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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 ×3
    2. Wind ×4
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:14 · 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 · 38 steps
    1. Wind
    2. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    3. HerculesLight transport
    4. ShurikenShuriken
    5. Wind ×2
    6. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    7. HerculesLight transport ×2for Geo sea
    8. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    9. ValiantValiant
    10. FinchFinch
    11. Con turret
    12. Energy storage
    13. Con turret
    14. Mex
    15. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    16. FinchFinch
    17. ValiantValiant
    18. Wind ×3
    19. Con turret
    20. Converter ×2
    21. Wind ×2
    22. Converter
    23. Wind
    24. ShurikenShuriken
    25. Converter
    26. Wind ×2
    27. Con turret
    28. Converter
    29. Wind
    30. Converter
    31. Wind ×4
    32. Converter
    33. Wind ×3
    34. Con turret
    35. Wind
    36. Converter ×2
    37. Wind ×7
    38. WhirlwindWhirlwindnot finished by 15:00
  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 · 168 steps
    1. Wind ×2
    2. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:29 · typical 6:54
    3. Wind
    4. Converter ×3
    5. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    6. Wind ×2
    7. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    8. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    9. Wind ×2
    10. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    11. Wind ×7
    12. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 7:29
    13. Wind ×2
    14. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    15. Wind
    16. Wind
    17. Wind
    18. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    19. Wind
    20. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    21. Wind
    22. Wind
    23. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    24. Wind ×2
    25. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    26. Wind
    27. Wind
    28. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    29. Wind
    30. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    31. Wind
    32. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    33. Wind
    34. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    35. Wind
    36. Wind
    37. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    38. ValiantValiant
    39. Con turret
    40. ValiantValiant
    41. Wind
    42. ValiantValiant
    43. Wind
    44. Wind
    45. ValiantValiant
    46. Wind
    47. ValiantValiant
    48. Wind
    49. ValiantValiant ×2
    50. Wind
    51. ValiantValiant ×2
    52. Wind
    53. Wind
    54. ValiantValiant
    55. Wind
    56. Wind
    57. FinchFinch
    58. Wind
    59. Wind
    60. FinchFinch
    61. Wind
    62. FinchFinch
    63. Wind
    64. Wind
    65. ValiantValiant
    66. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 10:44 · typical 11:18
    67. ValiantValiant
    68. Wind
    69. Wind
    70. ValiantValiant ×2
    71. Wind
    72. ValiantValiant ×2
    73. Wind
    74. ValiantValiant ×3
    75. Wind
    76. ValiantValiant ×2
    77. Wind
    78. ValiantValiant ×2
    79. Wind
    80. ValiantValiant
    81. Wind
    82. ValiantValiant
    83. Wind
    84. ValiantValiant
    85. Wind
    86. ValiantValiant ×4
    87. Wind
    88. ValiantValiant
    89. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    90. Wind
    91. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    92. Wind
    93. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    94. Wind
    95. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×3
    96. ValiantValiant ×7
    97. Con turret
    98. ValiantValiant
    99. Fusion ReactorFusion
    100. Con turret
    101. ValiantValiant
    102. Con turret ×2
    103. ValiantValiant
    104. Con turret
    105. ValiantValiant
    106. Con turret ×2
    107. ValiantValiant ×3
    108. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    109. Converter ×3
    110. Con turret ×2
    111. Converter
    112. Con turret
    113. Con turret
    114. ValiantValiant
    115. Con turret
    116. Wind
    117. T2 converter
    118. ValiantValiant
    119. Con turret
    120. Converter
    121. ValiantValiant ×2
    122. Converter
    123. ValiantValiant
    124. Wind
    125. Con turret
    126. Converter
    127. ValiantValiant ×2
    128. Wind
    129. ValiantValiant
    130. Converter
    131. Wind
    132. ValiantValiant ×2
    133. Converter
    134. Wind
    135. ValiantValiant
    136. Wind
    137. ValiantValiant
    138. Wind
    139. Con turret
    140. ValiantValiant
    141. Converter
    142. ValiantValiant
    143. Wind
    144. ValiantValiant
    145. Wind
    146. ValiantValiant
    147. Wind
    148. ValiantValiant ×2
    149. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    150. Wind
    151. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    152. Wind
    153. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    154. Wind
    155. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    156. Wind
    157. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    158. Wind
    159. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    160. Converter
    161. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    162. Wind
    163. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    164. Converter
    165. Wind
    166. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    167. Wind
    168. ValiantValiant

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Milkdragon's (31 OS, 24/09/2026); 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

Milkdragon

31.1 OS · 24/09/2026

Open source match ↗

6 received units · includes a constructor
689 metal received · 28117 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