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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 ×2
    2. Wind ×3
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 0:58 · 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 · 75 steps
    1. HerculesLight transport ×2for Pond
    2. ShurikenShuriken
    3. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    4. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    5. Mex
    6. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    7. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    8. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    9. Con turret
    10. ValiantValiant
    11. Mex
    12. ValiantValiant
    13. Wind
    14. Energy storage
    15. Wind
    16. Wind
    17. ValiantValiant
    18. Con turret
    19. Wind ×5
    20. Wind
    21. ValiantValiant
    22. Wind
    23. Converter
    24. Wind
    25. Converter
    26. Wind
    27. Wind
    28. Converter
    29. Wind
    30. Wind
    31. Wind
    32. Converter
    33. Wind
    34. Wind
    35. Con turret
    36. Converter
    37. Wind
    38. Converter
    39. Wind
    40. FinchFinch
    41. Wind
    42. Converter
    43. ValiantValiant
    44. Wind
    45. Converter
    46. ValiantValiant
    47. Wind
    48. Wind
    49. Converter ×2
    50. ValiantValiant
    51. Con turret
    52. Converter
    53. Wind
    54. Wind
    55. Converter
    56. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    57. Converter
    58. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:11 · typical 6:54
    59. Wind
    60. Converter
    61. Wind
    62. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×2
    63. Wind
    64. Wind
    65. Converter
    66. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    67. Wind
    68. Wind
    69. Converter
    70. Wind
    71. Wind
    72. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 7:12
    73. Wind
    74. Wind
    75. WhirlwindWhirlwinddone 7:20
  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 · 176 steps
    1. Wind
    2. Wind
    3. Con turret
    4. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    5. Converter
    6. Wind
    7. Wind
    8. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    9. Wind ×3
    10. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    11. Wind
    12. Con turret
    13. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    14. Converter
    15. Con turret
    16. Wind ×3
    17. Converter
    18. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    19. Wind ×2
    20. Converter
    21. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    22. Wind
    23. HerculesLight transportfor Front
    24. Wind ×2
    25. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    26. Converter
    27. Wind ×2
    28. Con turret
    29. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    30. Wind
    31. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    32. Wind
    33. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    34. Wind
    35. ValiantValiant ×4
    36. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 10:11 · typical 11:18
    37. ValiantValiant
    38. Wind
    39. ValiantValiant ×2
    40. Wind
    41. ValiantValiant ×2
    42. Wind ×2
    43. FinchFinch
    44. Wind ×2
    45. ValiantValiant
    46. Wind
    47. ValiantValiant
    48. Wind
    49. ValiantValiant
    50. Wind
    51. ValiantValiant
    52. Wind ×2
    53. ValiantValiant
    54. Wind ×2
    55. ValiantValiant
    56. Con turret
    57. Wind ×2
    58. Converter
    59. Wind
    60. ValiantValiant
    61. Wind
    62. Con turret
    63. FinchFinch
    64. Wind
    65. Converter
    66. ValiantValiant
    67. Wind
    68. ValiantValiant
    69. Converter
    70. Wind
    71. ValiantValiant
    72. Wind ×2
    73. Converter
    74. ValiantValiant
    75. Converter
    76. Wind ×2
    77. ValiantValiant
    78. Wind
    79. ValiantValiant
    80. Converter ×2
    81. Wind ×2
    82. ValiantValiant
    83. Wind ×2
    84. FinchFinch
    85. Wind
    86. ValiantValiant
    87. Converter ×2
    88. Wind
    89. ValiantValiant ×4
    90. Converter ×2
    91. ValiantValiant ×2
    92. Converter
    93. FinchFinch
    94. Converter
    95. ValiantValiant
    96. Wind
    97. ValiantValiant
    98. Converter
    99. ValiantValiant
    100. Converter
    101. Wind
    102. ValiantValiant
    103. Converter
    104. ValiantValiant
    105. Converter
    106. Wind
    107. ValiantValiant
    108. Con turret ×2
    109. Wind
    110. ValiantValiant
    111. Con turret
    112. FinchFinch
    113. Wind
    114. Con turret
    115. ValiantValiant
    116. Wind
    117. Con turret
    118. Wind
    119. ValiantValiant
    120. Con turret
    121. Wind
    122. Con turret
    123. ValiantValiant ×2
    124. Con turret ×2
    125. Wind
    126. ValiantValiant
    127. Con turret
    128. ValiantValiant
    129. Wind
    130. Con turret
    131. ValiantValiant
    132. Con turret ×2
    133. FinchFinch
    134. Wind
    135. ValiantValiant ×2
    136. Fusion ReactorFusion
    137. ValiantValiant
    138. Wind
    139. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 12:52
    140. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    141. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    142. Wind
    143. Con turret
    144. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    145. Wind
    146. Con turret
    147. Advanced Aircraft PlantAdvanced Aircraft Plantdone 14:06
    148. Wind
    149. Wind
    150. Converter
    151. Wind
    152. Converter
    153. Wind
    154. Con turret
    155. Converter
    156. StilettoStilettodone 14:24
    157. Wind
    158. Wind
    159. Converter
    160. Wind
    161. Converter
    162. Con turret
    163. StilettoStiletto
    164. Wind
    165. Wind
    166. Wind ×3
    167. Wind
    168. Converter
    169. Wind
    170. LicheLichenot finished by 15:00
    171. Wind
    172. Wind
    173. Converter
    174. Wind
    175. Wind
    176. Converter

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Milkdragon's (34 OS, 13/09/2026); 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
6:0037283707124102183124
7:0051105089190146257167
8:0068736902247190398219
9:0089699284317230562270
10:001148411758511292747380
11:0013919143569103691294536
12:00162311706912945122007781
13:001891819859171578123681102
14:0022336227042014126430051689
15:0025611257363093181335012420
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

34.1 OS · 13/09/2026

Open source match ↗

9 received units · includes a constructor
275 metal received · 106699 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