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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. Solar ×3
    4. Energy storage
    5. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 2:02 · 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 · 66 steps
    1. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    2. Wind
    3. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    4. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    5. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    6. Con turret
    7. ValiantValiant
    8. Con turret
    9. FinchFinch
    10. ValiantValiant
    11. Converter
    12. ValiantValiant
    13. Mex
    14. Converter ×2
    15. ValiantValiant
    16. Wind
    17. Converter ×2
    18. Wind
    19. Wind
    20. FinchFinch
    21. Converter
    22. Wind
    23. Converter ×2
    24. Wind
    25. Wind
    26. Wind
    27. Converter
    28. Wind
    29. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    30. Con turret
    31. Wind
    32. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    33. Wind ×4
    34. Wind
    35. Wind ×3
    36. Wind ×2
    37. Wind ×2
    38. Wind
    39. Wind
    40. Wind
    41. Wind
    42. Wind
    43. Wind ×3
    44. Wind
    45. Wind ×2
    46. Wind
    47. Wind ×3
    48. Wind
    49. Wind
    50. Converter
    51. Wind
    52. Wind
    53. Wind
    54. Wind
    55. Converter
    56. Wind
    57. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 6:25
    58. Wind
    59. Converter
    60. Wind ×2
    61. ValiantValiant
    62. Wind
    63. ValiantValiant ×4
    64. Wind
    65. ValiantValiant ×3
    66. WhirlwindWhirlwinddone 7:03
  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 · 159 steps
    1. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×6
    2. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexnot finished by 15:00 · typical 6:54
    3. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×3
    4. ValiantValiant ×2
    5. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    6. ValiantValiant ×2
    7. FinchFinch
    8. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    9. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×2
    10. Con turret
    11. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    12. Con turret ×3
    13. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 10:12
    14. ValiantValiant ×4
    15. SAMSAM
    16. ValiantValiant ×4
    17. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×3
    18. Solar
    19. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    20. Solar
    21. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    22. Solar
    23. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    24. Bot LabBot Labdone 11:18
    25. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    26. Solar
    27. Construction BotCon bot
    28. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    29. Wind
    30. Construction BotCon bot
    31. Con turret ×2
    32. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    33. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    34. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    35. Wind
    36. Construction BotCon bot
    37. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    38. Construction BotCon bot
    39. Wind
    40. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    41. Wind
    42. Wind
    43. Construction BotCon bot
    44. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    45. Wind
    46. Construction BotCon bot
    47. Wind
    48. Wind ×2
    49. ValiantValiant
    50. Construction BotCon bot
    51. Wind
    52. ValiantValiant
    53. Construction BotCon bot
    54. ValiantValiant
    55. Wind
    56. Wind
    57. Wind
    58. ValiantValiant
    59. Wind
    60. ValiantValiant
    61. Wind ×3
    62. ValiantValiant
    63. Wind
    64. ValiantValiant
    65. Wind ×2
    66. ValiantValiant ×2
    67. Wind
    68. ValiantValiant
    69. Wind
    70. ValiantValiant
    71. Wind
    72. ValiantValiant
    73. Wind
    74. Wind
    75. ValiantValiant
    76. Wind ×4
    77. ValiantValiant ×2
    78. Wind
    79. Wind
    80. Wind
    81. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    82. HerculesLight transport
    83. Wind
    84. Wind ×2
    85. ValiantValiant ×2
    86. Wind ×3
    87. ValiantValiant
    88. Wind
    89. Wind ×3
    90. ValiantValiant
    91. Wind
    92. ValiantValiant ×2
    93. Wind
    94. Wind
    95. ValiantValiant ×3
    96. Wind ×2
    97. Wind
    98. ValiantValiant
    99. Wind ×2
    100. ValiantValiant
    101. Wind
    102. ValiantValiant
    103. Wind ×2
    104. Wind
    105. Wind
    106. ValiantValiant
    107. Wind
    108. ValiantValiant ×2
    109. Wind
    110. Wind
    111. ValiantValiant ×2
    112. Wind ×2
    113. ValiantValiant
    114. Wind
    115. ValiantValiant
    116. Wind ×3
    117. ValiantValiant
    118. Wind ×3
    119. ValiantValiant
    120. Wind
    121. Wind
    122. ValiantValiant ×2
    123. Wind
    124. ValiantValiant
    125. Wind
    126. ValiantValiant
    127. Wind
    128. ValiantValiant
    129. Wind
    130. ValiantValiant
    131. Wind ×3
    132. ValiantValiant
    133. Wind
    134. Wind ×2
    135. ValiantValiant
    136. Wind
    137. ValiantValiant
    138. Wind
    139. Fusion ReactorFusionnot finished by 15:00 · typical 11:18
    140. ValiantValiant
    141. Wind
    142. Wind
    143. ValiantValiant
    144. Wind
    145. Wind
    146. Wind ×3
    147. ValiantValiant
    148. Wind
    149. Wind
    150. Wind ×4
    151. Wind ×2
    152. Wind ×4
    153. ValiantValiant
    154. Wind ×2
    155. Wind
    156. Wind ×4
    157. Wind
    158. Wind ×2
    159. Wind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Herbiderpi's (33 OS, 11/10/2026); 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

32.9 OS · 11/10/2026

Open source match ↗

4 received units · includes a constructor
1613 metal received · 171850 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