter
    160. Wind ×2
    161. FalconFighter
    162. Wind
    163. FalconFighter
    164. Wind
    165. Converter
    166. Wind
    167. FalconFighter
    168. Wind ×2
    169. FalconFighter
    170. Advanced Aircraft PlantAdvanced Aircraft Plantdone 14:35
    171. Wind ×2
    172. Converter
    173. Wind ×4
    174. Converter
    175. Wind ×3
    176. Converter
    177. Wind ×2
    178. HighwindHighwind
    179. Wind
    180. Converter
    181. Wind ×3
    182. HighwindHighwind
    183. Wind ×2
    184. LicheLichenot finished by 15:00
    185. Converter
    186. Wind ×5

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is yubiyubi's (42 OS, 30/08/2026); 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

yubiyubi

42.1 OS · 30/08/2026

Open source match ↗

6 received units · includes a constructor
753 metal received · 59150 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