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Whirlwind rush

Cortex Geo build order · Supreme Isthmus

Geo adds an Aircraft Plant around 6:50 and pushes T1 bombers led by Whirlwind, with Valiant fighters and Finch scouts following, landing hits deep in the enemy base from as early as 8:52 well before the usual T2 push.

Usually blows up the commander for T2 (69%)

#air #rush #push · 44 distinct matches · 23 players · 6% of Cortex Geo games · team won 58% of 45 · Recently observed

THE CATCH, AND WHAT COMES WITH IT
  • WhirlwindT1 air bombers from 6:59 · 8% of role by thenFrom the Aircraft Plant. Only 8% of Geo games have it by then; others who build it get it around 7:28
  • Aircraft PlantAircraft Plant in 98%17% of all Geo games by then
  • ValiantValiant in 73%11% of all Geo games by then
  • FinchFinch in 53%7% of all Geo games by then
  • ValiantValiant in 47%6% of all Geo games by then

Started with Whirlwind (98%), Stormbringer (2%).

Where those units first fight, in 45 games with kill data: in the middle 53%, in the enemy base 44%.

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

Then transitions into Sheldon (14% of army), valiant (9% of army).

HOW TO PLAY IT

Key timing: Aircraft Plant by 6:57

  1. Open bot lab as usual but plan to eat it by 3:27.
  2. Get geo up on schedule to fund the air switch.
  3. Build Aircraft Plant instead of the usual T2 bot path.
  4. Push Whirlwind bombers straight into the enemy base.
  5. Reclaim the Aircraft Plant and transition back to Sheldon and T2 units.

Phase by phase

TYPICAL OF ITS 44 GAMES · AGAINST STANDARD GEO
  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
PLAY THE OPENING

Follow the example game's first 7:59 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 ~1:13, middle half 0:52–1:21

    By 0:56 in all: 3 mex · 3 wind

    The example game in this phase · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×4
    3. Bot LabBot Labdone 1:22 · typical 1:13
  2. 2

    Bot Lab to 5:00

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor2Mex
    • Wind Turbine3Wind−2 vs standard
    • Energy Converter6Converter−2 vs standard
    • Energy Storage1Energy storage
    Order
    1. Geothermal PowerplantGeo after 4 mex, 5 wind
    2. Bot LabEat Bot Lab
    Builders
    • Construction Turret5 Con turret
    • Graverobber5 Graverobber
    • Construction Bot2 Con bot
    • Construction Bot1 Con bot for allies
    • Graverobber1 Graverobber for allies

    Some games also: Aircraft Plant (31%)

    By 5:00 in all: 4 mex · 7 wind · 1 geo · 6 converter (standard 8) · 1 energy storage · 5 con turret

    The example game in this phase · 16 steps
    1. Construction BotCon bot
    2. GraverobberGraverobber ×2for Geo sea
    3. Mex
    4. Construction BotCon botfor Beach sea
    5. GraverobberGraverobberfor Geo sea
    6. GraverobberGraverobber
    7. Construction BotCon bot
    8. Geothermal PowerplantGeodone 3:48 · typical 3:27
    9. GraverobberGraverobber ×2for Beach sea
    10. Energy storage
    11. Con turret ×2
    12. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    13. Con turret ×3
    14. Converter
    15. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 4:58
    16. Converter ×2
  3. 3

    5:00 to T1 air bombers

    Order
    1. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plant after 14 wind, 10 converter, 8 con turretin 67% of games
    2. WhirlwindT1 air bombers after 8 wind, 8 converter, 6 con turret
    Builders
    • Construction Turret1 Con turret

    Some games also: Advanced Geothermal Powerplant (47%) · converter (47%) · wind (40%)

    The standard build makes here, this one skips: 2 wind · 2 converter

    By 6:59 in all: 4 mex · 8 wind (standard 11) · 1 geo · 9 converter (standard 12) · 1 energy storage · 6 con turret

    The example game in this phase · 7 steps
    1. Converter ×3
    2. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    3. Converter ×4
    4. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×3done 5:47 · typical 5:48
    5. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 6:42 · typical 6:54
    6. Con turret
    7. WhirlwindWhirlwinddone 6:54
  4. 4

    T1 air bombers to Advanced Bot Lab

    Order
    1. Advanced Bot LabAdvanced Bot Lab after 11 wind, 10 converter, 6 con turretdone ~9:38, middle half 8:56–10:13
    Army
    • Whirlwind12 Whirlwind +12 vs standard
    • Valiant6 Valiant +6 vs standard

    Some games also: con turret (44%) · finch (44%) · wind (33%) · converter (33%)

    By 8:55 in all: 4 mex · 14 wind · 1 geo · 1 Advanced Geothermal Powerplant · 11 converter (standard 15) · 1 energy storage

    The example game in this phase · 20 steps
    1. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    2. Con turret
    3. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    4. Advanced Geothermal PowerplantAdvanced Geothermal Powerplantdone 8:03 · typical 7:18
    5. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    6. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexfor Geo sea
    7. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×4
    8. Converter
    9. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    10. Converter
    11. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    12. Converter
    13. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    14. Converter
    15. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    16. Converter
    17. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    18. Converter
    19. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    20. Converter ×2
  5. 5

    Advanced Bot Lab to 15:00

    Economy
    • Energy Converter7Converter+7 vs standard
    Order
    1. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plant
    Builders
    • Construction Turret1 Con turret

    Some games also: wind (47%) · valiant (40%) · Sheldon (36%) · jammer bot (36%) · radar bot (36%)

    The standard build makes here, this one skips: 5 Sheldon

    By 15:00 in all: 4 mex · 21 wind · 1 geo · 1 Advanced Geothermal Powerplant · 19 converter · 1 energy storage

    The example game in this phase · 24 steps
    1. Converter
    2. BruteBrute
    3. Converter
    4. BruteBrute
    5. Converter
    6. BruteBrute
    7. Converter
    8. ValiantValiant
    9. BruteBrute
    10. ValiantValiant
    11. Converter
    12. ValiantValiant ×7
    13. BruteBrute
    14. ValiantValiant
    15. Converter
    16. BruteBrute
    17. Converter
    18. BruteBrute ×4
    19. SAMSAM
    20. BruteBrute ×3
    21. SAMSAM
    22. BruteBrute ×2
    23. Vehicle PlantEat Vehicle Plantreclaimed for its metal
    24. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is PongoPygmaeus's (35 OS, 05/10/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

  • Graverobber1 Graverobber to Beach seafirst at 2:16 · in 82% of games
  • Construction Bot1 Con bot to Beach sea or Pondfirst at 2:23 · in 78% of games

You get

  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Techfirst at 4:58 · in 96% of games
  • Advanced Metal Extractor1 T2 mex from Tech or Beach sea or Pondfirst at 5:21 · in 33% of games
  • Valiant12 Valiant from Airfirst at 8:31 · in 36% 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

02k4k6k
0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

45 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
1:003333420000
2:008628700000
3:00151315010000
4:00268526640000
5:00372036940000
6:00535755860000
7:00775078930000
8:00102081096400500
9:0012984138802402130343
10:00159301678920053131737190
11:001922419614306311042354750
12:0021927226863413223632691400
13:0024977255894465404435772390
14:0027468284235679581547244283
15:0030092313957073788153805630
WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY

Won more often than the standard build and destroyed far more enemy metal by 10:00 and 15:00.

  • + Destroys 2005 enemy metal by 10:00 vs 424 for standard.
  • + Won more often than the Geo norm in these games.
  • − Own losses jump to 2022 by 10:00 vs 260 for standard.
  • − Metal production trails standard build slightly throughout.
THE EXAMPLE YOU ARE READING

PongoPygmaeus

34.9 OS · 05/10/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
356 metal received · 39422 energy received

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

Typical milestones

Bot Lab1:13Middle 50%: 0:52–1:21 · n=45
Geothermal Powerplant3:27Middle 50%: 3:06–3:37 · n=45
Advanced Metal Extractor5:48Middle 50%: 5:26–6:14 · n=43
Aircraft Plant6:54Middle 50%: 4:33–7:14 · n=44
Advanced Geothermal Powerplant7:18Middle 50%: 6:56–8:11 · n=35
Advanced Bot Lab9:38Middle 50%: 8:56–10:13 · n=24

Played most by

El_Turco6games of this buildPongoPygmaeus6games of this buildOsamaBinClappin4games of this buildPRO_HYDRA4games of this buildzeus_on_god4games of this build