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

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Milkdragon's (32 OS, 22/09/2026); 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

Milkdragon

31.7 OS · 22/09/2026

Open source match ↗

6 received units · includes a constructor
327 metal received · 22351 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