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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 ×4
    2. Wind ×4
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:41 · 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 · 5 steps
    1. Wind
    2. HerculesLight transportfor unknown
    3. FinchFinchfor unknown
    4. Wind ×3
    5. WhirlwindWhirlwinddone 2:41
  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 · 223 steps
    1. Wind ×3
    2. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    3. Wind
    4. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    5. Wind
    6. Con turret
    7. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    8. Wind
    9. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    10. Wind
    11. ValiantValiant
    12. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    13. Wind ×2
    14. Con turret
    15. ValiantValiant ×2
    16. Wind
    17. ValiantValiant ×2
    18. Converter
    19. ValiantValiant
    20. Wind
    21. ValiantValiant
    22. Wind
    23. ValiantValiant
    24. Wind
    25. ValiantValiant ×2
    26. Wind
    27. ValiantValiant
    28. Wind
    29. ValiantValiant
    30. Wind
    31. ValiantValiant ×2
    32. Wind
    33. ValiantValiant
    34. Wind ×2
    35. Converter
    36. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:23 · typical 7:23
    37. ValiantValiant
    38. Converter
    39. Wind ×3
    40. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    41. ValiantValiant
    42. Wind ×5
    43. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    44. Wind
    45. ValiantValiant
    46. Converter ×2
    47. ValiantValiant
    48. Wind ×4
    49. ValiantValiant
    50. Wind
    51. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    52. Wind ×3
    53. ValiantValiant
    54. Wind
    55. Converter ×2
    56. ValiantValiant
    57. Wind
    58. Bot LabBot Labdone 10:02
    59. ValiantValiant
    60. Wind
    61. ValiantValiant
    62. Construction BotCon bot
    63. Wind ×2
    64. ValiantValiant
    65. Wind
    66. Construction BotCon bot
    67. Wind
    68. ValiantValiant
    69. Construction BotCon bot
    70. Wind
    71. Construction BotCon bot
    72. ValiantValiant
    73. Wind
    74. Construction BotCon bot
    75. ValiantValiant
    76. Wind
    77. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    78. Converter
    79. ValiantValiant
    80. Construction BotCon bot
    81. ValiantValiant
    82. Construction BotCon bot
    83. Converter
    84. Construction BotCon bot
    85. ValiantValiant
    86. Construction BotCon bot
    87. Wind
    88. Construction BotCon bot
    89. ValiantValiant
    90. Construction BotCon bot
    91. Wind ×4
    92. ValiantValiant
    93. Wind ×4
    94. ValiantValiant
    95. Wind ×3
    96. ValiantValiant
    97. Wind ×4
    98. ValiantValiant
    99. Wind
    100. Converter
    101. Wind
    102. ValiantValiant
    103. Con turret ×2
    104. Converter
    105. Wind
    106. ValiantValiant
    107. Wind ×4
    108. Con turret
    109. ValiantValiant
    110. Wind ×4
    111. ValiantValiant
    112. Con turret
    113. Wind ×3
    114. Con turret
    115. Wind
    116. Con turret
    117. ValiantValiant
    118. Wind
    119. Con turret
    120. Wind
    121. Con turret
    122. ValiantValiant
    123. Wind
    124. Con turret ×2
    125. Wind ×2
    126. ValiantValiant
    127. Con turret
    128. Wind ×2
    129. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    130. Con turret
    131. Wind ×2
    132. Con turret
    133. Wind
    134. Con turret
    135. Wind
    136. Con turret
    137. ValiantValiant
    138. Con turret ×2
    139. Converter
    140. Con turret
    141. Wind
    142. Con turret
    143. Wind
    144. Con turret
    145. ValiantValiant
    146. Con turret
    147. Converter
    148. Wind ×2
    149. Con turret
    150. ValiantValiant
    151. Wind
    152. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 13:43
    153. Wind ×2
    154. ValiantValiant
    155. Converter
    156. Wind
    157. Con turret ×2
    158. Wind ×2
    159. Converter
    160. Wind
    161. Converter
    162. ValiantValiant
    163. Wind
    164. Con turret
    165. ValiantValiant ×2
    166. Wind
    167. ValiantValiant
    168. Wind
    169. ValiantValiant
    170. Wind
    171. ValiantValiant
    172. Wind
    173. ValiantValiant ×2
    174. Wind
    175. ValiantValiant
    176. Converter
    177. Wind ×2
    178. ValiantValiant ×2
    179. Wind
    180. Converter
    181. ValiantValiant
    182. Wind ×2
    183. ValiantValiant
    184. Wind ×2
    185. ValiantValiant
    186. Converter
    187. Wind
    188. ValiantValiant
    189. Wind
    190. ValiantValiant
    191. Wind ×3
    192. ValiantValiant
    193. Converter
    194. Wind
    195. Converter
    196. Wind
    197. ValiantValiant ×2
    198. Wind ×3
    199. ValiantValiant
    200. Wind
    201. ValiantValiant
    202. Wind ×3
    203. Con turret
    204. ValiantValiant
    205. Wind
    206. Converter
    207. ValiantValiant
    208. Wind ×2
    209. ValiantValiant
    210. Wind ×3
    211. ValiantValiant
    212. Wind
    213. Con turret
    214. Wind
    215. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    216. Wind
    217. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    218. Wind ×2
    219. Converter
    220. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    221. Wind ×3
    222. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    223. Wind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Viltrum's (41 OS, 01/09/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

  • Finch2 Finch to Geo sea or Beach seafirst at 1:58 · 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

Viltrum

41.4 OS · 01/09/2026

Open source match ↗

7 received units · includes a constructor
588 metal received · 32468 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