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Geo / Cortex / Economy first / OBSERVED BUILD

Goon raid

Cortex Geo build order · Supreme Isthmus

Geo builds a Hovercraft Platform very early (by 4:38) and sends Goon hovercraft raiders into the middle and enemy base from under 5 minutes, long before any T2 commitment, later folding into a standard T2 transition.

#raid #rush #amphibious · 14 distinct matches · 5 players · 3% of Cortex Geo games · team won 57% of 14 · Recently observed

THE CATCH, AND WHAT COMES WITH IT
  • GoonHover raid from 4:43 · 4% of role by thenFrom the Hovercraft Platform. Only 4% of Geo games have it by then; others who build it get it around 4:40
  • Hovercraft PlatformHovercraft Platform in 100%4% of all Geo games by then
  • WhirlwindWhirlwind in 50%11% of all Geo games by then
  • FinchFinch in 50%10% of all Geo games by then
  • ValiantValiant in 43%14% of all Geo games by then

Where those units first fight, in 13 games with kill data: in the middle 92%, in the enemy base 8%.

Those units destroy a typical 485 metal of enemy units by 15:00.

Then transitions into whirlwind (15% of army), Sumo (14% of army), Sheldon (11% of army).

Phase by phase

TYPICAL OF ITS 14 GAMES · AGAINST STANDARD GEO
  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
PLAY THE OPENING

Follow the example game's first 6:00 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 Bot Lab

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor3Mex
    • Wind Turbine3Wind
    Order
    1. Bot LabBot Lab after 3 mex, 3 winddone ~1:22, middle half 1:14–1:47

    By 1:00 in all: 3 mex · 3 wind

    The example game in this phase · 4 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×3
    3. Solar ×2
    4. Bot LabBot Labdone 1:28 · typical 1:22
  2. 2

    Bot Lab to Hover raid

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor1Mex
    • Wind Turbine2Wind
    • Energy Converter2Converter−5 vs standard
    • Energy Storage1Energy storage
    Order
    1. Geothermal PowerplantGeo after 4 mex, 5 wind
    2. Bot LabEat Bot Lab
    3. Hovercraft PlatformHovercraft Platform after 4 mex, 6 wind, 3 con turret
    4. GoonHover raid after 4 mex, 6 wind, 3 con turret
    Builders
    • Construction Turret3 Con turret −2 vs standard
    • Graverobber4 Graverobber
    • Construction Bot1 Con bot
    • Graverobber1 Graverobber for allies
    • Construction Bot1 Con bot for allies

    By 4:39 in all: 4 mex · 6 wind · 1 geo · 2 converter (standard 7) · 1 energy storage · 3 con turret (standard 5)

    The example game in this phase · 19 steps
    1. Wind
    2. Construction BotCon botfor Beach sea
    3. Wind
    4. GraverobberGraverobber
    5. Wind
    6. GraverobberGraverobber ×2
    7. Wind
    8. Mex
    9. Construction BotCon bot
    10. Wind
    11. GraverobberGraverobberfor Beach sea
    12. Geothermal PowerplantGeodone 3:21 · typical 3:41
    13. GraverobberGraverobber
    14. Con turret
    15. Converter ×4
    16. Con turret ×3
    17. Converter ×2
    18. Hovercraft PlatformHovercraft Platformdone 4:42 · typical 4:38
    19. GoonGoondone 4:46
  3. 3

    Hover raid to Aircraft Plant

    Economy
    • Wind Turbine1Wind−3 vs standard
    • Energy Converter4Converter
    Order
    1. Hovercraft PlatformEat Hovercraft Platform
    2. Advanced Geothermal PowerplantAdvanced Geothermal Powerplant after 8 wind, 6 converter, 5 con turret
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plant after 8 wind, 5 converter, 7 con turretdone ~7:51, middle half 7:41–7:57
    Builders
    • Construction Turret3 Con turret
    Army
    • Goon8 Goon +8 vs standard

    By 7:42 in all: 4 mex · 8 wind (standard 12) · 1 geo · 1 Advanced Geothermal Powerplant · 7 converter (standard 13) · 1 energy storage

    The example game in this phase · 5 steps
    1. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    2. GoonGoon ×9
    3. Hovercraft PlatformEat Hovercraft Platformreclaimed for its metal
    4. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×4done 5:40 · typical 5:45
    5. Advanced Geothermal PowerplantAdvanced Geothermal Powerplantdone 7:58 · typical 7:34
  4. 4

    Aircraft Plant to Advanced Bot Lab

    Order
    1. Advanced Bot LabAdvanced Bot Lab after 8 wind, 8 converter, 9 con turretdone ~9:26, middle half 8:49–10:05
    Army
    • Whirlwind5 Whirlwind +5 vs standard

    Some games also: con turret (43%) · valiant (43%) · finch (43%) · converter (36%)

    By 8:39 in all: 4 mex · 8 wind (standard 12) · 1 geo · 1 Advanced Geothermal Powerplant · 8 converter (standard 16) · 1 energy storage

    The example game in this phase · 1 step
    1. Advanced Bot LabAdvanced Bot Labdone 8:31 · typical 9:26
  5. 5

    Advanced Bot Lab to 15:00

    Economy
    • Wind Turbine2Wind
    • Energy Converter9Converter+7 vs standard
    Order
    1. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plant in 50% of games
    Builders
    • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot for allies

    Some games also: crawling bomb (50%) · T2 con bot (50%) · Sheldon (43%) · Nemesis (43%) · Prevailer (43%)

    The standard build makes here, this one skips: 4 Sheldon

    By 15:00 in all: 4 mex · 16 wind (standard 24) · 1 geo · 1 Advanced Geothermal Powerplant · 22 converter · 1 energy storage

    The example game in this phase · 65 steps
    1. Advanced Construction BotT2 con botfor Suicide front
    2. SkuttleCrawling bombdone 9:01 · typical 11:04
    3. DeceiverJammer bot
    4. Con turret
    5. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    6. Con turret
    7. GuardGuard
    8. AugurRadar bot
    9. SpectreSpectre
    10. SheldonSheldon ×2done 9:27
    11. Con turret
    12. SheldonSheldon
    13. JunoJuno
    14. SheldonSheldon ×3
    15. Con turret
    16. SheldonSheldon ×2
    17. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    18. Converter
    19. SheldonSheldon
    20. Converter
    21. SheldonSheldon
    22. Converter
    23. SumoSumodone 11:11
    24. Converter
    25. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    26. Converter
    27. SumoSumo
    28. Converter ×2
    29. SumoSumo
    30. Converter
    31. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    32. Converter
    33. SumoSumo ×3
    34. Converter
    35. SumoSumo
    36. Bot LabBot Labdone 12:41
    37. Converter
    38. SumoSumo
    39. Converter ×2
    40. SumoSumo
    41. GraverobberGraverobber
    42. Converter ×2
    43. SumoSumo
    44. GraverobberGraverobber
    45. Advanced Construction BotT2 con bot
    46. GraverobberGraverobber
    47. Converter
    48. GraverobberGraverobber ×2
    49. Converter
    50. CommandoCommando
    51. Converter
    52. NemesisNemesis
    53. GraverobberGraverobber ×2
    54. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    55. PrevailerPrevailerdone 14:55
    56. FinchFinch
    57. TwitcherTwitcher
    58. SpectreSpectre
    59. FinchFinch
    60. Wind
    61. FinchFinch
    62. SpectreSpectre
    63. HerculesLight transport
    64. OppressorDestroyernot finished by 15:00
    65. Wind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is _Hawkey_'s (59 OS, 09/08/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

  • Graverobber1 Graverobber to Beach seafirst at 2:21 · in 86% of games
  • Construction Bot1 Con bot to Beach sea or Pondfirst at 2:34 · in 93% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot to Front or Suicide front or Pondfirst at 9:23 · in 57% of games

You get

  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Techfirst at 4:57 · 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 geo

Metal produced

020k40k
0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

Enemy metal destroyed

05k10k
0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

Own metal lost

02.5k5k7.5k
0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

14 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildMetal produced: Standard geoEnemy metal destroyed: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: Standard geoOwn metal lost: This buildOwn metal lost: Standard geo
1:003823350000
2:009188500000
3:00163415090000
4:00256126490000
5:003874371400250
6:0057095615001610
7:007696798331804380
8:00104231104981905330
9:00132811405489343993120
10:00162131691624704241339260
11:001836719848268213403074800
12:0020878227013029255431041790
13:0024077256573452436739432860
14:0027109284974695614243964539
15:0029269315194695826453786575
THE EXAMPLE YOU ARE READING

_Hawkey_

58.9 OS · 09/08/2026

Open source match ↗

1 received units · includes a constructor
430 metal received · 167209 energy received

Allied construction assistance is unknown. Timings are observations, not a promise of solo reproducibility.

Typical milestones

Bot Lab1:22Middle 50%: 1:14–1:47 · n=14
Geothermal Powerplant3:41Middle 50%: 3:25–3:45 · n=14
Hovercraft Platform4:38Middle 50%: 4:13–4:46 · n=14
Advanced Metal Extractor5:45Middle 50%: 5:28–6:10 · n=14
Advanced Geothermal Powerplant7:34Middle 50%: 7:20–7:57 · n=12
Aircraft Plant7:51Middle 50%: 7:41–7:57 · n=8
Advanced Bot Lab9:26Middle 50%: 8:49–10:05 · n=10
Skuttle11:04Middle 50%: 9:29–11:21 · n=7

Played most by

_Hawkey_7games of this buildPRO_HYDRA4games of this buildChronopolize1game of this buildMrCoolPotato1game of this buildYogaBoy1584971game of this build