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Geo / Cortex / Economy first / OBSERVED BUILD

Whirlwind rush

Geo pivots into an Aircraft Plant for Whirlwind bombers around 7 minutes, striking into the enemy base instead of the usual bot/vehicle push to front.

Usually blows up the commander for T2 (71%)

#air #rush #raid · 21 distinct matches · 16 players · 5% of Cortex Geo games · team won 57% of 21 · Recently observed

THE CATCH, AND WHAT COMES WITH IT
  • WhirlwindT1 air bombers from 7:08 · 9% of role by thenFrom the Aircraft Plant. Only 9% of Geo games have it by then; others who build it get it around 7:25
  • Aircraft PlantAircraft Plant in 100%18% of all Geo games by then
  • ValiantValiant in 71%12% of all Geo games by then
  • FinchFinch in 62%8% of all Geo games by then
  • ValiantValiant in 43%6% of all Geo games by then

Where those units first fight, in 21 games with kill data: in the middle 62%, in the enemy base 38%.

Those units destroy a typical 2,040 metal of enemy units by 15:00.

Then transitions into Sheldon (10% of army), valiant (9% of army).

HOW TO PLAY IT

Key timing: Aircraft Plant by 7:01

  1. Open standard Geo eco with Bot Lab and geothermal into T2 con.
  2. Get geothermal running to fund the air switch coming up.
  3. Build Aircraft Plant right after advanced geothermal finishes.
  4. Send Whirlwind bombers straight into the enemy base.
  5. Add Valiant fighters and Finch scouts to round out the air force.

Phase by phase

TYPICAL OF ITS 21 GAMES · AGAINST STANDARD GEO
  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
PLAY THE OPENING

Follow the example game's first 8:08 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 Extractor2Mex
    • Wind Turbine4Wind
    Order
    1. Bot LabBot Lab after 2 mex, 4 winddone ~1:14, middle half 0:54–1:23

    By 0:57 in all: 2 mex · 4 wind

    The example game in this phase · 6 steps
    1. Mex ×2
    2. Wind ×2
    3. GuardGuard
    4. Mex
    5. Wind ×2
    6. Bot LabBot Labdone 1:29 · typical 1:14
  2. 2

    Bot Lab to 5:00

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor2Mex
    • Wind Turbine4Wind
    • Energy Converter7Converter
    • Energy Storage1Energy storage
    Order
    1. Geothermal PowerplantGeo after 4 mex, 5 wind
    Builders
    • Construction Turret5 Con turret
    • Graverobber4 Graverobber
    • Construction Bot2 Con bot
    • Construction Bot1 Con bot for allies
    • Graverobber1 Graverobber for allies

    By 5:00 in all: 4 mex · 7 wind · 1 geo · 7 converter · 1 energy storage · 5 con turret

    The example game in this phase · 21 steps
    1. Wind
    2. GraverobberGraverobber ×2
    3. Wind
    4. GraverobberGraverobber
    5. Construction BotCon botfor Beach sea
    6. GraverobberGraverobberfor Beach sea
    7. Construction BotCon botfor Pond
    8. Construction BotCon bot
    9. Mex
    10. GraverobberGraverobber
    11. Geothermal PowerplantGeodone 3:27 · typical 3:25
    12. Con turret ×2
    13. Energy storage
    14. Con turret ×2
    15. Converter ×3
    16. Con turret
    17. Converter ×2
    18. Con turret
    19. Converter
    20. Con turret
    21. Converter ×7
  3. 3

    5:00 to T1 air bombers

    Economy
    • Wind Turbine6Wind+5 vs standard
    • Energy Converter1Converter−2 vs standard
    Order
    1. Advanced Geothermal PowerplantAdvanced Geothermal Powerplant after 14 wind, 9 converter, 6 con turretin 67% of games
    2. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plant after 14 wind, 9 converter, 7 con turret
    3. WhirlwindT1 air bombers after 13 wind, 9 converter, 7 con turret
    Builders
    • Construction Turret2 Con turret +2 vs standard

    By 7:08 in all: 4 mex · 14 wind · 1 geo · 1 Advanced Geothermal Powerplant · 9 converter (standard 12) · 1 energy storage

    The example game in this phase · 7 steps
    1. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×4done 5:20 · typical 5:29
    2. PrudePrudedone 6:36
    3. Wind ×6
    4. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    5. ThistleThistle
    6. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plant ×2done 6:52 · typical 7:03
    7. WhirlwindWhirlwindnot finished by 15:00
  4. 4

    T1 air bombers to Advanced Bot Lab

    Order
    1. Advanced Bot LabAdvanced Bot Lab after 15 wind, 10 converter, 9 con turretdone ~9:55, middle half 9:09–10:15
    Army
    • Whirlwind14 Whirlwind +14 vs standard
    • Valiant12 Valiant +12 vs standard

    Some games also: finch (48%) · con turret (43%) · wind (38%)

    The standard build makes here, this one skips: 3 converter

    By 9:30 in all: 4 mex · 17 wind · 1 geo · 1 Advanced Geothermal Powerplant · 10 converter (standard 17) · 1 energy storage

    The example game in this phase · 11 steps
    1. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×12
    2. FinchFinch ×2
    3. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 7:56
    4. Construction VehicleCon vehicle ×2
    5. Advanced Vehicle PlantAdvanced Vehicle Plantdone 8:26
    6. Advanced Construction VehicleT2 con vehiclefor Front
    7. Wind
    8. BanisherBanisherdone 9:09
    9. Wind
    10. BanisherBanisher
    11. Wind ×3
  5. 5

    Advanced Bot Lab to 15:00

    Builders
    • Construction Turret1 Con turret

    Some games also: Radar Tower (48%) · wind (38%) · converter (38%)

    By 15:00 in all: 4 mex · 21 wind · 1 geo · 1 Advanced Geothermal Powerplant · 16 converter · 1 energy storage

    The example game in this phase · 35 steps
    1. Wind
    2. ObscurerJammer
    3. Wind
    4. OmenRadar vehicle
    5. Wind
    6. TigerTigerdone 9:56
    7. Wind
    8. BanisherBanisher
    9. Wind ×2
    10. BanisherBanisher
    11. Wind
    12. TigerTiger
    13. Wind ×2
    14. TigerTiger
    15. Wind
    16. TigerTiger
    17. Wind ×3
    18. TigerTiger ×2
    19. Con turret ×2
    20. Wind ×5
    21. Advanced Construction VehicleT2 con vehicle
    22. Wind
    23. Con turret ×2
    24. NemesisNemesis
    25. JunoJuno
    26. Wind
    27. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 14:36
    28. Wind
    29. FuryFurydone 13:40
    30. Wind
    31. FuryFury
    32. Wind ×2
    33. PrevailerPrevailernot finished by 15:00
    34. Wind
    35. FuryFury

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is zeus_on_god's (37 OS, 20/09/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

  • Graverobber1 Graverobber to Beach sea or Suicide frontfirst at 2:11 · in 81% of games
  • Construction Bot1 Con bot to Beach seafirst at 2:37 · in 90% of games

You get

  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Techfirst at 4:57 · in 95% of games
  • Valiant13 Valiant from Air or Suicide frontfirst at 8:50 · in 33% 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

21 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
1:003313360000
2:008288660000
3:00152414990000
4:00272326630000
5:00367737580000
6:00567956810000
7:00789279940000
8:0010669110390000
9:0013227140811503112086
10:00167071692619043321773259
11:001941919811283212522599715
12:0022093226763413249134551531
13:0025168255595086426137802635
14:0028345285036223594048464360
15:0030092316558034796957266290
WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY

Won more often than the standard build while dealing much more damage from 10:00 onward for similar losses.

  • + Enemy metal destroyed far above standard by 10:00 (1896 vs 406) and 15:00 (9707 vs 7969).
  • + Team win rate above the standard build's 45%.
  • − Own metal lost climbs above standard by 10:00 (1963 vs 260).
  • − Aircraft Plant this early is a big deviation Geo rarely attempts (17% by then).
THE EXAMPLE YOU ARE READING

zeus_on_god

37.1 OS · 20/09/2026

Open source match ↗

3 received units · includes a constructor
2205 metal received · 55469 energy received

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

Typical milestones

Bot Lab1:14Middle 50%: 0:54–1:23 · n=21
Geothermal Powerplant3:25Middle 50%: 3:03–3:34 · n=21
Advanced Metal Extractor5:29Middle 50%: 5:22–5:59 · n=20
Advanced Geothermal Powerplant7:02Middle 50%: 6:51–7:32 · n=16
Aircraft Plant7:03Middle 50%: 6:48–7:23 · n=21
Advanced Bot Lab9:55Middle 50%: 9:09–10:15 · n=11

Played most by

zeus_on_god3games of this buildImmort2games of this buildPongoPygmaeus2games of this buildPRO_HYDRA2games of this build[GerBoyz]Stinkfisch1game of this build