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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 · 4 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×6
    3. Energy storage
    4. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:42 · 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 · 50 steps
    1. FinchFinch ×2for Geo sea
    2. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    3. HerculesLight transport ×2for Geo sea
    4. ValiantValiant ×3
    5. Mex
    6. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    7. Con turret
    8. ValiantValiant
    9. Con turret
    10. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    11. Wind ×2
    12. Converter
    13. HerculesLight transportfor Beach sea
    14. Wind ×2
    15. HerculesLight transportfor Pond
    16. Wind
    17. FinchFinch
    18. Wind
    19. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    20. Converter
    21. Wind ×2
    22. Converter
    23. Wind
    24. Converter
    25. Wind
    26. Con turret
    27. Wind ×2
    28. Converter
    29. Wind
    30. Converter
    31. Wind ×2
    32. Converter
    33. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 5:30 · typical 6:54
    34. Wind
    35. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×3
    36. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 6:35
    37. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    38. Con turret ×5
    39. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    40. Con turret
    41. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    42. Con turret
    43. Construction AircraftCon aircraft ×3
    44. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    45. Wind ×24
    46. Con turret
    47. Wind ×28
    48. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 8:42
    49. Wind ×2
    50. WhirlwindWhirlwinddone 8:47
  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 · 137 steps
    1. Wind ×2
    2. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    3. Wind
    4. FinchFinch ×2
    5. Wind
    6. FinchFinch
    7. Wind ×4
    8. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    9. Wind ×3
    10. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    11. Wind
    12. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    13. Wind
    14. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    15. Wind
    16. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    17. Wind
    18. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    19. Wind
    20. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    21. Wind
    22. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    23. Wind
    24. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    25. Wind ×5
    26. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    27. Wind
    28. ValiantValiant
    29. Wind ×2
    30. ValiantValiant
    31. Wind
    32. ValiantValiant
    33. Wind ×2
    34. ValiantValiant
    35. Wind
    36. ValiantValiant
    37. Wind
    38. ValiantValiant
    39. Wind ×2
    40. ValiantValiant ×3
    41. Wind
    42. ValiantValiant
    43. Wind
    44. ValiantValiant
    45. Wind
    46. ValiantValiant
    47. Wind ×2
    48. ValiantValiant
    49. Wind
    50. ValiantValiant
    51. Wind
    52. ValiantValiant ×3
    53. Wind
    54. ValiantValiant
    55. Converter ×2
    56. ValiantValiant
    57. Converter ×2
    58. ValiantValiant
    59. Converter ×2
    60. Bot LabBot Labdone 10:38
    61. ValiantValiant ×2
    62. Construction BotCon bot
    63. ValiantValiant
    64. Construction BotCon bot
    65. ValiantValiant
    66. Construction BotCon bot
    67. ValiantValiant ×2
    68. Construction BotCon bot
    69. ValiantValiant
    70. Wind
    71. Construction BotCon bot
    72. ValiantValiant ×2
    73. Construction BotCon bot
    74. ValiantValiant
    75. Construction BotCon bot
    76. Converter ×2
    77. ValiantValiant
    78. Wind
    79. Converter ×2
    80. Construction BotCon bot
    81. Converter
    82. Wind
    83. Converter
    84. ValiantValiant
    85. Construction BotCon bot
    86. Wind
    87. ValiantValiant
    88. Construction BotCon bot
    89. ValiantValiant
    90. Wind ×2
    91. ValiantValiant
    92. Wind ×2
    93. Construction BotCon bot
    94. Wind ×6
    95. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    96. Converter ×2
    97. Wind
    98. Converter ×2
    99. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    100. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 12:32 · typical 11:18
    101. Converter ×2
    102. Wind ×16
    103. Converter ×2
    104. Wind
    105. Converter
    106. Wind
    107. Converter
    108. Wind ×2
    109. Converter
    110. Wind
    111. Converter
    112. Wind ×24
    113. Converter
    114. Wind
    115. Converter ×4
    116. Wind ×2
    117. T2 converter
    118. Converter
    119. Wind ×3
    120. Metal storage
    121. Wind ×4
    122. Fusion ReactorFusion
    123. Wind ×17
    124. Converter ×2
    125. Wind
    126. Converter ×3
    127. Wind ×2
    128. Converter
    129. T2 converter
    130. Wind ×7
    131. Advanced Aircraft PlantAdvanced Aircraft Plantdone 14:57
    132. Wind ×16
    133. Converter ×4
    134. Wind
    135. Converter
    136. Wind
    137. NighthawkNighthawk

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is theogbob's (31 OS, 03/09/2026); 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

theogbob

30.9 OS · 03/09/2026

Open source match ↗

8 received units · includes a constructor
148 metal received · 39267 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

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