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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 · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×4
    3. 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 · 15 steps
    1. ShurikenShuriken
    2. FinchFinch ×2for Geo sea
    3. FinchFinch
    4. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    5. Wind ×2
    6. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    7. Wind
    8. ValiantValiant
    9. Wind ×3
    10. HerculesLight transport ×2for Pond
    11. ValiantValiant
    12. Energy storage
    13. Mex
    14. Wind
    15. WhirlwindWhirlwinddone 4:08
  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 · 133 steps
    1. Wind
    2. Con turret
    3. ValiantValiant
    4. Con turret
    5. ValiantValiant
    6. Con turret
    7. ValiantValiant ×3
    8. Con turret
    9. Converter
    10. ValiantValiant
    11. Converter
    12. Wind
    13. Converter
    14. Wind
    15. Converter
    16. Wind ×2
    17. ValiantValiant
    18. Wind ×8
    19. ShurikenShuriken
    20. Wind
    21. ShurikenShuriken
    22. Wind
    23. ShurikenShuriken
    24. Wind ×2
    25. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    26. Wind
    27. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    28. Wind
    29. ValiantValiant
    30. Con turret
    31. ValiantValiant ×2
    32. Wind
    33. ValiantValiant
    34. Wind
    35. ValiantValiant
    36. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 8:02 · typical 7:23
    37. ShurikenShuriken
    38. Wind
    39. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    40. Wind
    41. ShurikenShuriken
    42. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    43. HephaestusHeavy transport
    44. Wind
    45. Converter
    46. Wind
    47. Converter
    48. Wind ×2
    49. Converter
    50. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    51. Converter
    52. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 9:13
    53. ShurikenShuriken ×8
    54. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    55. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    56. ValiantValiant ×5
    57. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    58. Wind
    59. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    60. Wind
    61. ValiantValiant ×2
    62. Con turret
    63. Wind ×3
    64. Con turret
    65. Wind
    66. ValiantValiant
    67. Wind
    68. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    69. Wind ×2
    70. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    71. Wind
    72. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    73. Wind ×2
    74. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×3
    75. Wind ×2
    76. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    77. Wind ×2
    78. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    79. Wind
    80. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    81. Wind
    82. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    83. Wind ×2
    84. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    85. Wind ×2
    86. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    87. Wind ×2
    88. ValiantValiant ×17
    89. Wind
    90. ValiantValiant
    91. Wind
    92. Con turret
    93. Wind
    94. ValiantValiant
    95. Wind ×2
    96. Converter
    97. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    98. Con turret
    99. Wind ×2
    100. Con turret
    101. Converter
    102. Wind
    103. Con turret
    104. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    105. Con turret
    106. Converter
    107. Wind
    108. Con turret
    109. Fusion ReactorFusionnot finished by 15:00 · typical 11:01
    110. Wind
    111. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    112. Con turret
    113. Wind
    114. Converter
    115. Con turret
    116. Wind
    117. Con turret
    118. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    119. Wind
    120. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    121. Converter
    122. Wind
    123. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    124. Wind
    125. Converter
    126. Wind ×2
    127. Converter
    128. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    129. Wind
    130. Converter
    131. Wind
    132. Converter
    133. WhirlwindWhirlwind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is MischievousDragonGF's (39 OS, 10/09/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

  • Finch2 Finch to Geo sea or Beach seafirst at 1:58 · 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

MischievousDragonGF

38.9 OS · 10/09/2026

Open source match ↗

9 received units · includes a constructor
392 metal received · 44134 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