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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 · 5 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×4
    3. Energy storage
    4. Wind ×2
    5. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:44 · 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 · 69 steps
    1. Wind
    2. FinchFinch ×2for Beach sea
    3. HerculesLight transport ×2for Geo sea
    4. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    5. Con turret
    6. ValiantValiant
    7. Con turret
    8. ValiantValiant
    9. Wind
    10. ValiantValiant
    11. Mex
    12. Wind ×7
    13. Wind
    14. Wind
    15. ValiantValiant
    16. Wind
    17. Wind
    18. Wind
    19. ValiantValiant
    20. Wind
    21. Converter
    22. Con turret
    23. Converter
    24. Wind
    25. ShurikenShuriken
    26. Converter
    27. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    28. Wind
    29. Converter
    30. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    31. Wind
    32. Converter
    33. Wind ×3
    34. Wind
    35. Wind
    36. Converter
    37. Wind
    38. Wind
    39. Wind
    40. Wind
    41. Converter
    42. Wind
    43. Wind
    44. Wind
    45. Converter
    46. Wind
    47. Wind ×2
    48. Wind
    49. Converter
    50. Wind
    51. Wind
    52. Wind ×3
    53. Wind
    54. Wind
    55. Wind
    56. Converter
    57. Wind ×3
    58. Converter
    59. Wind ×3
    60. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 6:27
    61. Converter
    62. Wind
    63. ValiantValiant
    64. Wind
    65. ValiantValiant
    66. HerculesLight transportfor Geo
    67. Wind
    68. ValiantValiant ×6
    69. WhirlwindWhirlwinddone 7:17
  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 · 129 steps
    1. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    2. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexnot finished by 15:00
    3. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×5
    4. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    5. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    6. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×2
    7. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 9:29
    8. ValiantValiant
    9. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    10. ValiantValiant ×5
    11. Bot LabBot Labdone 10:49
    12. ValiantValiant ×2
    13. Con turret ×2
    14. Wind
    15. Con turret
    16. Wind
    17. ValiantValiant
    18. Con turret
    19. Construction BotCon bot
    20. ValiantValiant ×2
    21. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    22. ValiantValiant ×4
    23. Construction BotCon bot
    24. ValiantValiant
    25. Construction BotCon bot
    26. ValiantValiant
    27. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    28. Construction BotCon bot
    29. ValiantValiant ×2
    30. Construction BotCon bot
    31. Wind
    32. ValiantValiant ×2
    33. Construction BotCon bot
    34. Wind
    35. ValiantValiant
    36. Wind
    37. Wind
    38. Wind ×2
    39. Wind
    40. Wind
    41. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 13:00
    42. Wind
    43. Wind ×3
    44. Wind
    45. Wind ×2
    46. Construction BotCon bot
    47. Wind
    48. Wind
    49. Wind ×3
    50. ValiantValiant
    51. Wind
    52. Wind
    53. Wind ×3
    54. Wind
    55. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    56. Wind
    57. Wind
    58. Wind ×5
    59. Wind
    60. Wind
    61. Wind
    62. Wind ×3
    63. Wind
    64. Wind ×3
    65. HerculesLight transportfor Beach sea
    66. Wind
    67. Wind
    68. ValiantValiant ×3
    69. Wind
    70. Wind
    71. ValiantValiant ×2
    72. Wind ×3
    73. ValiantValiant
    74. Wind
    75. T2 converter
    76. Wind ×2
    77. Wind
    78. Wind
    79. ValiantValiant
    80. Wind
    81. Wind
    82. Wind ×4
    83. Wind
    84. Wind
    85. T2 converter
    86. ValiantValiant ×2
    87. Con turret
    88. Wind ×2
    89. Con turret
    90. Wind
    91. ValiantValiant
    92. Wind
    93. Wind
    94. ValiantValiant
    95. Wind ×2
    96. Con turret
    97. Wind
    98. ValiantValiant ×2
    99. Wind
    100. Wind ×2
    101. Con turret
    102. Wind
    103. T2 converter
    104. Wind ×2
    105. ValiantValiant
    106. Wind
    107. Wind ×2
    108. ValiantValiant
    109. Wind ×2
    110. Wind ×2
    111. ValiantValiant
    112. Wind
    113. Wind
    114. Con turret
    115. Wind ×2
    116. ValiantValiant
    117. Con turret
    118. Wind
    119. ValiantValiant
    120. Wind
    121. Wind
    122. ValiantValiant
    123. Con turret ×2
    124. ValiantValiant
    125. Wind
    126. ValiantValiant ×3
    127. Wind
    128. Fusion ReactorFusion
    129. Con turret

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Herbiderpi's (32 OS, 07/10/2026); 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

Herbiderpi

32.1 OS · 07/10/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
491 metal received · 144548 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