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Geo / Cortex / Economy first / OBSERVED BUILD

Starlight push

Geo builds toward T2 vehicles and brings out Starlight tachyon tanks around 8-9 minutes to snipe from range in the middle, alongside Umbra support, instead of the usual bot-based T2 push.

Usually blows up the commander for T2 (77%)

#push #artillery · 13 distinct matches · 6 players · 3% of Cortex Geo games · team won 69% of 13 · Recently observed

THE CATCH, AND WHAT COMES WITH IT
  • StarlightT2 vehicle snipers from 8:22 · 6% of role by thenFrom the Advanced Vehicle Plant. Only 6% of Geo games have it by then; others who build it get it around 9:51
  • Bot LabBot Lab in 92%8% of all Geo games by then
  • Vehicle PlantVehicle Plant in 92%6% of all Geo games by then
  • Advanced Vehicle PlantAdvanced Vehicle Plant in 85%5% of all Geo games by then
  • UmbraJammer in 85%14% of all Geo games by then

Started with Starlight (92%), Negotiator (8%).

Where those units first fight, in 13 games with kill data: in the middle 85%, on their own side 15%.

Those units destroy a typical 7,678 metal of enemy units by 15:00.

Then transitions into Jaguar (18% of army).

HOW TO PLAY IT

Key timing: Advanced Vehicle Plant by 7:42

  1. Take standard mex and wind start into an early Bot Lab.
  2. Add a second Bot Lab well ahead of role norm for raid support.
  3. Push Vehicle Plant then Advanced Vehicle Plant fast for T2 snipers.
  4. Field Starlight tachyon snipers as your first T2 unit to front.
  5. Add jammer (Umbra) support to protect the Starlights from counters.

Phase by phase

TYPICAL OF ITS 13 GAMES · AGAINST STANDARD GEO
  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
PLAY THE OPENING

Follow the example game's first 9:23 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 ~1:05, middle half 1:05–1:13

    Some games also: solar (46%)

    By 0:49 in all: 3 mex · 3 wind

    The example game in this phase · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Solar
    3. Bot LabBot Labdone 1:05 · typical 1:05
  2. 2

    Bot Lab to Bot Lab

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor1Mex
    • Wind Turbine5Wind−2 vs standard
    • Energy Converter9Converter−3 vs standard
    • Energy Storage1Energy storage
    Order
    1. Geothermal PowerplantGeo after 4 mex, 3 wind, 1 energy storage
    2. Advanced Geothermal PowerplantAdvanced Geothermal Powerplant after 8 wind, 8 converter, 6 con turret
    3. Bot LabBot Lab after 6 wind, 9 converter, 6 con turretdone ~6:47, middle half 6:39–7:06
    Builders
    • Construction Turret6 Con turret
    • Graverobber3 Graverobber
    • Construction Bot1 Con bot
    • Construction Bot1 Con bot for allies

    By 6:28 in all: 4 mex · 8 wind · 1 geo · 1 solar · 1 Advanced Geothermal Powerplant · 9 converter (standard 12)

    The example game in this phase · 27 steps
    1. GraverobberGraverobber ×4
    2. Construction BotCon botfor Beach sea
    3. Construction BotCon bot
    4. GraverobberGraverobberfor Beach sea
    5. TrasherTrasher
    6. Energy storage
    7. Con turret
    8. Geothermal PowerplantGeodone 3:35 · typical 3:13
    9. Con turret ×3
    10. Converter ×2
    11. Con turret
    12. Converter ×2
    13. Con turret
    14. Converter ×3
    15. Wind
    16. Converter
    17. Wind ×7
    18. Converter ×2
    19. Wind
    20. Converter
    21. Wind
    22. Converter
    23. Wind ×15
    24. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×2done 6:23 · typical 5:18
    25. Advanced Geothermal PowerplantAdvanced Geothermal Powerplantdone 7:36 · typical 6:57
    26. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×2
    27. Bot LabBot Labdone 7:39 · typical 6:47
  3. 3

    Bot Lab to Advanced Vehicle Plant

    Order
    1. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plant after 6 wind, 9 converter, 6 con turret
    2. Advanced Vehicle PlantAdvanced Vehicle Plant after 8 wind, 10 converter, 6 con turretdone ~8:00, middle half 7:42–8:11
    Builders
    • Construction Bot1 Con bot
    • Construction Vehicle1 Con vehicle

    Some games also: converter (31%)

    By 7:31 in all: 4 mex · 8 wind (standard 12) · 1 geo · 1 solar · 1 Advanced Geothermal Powerplant · 10 converter (standard 14)

    The example game in this phase · 4 steps
    1. Construction BotCon bot
    2. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 7:48 · typical 7:13
    3. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    4. Advanced Vehicle PlantAdvanced Vehicle Plantdone 8:20 · typical 8:00
  4. 4

    Advanced Vehicle Plant to T2 vehicle snipers

    Order
    1. StarlightT2 vehicle snipers after 8 wind, 9 converter, 6 con turretdone ~8:43, middle half 8:09–8:57

    Some games also: T2 con vehicle for allies (31%)

    By 8:22 in all: 4 mex · 8 wind (standard 12) · 1 geo · 1 solar · 1 Advanced Geothermal Powerplant · 10 converter (standard 15)

    The example game in this phase · 1 step
    1. StarlightStarlightdone 8:43 · typical 8:43
  5. 5

    T2 vehicle snipers to 10:00

    Army
    • Starlight3 Starlight +3 vs standard

    Some games also: jammer (46%) · radar vehicle (46%) · converter (46%) · Jaguar (38%) · Shredder (31%)

    By 10:00 in all: 4 mex · 8 wind (standard 15) · 1 geo · 1 solar · 1 Advanced Geothermal Powerplant · 12 converter (standard 18)

    The example game in this phase · 21 steps
    1. CitadelAnti-nukedone 14:07
    2. StarlightStarlight
    3. UmbraJammer
    4. ProphetRadar vehicle
    5. Con turret
    6. ShredderShredderdone 9:27 · typical 9:24
    7. Con turret
    8. ShredderShredder
    9. Con turret
    10. ShredderShredder
    11. ProphetRadar vehicle
    12. StarlightStarlight ×3
    13. JaguarJaguar ×10for Suicide front
    14. Advanced Construction VehicleT2 con vehicle
    15. Metal storage
    16. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 13:02
    17. Advanced Bot LabAdvanced Bot Labdone 13:38
    18. T2 converter
    19. PlatypusPlatypus ×3
    20. T2 converter
    21. PlatypusPlatypus ×11

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is RefuseToLearn's (36 OS, 11/08/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

  • Construction Bot1 Con bot to Beach sea or Pondfirst at 2:37 · in 85% of games
  • Graverobber1 Graverobber to Beach sea or Pondfirst at 2:39 · in 85% of games
  • Advanced Construction Vehicle1 T2 con vehicle to Front or Suicide front or Pondfirst at 10:21 · in 69% of games

You get

  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Techfirst at 4:38 · in 100% of games
  • Advanced Metal Extractor1 T2 mex from Tech or Suicide frontfirst at 5:00 · in 69% 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

010k20k
0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

Own metal lost

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

metal

13 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
1:003803350000
2:008618590000
3:00165214970000
4:00266126620000
5:00372437560000
6:00616956740000
7:00842479860000
8:0012354110340000
9:001572214080633113074
10:001833816922658334130258
11:00208811976916341255345720
12:0023570226485204249910051538
13:0027477255128083431616502629
14:0030867284979052600347354360
15:00333313174716492826454896299
WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY

Won more often than the standard build and destroyed far more enemy metal by 15:00 for similar losses.

  • + Destroyed 14963 metal by 15:00 vs 7969 for standard build.
  • + Produced more metal at 10:00 and 15:00 than standard build.
  • − Almost no kills before 10:00 (845 metal) if the push is delayed.
THE EXAMPLE YOU ARE READING

RefuseToLearn

36.4 OS · 11/08/2026

Open source match ↗

45 received units · includes a constructor
1415 metal received · 43232 energy received

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

Typical milestones

Bot Lab1:05Middle 50%: 1:05–1:13 · n=13
Geothermal Powerplant3:13Middle 50%: 3:10–3:24 · n=13
Advanced Metal Extractor5:18Middle 50%: 5:09–5:30 · n=13
Bot Lab6:47Middle 50%: 6:39–7:06 · n=12
Advanced Geothermal Powerplant6:57Middle 50%: 6:39–7:14 · n=13
Vehicle Plant7:13Middle 50%: 7:04–7:23 · n=12
Advanced Vehicle Plant8:00Middle 50%: 7:42–8:11 · n=12
Starlight8:43Middle 50%: 8:09–8:57 · n=12
Shredder9:24Middle 50%: 8:39–9:36 · n=9

Played most by

RefuseToLearn5games of this buildNazarid3games of this buildImmort2games of this build[crd]sisa1game of this buildHandicapping_mySelf1game of this build