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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 (65%)

#air #rush #raid · 75 distinct matches · 33 players · 3% of Cortex Air games · team won 56% of 75 · Recently observed

THE CATCH, AND WHAT COMES WITH IT
  • WhirlwindT1 air bombers from 5:04 · 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 73 games with kill data: in the middle 49%, in the enemy base 49%.

Those units destroy a typical 1,090 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 75 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 ~1:15, 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 ×4
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:06 · typical 1:15
  2. 2

    Aircraft Plant to T1 air bombers

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor1Mex
    • Wind Turbine9Wind
    • Wind Turbine2Wind
    • 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 (45%) · light transport (40%) · shuriken (36%) · mex (36%)

    By 5:04 in all: 3 mex · 1 mex · 13 wind · 2 wind · 1 energy storage · 2 con turret

    The example game in this phase · 2 steps
    1. Wind
    2. WhirlwindWhirlwinddone 2:03
  3. 3

    T1 air bombers to 10:00

    Economy
    • Wind Turbine14Wind−7 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 (37%) · Aircraft Plant (37%) · 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 · 295 steps
    1. Wind ×9
    2. FinchFinch
    3. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    4. Energy storage
    5. Construction AircraftCon aircraft ×2
    6. Con turret ×3
    7. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    8. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    9. Mex
    10. Construction AircraftCon aircraft ×2
    11. Converter
    12. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    13. Wind
    14. Converter
    15. HerculesLight transportfor Geo
    16. Converter
    17. Wind
    18. HerculesLight transport
    19. Wind
    20. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    21. ShurikenShuriken
    22. Con turret
    23. Wind
    24. Converter
    25. Wind
    26. ShurikenShuriken
    27. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 5:50 · typical 6:54
    28. Converter
    29. ShurikenShuriken
    30. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    31. Wind
    32. ValiantValiant
    33. Wind
    34. Converter
    35. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    36. Wind ×3
    37. Converter
    38. Wind ×4
    39. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    40. Converter
    41. Wind
    42. Converter
    43. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    44. Wind
    45. ThistleThistle ×6
    46. Con turret ×4
    47. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    48. Con turret
    49. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 8:28
    50. Con turret
    51. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    52. Con turret ×3
    53. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    54. Wind ×2
    55. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    56. Wind ×2
    57. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    58. Wind ×2
    59. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    60. Wind
    61. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    62. Wind ×4
    63. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    64. Wind ×2
    65. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    66. Wind ×2
    67. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    68. Wind ×4
    69. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    70. Wind ×2
    71. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    72. Wind ×2
    73. ValiantValiant
    74. Wind ×3
    75. ValiantValiant
    76. Wind ×2
    77. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    78. Wind ×2
    79. ValiantValiant
    80. Wind ×7
    81. ValiantValiant
    82. Wind ×4
    83. ValiantValiant
    84. Wind ×3
    85. ValiantValiant
    86. Wind ×2
    87. ValiantValiant
    88. Wind ×5
    89. RattlesnakeRattlesnakenot finished by 15:00
    90. Wind ×4
    91. ValiantValiant
    92. Wind ×4
    93. ValiantValiant
    94. Wind ×4
    95. ValiantValiant
    96. Wind ×4
    97. ValiantValiant
    98. Wind ×3
    99. ValiantValiant
    100. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    101. Wind ×3
    102. ValiantValiant
    103. Wind ×7
    104. Energy storage
    105. Wind
    106. ValiantValiant
    107. Wind ×2
    108. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    109. Wind ×3
    110. Energy storage
    111. Wind
    112. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    113. Wind
    114. ValiantValiant
    115. Converter
    116. Wind
    117. ValiantValiant
    118. Con turret
    119. Wind
    120. Con turret
    121. Wind ×3
    122. ValiantValiant
    123. Converter ×2
    124. ValiantValiant
    125. Wind
    126. Converter
    127. ValiantValiant
    128. Wind
    129. Con turret
    130. Wind ×2
    131. ValiantValiant
    132. Con turret ×2
    133. Wind
    134. Con turret
    135. Wind
    136. Con turret
    137. Wind ×2
    138. ValiantValiant
    139. Wind
    140. ValiantValiant
    141. Wind
    142. Converter ×2
    143. ValiantValiant
    144. Wind ×2
    145. Converter
    146. ValiantValiant ×2
    147. Converter
    148. Wind
    149. ValiantValiant
    150. Converter
    151. Wind ×2
    152. ValiantValiant
    153. Converter
    154. Wind
    155. Converter
    156. ValiantValiant
    157. Converter
    158. ValiantValiant
    159. Wind ×2
    160. Converter
    161. Wind
    162. ValiantValiant
    163. Converter
    164. ValiantValiant
    165. Wind
    166. Converter
    167. ValiantValiant
    168. Converter
    169. ValiantValiant
    170. Wind
    171. Converter
    172. ValiantValiant
    173. Converter
    174. ValiantValiant
    175. Wind
    176. Converter
    177. ValiantValiant
    178. Converter ×2
    179. Wind
    180. ValiantValiant
    181. Converter
    182. Wind
    183. ValiantValiant
    184. Wind ×2
    185. Converter
    186. Wind
    187. ValiantValiant
    188. Wind ×2
    189. ValiantValiant
    190. Converter
    191. Wind
    192. Converter
    193. Wind
    194. ValiantValiant
    195. Wind ×2
    196. Converter
    197. ValiantValiant
    198. Wind
    199. Converter
    200. Wind
    201. ValiantValiant
    202. Wind ×3
    203. Converter
    204. Wind
    205. ValiantValiant
    206. Wind ×2
    207. ValiantValiant
    208. Converter
    209. ValiantValiant
    210. Wind ×3
    211. ValiantValiant
    212. Wind
    213. Converter
    214. Wind
    215. ValiantValiant
    216. Converter
    217. Wind
    218. ValiantValiant ×2
    219. Converter
    220. Wind ×2
    221. ValiantValiant
    222. Converter
    223. ValiantValiant
    224. Wind
    225. Converter
    226. ValiantValiant ×2
    227. Wind
    228. Converter
    229. ValiantValiant
    230. Converter
    231. Wind
    232. ValiantValiant
    233. Wind
    234. ValiantValiant
    235. Converter
    236. Wind ×2
    237. ValiantValiant
    238. Wind
    239. ValiantValiant
    240. Wind
    241. ValiantValiant
    242. Wind ×2
    243. Converter
    244. ValiantValiant
    245. ShurikenShuriken ×4
    246. Wind
    247. ShurikenShuriken
    248. Converter
    249. Wind
    250. ShurikenShuriken
    251. Converter
    252. ShurikenShuriken
    253. Converter
    254. Wind
    255. ShurikenShuriken
    256. Converter
    257. ShurikenShuriken
    258. Wind
    259. ShurikenShuriken
    260. Converter
    261. Wind
    262. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    263. Converter
    264. ShurikenShuriken
    265. Wind
    266. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    267. Wind
    268. ShurikenShuriken ×4
    269. Wind
    270. ShurikenShuriken
    271. Wind
    272. ShurikenShuriken
    273. Wind
    274. ShurikenShuriken ×6
    275. Wind
    276. ShurikenShuriken
    277. Wind
    278. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    279. ValiantValiant
    280. Wind ×2
    281. ValiantValiant ×2
    282. Wind
    283. ValiantValiant ×3
    284. Wind ×2
    285. ValiantValiant ×2
    286. Wind ×2
    287. ValiantValiant
    288. Wind
    289. ValiantValiant ×3
    290. Wind
    291. ValiantValiant
    292. Converter
    293. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    294. Con turret
    295. Wind ×2

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Nutzz's (40 OS, 13/10/2026); 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 89% of games
  • Hercules3 Light transport to Tech or Geo sea or Geofirst at 2:13 · in 97% of games
  • Hephaestus1 Heavy transport to Beach sea or Techfirst at 2:17 · in 53% of games

You get

  • Wind Turbine2 Wind from Beach sea or Tech or Geo seafirst at 1:34 · in 40% of games
  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo seafirst at 1:41 · in 63% of games
  • Construction Bot1 Con bot from Techfirst at 2:17 · in 88% 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

75 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
6:0037093709125102183124
7:0050965089190146257167
8:0067806903254190398219
9:0089119285336231541271
10:001148311765554292746380
11:0013907143738663671284535
12:00160721707412675121972780
13:001887519864170877523631095
14:0022225227101994126229141682
15:0025456257393100181135802415
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

Nutzz

40.0 OS · 13/10/2026

Open source match ↗

6 received units · includes a constructor
433 metal received · 173061 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=75
Advanced Metal Extractor6:54Middle 50%: 6:27–7:46 · n=70
Fusion Reactor11:14Middle 50%: 10:14–12:32 · n=45

Played most by

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