BAR / BUILD ATLAS
← All builds
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 (66%)

#air #rush #raid · 74 distinct matches · 32 players · 3% of Cortex Air games · team won 55% of 74 · Recently observed

THE CATCH, AND WHAT COMES WITH IT
  • WhirlwindT1 air bombers from 5:07 · 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 72 games with kill data: in the middle 50%, in the enemy base 49%.

Those units destroy a typical 1,057 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 74 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 ~1:15, middle half 1:06–1:29

    By 0:57 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 1:15
  2. 2

    Aircraft Plant to T1 air bombers

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor1Mex
    • Wind Turbine9Wind
    • Wind Turbine2Wind−2 vs standard
    • 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 (46%) · light transport (41%) · shuriken (36%) · mex (36%)

    By 5:05 in all: 3 mex · 1 mex · 13 wind · 2 wind (standard 4) · 1 energy storage · 2 con turret

    The example game in this phase · 6 steps
    1. FinchFinch ×2for Geo sea
    2. FinchFinch
    3. HerculesLight transport ×2for Geo sea
    4. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Geo
    5. FinchFinch
    6. WhirlwindWhirlwinddone 2:48
  3. 3

    T1 air bombers to 10:00

    Economy
    • Wind Turbine14Wind−6 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 (36%) · Aircraft Plant (36%) · 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 · 196 steps
    1. Mex
    2. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    3. ValiantValiant ×2
    4. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    5. Con turret
    6. Wind
    7. ShurikenShuriken
    8. Wind
    9. ShurikenShuriken
    10. Wind
    11. ShurikenShuriken
    12. Wind ×10
    13. ShurikenShuriken
    14. Wind
    15. ShurikenShuriken
    16. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:16 · typical 6:54
    17. Con turret
    18. Wind
    19. ShurikenShuriken
    20. Wind
    21. OverwatchOverwatch
    22. Wind
    23. Con turret
    24. Wind ×2
    25. Con turret
    26. Wind ×3
    27. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    28. Wind
    29. Converter
    30. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    31. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    32. Wind
    33. Mex
    34. Converter ×3
    35. Wind
    36. Converter
    37. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    38. Converter
    39. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 7:45
    40. Mex
    41. Converter
    42. OspreyHeavy transportfor Suicide front
    43. Mex
    44. Converter
    45. FalconFighter ×2
    46. Converter
    47. FalconFighter
    48. Converter
    49. FalconFighter
    50. Con turret
    51. Mex
    52. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    53. Con turret ×3
    54. Mex
    55. Construction AircraftCon aircraft ×5
    56. Wind
    57. FalconFighter
    58. Wind
    59. FalconFighter
    60. Wind
    61. FalconFighter
    62. Wind
    63. FalconFighter
    64. Wind
    65. FalconFighter
    66. Wind
    67. FalconFighter ×2
    68. Wind
    69. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    70. Con turret
    71. FalconFighter
    72. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    73. FalconFighter
    74. Wind
    75. FalconFighter
    76. Wind
    77. FalconFighter ×2
    78. Metal storage
    79. Wind
    80. FalconFighter
    81. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 10:42 · typical 11:18
    82. FalconFighter
    83. StorkLight transport
    84. Wind
    85. FalconFighter
    86. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    87. FalconFighter ×2
    88. GuardGuard
    89. Wind
    90. FalconFighter
    91. Con turret
    92. FalconFighter
    93. OverwatchOverwatch
    94. Wind
    95. FalconFighter ×6
    96. Con turret
    97. FalconFighter ×2
    98. Wind
    99. FalconFighter ×2
    100. Con turret
    101. FalconFighter ×3
    102. Wind
    103. FalconFighter
    104. Wind ×7
    105. FalconFighter
    106. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    107. Wind
    108. FalconFighter
    109. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 11:37
    110. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    111. Wind ×4
    112. HephaestusHeavy transport
    113. Wind ×3
    114. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    115. Wind
    116. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    117. Wind ×2
    118. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    119. Wind ×2
    120. ShurikenShuriken
    121. Wind ×3
    122. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    123. Wind ×6
    124. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    125. Wind ×2
    126. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    127. Wind
    128. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    129. Wind ×2
    130. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    131. Wind ×2
    132. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    133. Wind
    134. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    135. Wind ×2
    136. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    137. Wind ×2
    138. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    139. Wind
    140. Con turret ×3
    141. Wind ×3
    142. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    143. Wind
    144. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    145. Con turret
    146. Wind ×2
    147. Con turret
    148. Wind ×2
    149. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    150. Con turret
    151. Wind ×2
    152. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    153. Wind
    154. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    155. Wind
    156. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    157. Wind
    158. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    159. PulsarPulsarnot finished by 15:00
    160. Con turret ×3
    161. ValiantValiant ×2
    162. FinchFinch ×2
    163. ValiantValiant ×2
    164. Wind
    165. ValiantValiant
    166. Wind ×4
    167. FinchFinch
    168. Wind ×2
    169. ValiantValiant ×2
    170. Wind
    171. ValiantValiant ×2
    172. Wind
    173. ValiantValiant
    174. Wind
    175. ValiantValiant ×2
    176. Wind
    177. ValiantValiant ×2
    178. Wind
    179. FinchFinch
    180. Wind
    181. ValiantValiant
    182. Wind
    183. ValiantValiant ×2
    184. Wind
    185. ValiantValiant
    186. Wind
    187. ValiantValiant
    188. Wind
    189. ValiantValiant ×2
    190. Wind ×2
    191. ValiantValiant
    192. Wind
    193. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    194. Wind ×2
    195. Fusion ReactorFusion
    196. Wind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is enderOS1's (33 OS, 27/09/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

  • Finch2 Finch to Geo sea or Beach seafirst at 1:45 · in 91% of games
  • Hercules3 Light transport to Tech or Geo sea or Geofirst at 2:12 · in 97% of games
  • Hephaestus1 Heavy transport to Beach sea or Techfirst at 2:17 · in 54% of games

You get

  • Wind Turbine2 Wind from Beach sea or Tech or Geo seafirst at 1:34 · in 41% of games
  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo seafirst at 1:41 · in 64% of games
  • Construction Bot1 Con bot from Techfirst at 2:17 · in 89% 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

74 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
6:0037283711124102183124
7:0051105089190146257167
8:0068736903247190398219
9:0089699285317230562270
10:001148411761511292747379
11:0013919143709103691294533
12:00162311706912945122007781
13:001891819859171578123681101
14:0022336227042014126330051689
15:0025611257363093180835012409
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

enderOS1

33.4 OS · 27/09/2026

Open source match ↗

18 received units · includes a constructor
879 metal received · 26597 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=74
Advanced Metal Extractor6:54Middle 50%: 6:27–7:42 · n=69
Fusion Reactor11:18Middle 50%: 10:14–12:33 · n=44

Played most by

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