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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. Solarfor Tech
    3. Wind ×3
    4. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:19 · 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 · 51 steps
    1. HerculesLight transport
    2. Wind
    3. FinchFinch
    4. Wind ×4
    5. HerculesLight transportfor Beach sea
    6. Mex
    7. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    8. Wind
    9. ValiantValiant
    10. Con turret
    11. Wind ×2
    12. Energy storage
    13. ValiantValiant
    14. Wind
    15. Con turret
    16. HerculesLight transport
    17. Wind
    18. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    19. Con turret
    20. Wind
    21. HerculesLight transport
    22. Con turret
    23. Wind
    24. Con turret ×2
    25. Wind
    26. Con turret
    27. Con turretfor Beach sea
    28. Wind ×5
    29. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 5:28 · typical 7:23
    30. Wind
    31. Wind ×2
    32. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    33. Wind
    34. Wind
    35. Wind ×3
    36. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×2
    37. Wind
    38. Wind ×10
    39. Converter ×3
    40. Wind
    41. Converter
    42. Wind ×2
    43. Converter ×2
    44. Con turret ×2
    45. Wind
    46. Con turret
    47. Wind ×3
    48. Converter ×2
    49. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 7:24
    50. ValiantValiant
    51. WhirlwindWhirlwinddone 7:39
  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 · 229 steps
    1. Wind
    2. Wind
    3. ValiantValiant
    4. Wind
    5. Wind
    6. Wind
    7. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    8. Wind
    9. Wind
    10. ValiantValiant
    11. Wind
    12. Wind
    13. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    14. Wind ×2
    15. Wind
    16. ValiantValiant
    17. Wind
    18. Wind
    19. Energy storage
    20. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    21. Wind ×2
    22. ValiantValiant
    23. Wind
    24. Wind
    25. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    26. Wind
    27. ValiantValiant
    28. Wind
    29. Wind
    30. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    31. Wind
    32. ValiantValiant
    33. Wind
    34. Wind
    35. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    36. Wind
    37. Wind
    38. Wind
    39. ValiantValiant
    40. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    41. Wind
    42. Wind
    43. ValiantValiant
    44. Wind
    45. Wind
    46. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    47. Wind
    48. ValiantValiant
    49. Wind
    50. Wind
    51. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    52. Wind
    53. Wind
    54. ValiantValiant
    55. Wind
    56. Wind
    57. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    58. Wind
    59. Wind
    60. ValiantValiant
    61. Wind
    62. Wind
    63. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    64. Wind
    65. Wind
    66. ValiantValiant
    67. Wind
    68. Wind
    69. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    70. Wind
    71. Wind
    72. ValiantValiant
    73. Wind
    74. Wind
    75. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    76. Wind
    77. Wind
    78. ValiantValiant
    79. Wind
    80. Wind
    81. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    82. Wind
    83. Wind
    84. Wind
    85. ValiantValiant
    86. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    87. Wind
    88. ValiantValiant
    89. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    90. Wind
    91. ValiantValiant
    92. Wind
    93. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 11:47 · typical 11:01
    94. Wind ×2
    95. Converter
    96. Wind ×2
    97. Converter
    98. Wind
    99. Converter
    100. Wind
    101. Converter
    102. Wind
    103. Converter
    104. Wind
    105. Converter ×2
    106. Wind
    107. Converter
    108. Wind ×3
    109. Converter
    110. Wind
    111. Converter ×2
    112. Wind
    113. Converter
    114. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 11:56
    115. Converter
    116. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    117. Converter
    118. Wind
    119. Construction AircraftCon aircraft ×2
    120. Converter
    121. Construction AircraftCon aircraft ×2
    122. Converter
    123. Wind
    124. ValiantValiant ×2
    125. Converter ×2
    126. ValiantValiant
    127. Wind
    128. Converter
    129. Con turret
    130. Wind
    131. Con turret
    132. ValiantValiant
    133. Wind
    134. Wind
    135. ValiantValiant
    136. Wind
    137. Con turret ×2
    138. Wind
    139. ValiantValiant ×2
    140. Wind ×2
    141. Con turret
    142. Wind ×2
    143. ValiantValiant
    144. Converter
    145. Wind
    146. ValiantValiant
    147. Converter
    148. Wind
    149. ValiantValiant
    150. Wind
    151. Converter
    152. ValiantValiant ×2
    153. Wind
    154. Converter
    155. ValiantValiant
    156. Converter
    157. Wind
    158. Converter
    159. ValiantValiant
    160. Wind
    161. Con turret ×2
    162. Wind ×2
    163. Converter
    164. Wind
    165. ValiantValiant
    166. Wind
    167. Wind
    168. Converter
    169. Wind ×2
    170. ValiantValiant ×2
    171. Wind
    172. Converter
    173. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    174. Wind
    175. Converter
    176. ShurikenShuriken
    177. Wind
    178. Converter
    179. Wind
    180. Converter
    181. Wind
    182. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    183. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    184. Converter
    185. Wind ×2
    186. ShurikenShuriken
    187. Wind
    188. Wind
    189. ShurikenShuriken
    190. Converter
    191. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    192. Wind
    193. ShurikenShuriken
    194. Wind
    195. ShurikenShuriken
    196. Wind ×2
    197. ShurikenShuriken
    198. Wind
    199. ShurikenShuriken
    200. NettleNettle
    201. ShurikenShuriken
    202. ThistleThistle
    203. Converter
    204. ThistleThistle
    205. ShurikenShuriken
    206. ThistleThistle
    207. ValiantValiant
    208. ThistleThistle
    209. ValiantValiant
    210. ThistleThistle
    211. ValiantValiant
    212. ThistleThistle
    213. ValiantValiant ×2
    214. Converter
    215. ValiantValiant ×2
    216. Fortification WallFortification Wall ×2
    217. ValiantValiant
    218. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    219. ThistleThistle
    220. ValiantValiant
    221. ThistleThistle
    222. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    223. Converter
    224. ValiantValiant ×2
    225. Wind
    226. ThistleThistle
    227. ValiantValiant ×2
    228. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    229. Wind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is WaterBoy's (39 OS, 31/08/2026); 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

WaterBoy

38.6 OS · 31/08/2026

Open source match ↗

4 received units · includes a constructor
501 metal received · 59290 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