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Geo / Cortex / Economy first / OBSERVED BUILD

Whirlwind rush

After the usual geothermal economy, pivots into an Aircraft Plant by 7:03 and pushes T1 bombers and fighters forward from 7:08, with units fighting in the enemy base in every example, well ahead of the role's normal T2 bot timing.

Usually blows up the commander for T2 (71%)

#air #rush #push · 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 · 8% of role by thenFrom the Aircraft Plant. Only 8% of Geo games have it by then; others who build it get it around 7:32
  • 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 · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×2
    2. Wind ×4
    3. Bot LabBot Labdone 0:59 · 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 · 31 steps
    1. Wind
    2. GraverobberGraverobber ×2
    3. Wind
    4. GraverobberGraverobberfor Beach sea
    5. Construction BotCon botfor Beach sea
    6. Construction BotCon bot
    7. GraverobberGraverobber
    8. Con turret
    9. Mex ×2
    10. GraverobberGraverobber
    11. Energy storage
    12. Geothermal PowerplantGeodone 3:03 · typical 3:25
    13. Wind ×3
    14. Con turret
    15. Con turretfor Beach sea
    16. Converter ×2
    17. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 3:48 · typical 7:03
    18. Converter
    19. FinchFinch
    20. Converter
    21. WhirlwindWhirlwinddone 4:12
    22. Wind
    23. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    24. Wind
    25. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    26. Wind
    27. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    28. Wind ×2
    29. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    30. Wind
    31. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
  3. 3

    5:00 to T1 air bombers

    Economy
    • Wind Turbine6Wind+4 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 · 1 step
    1. WhirlwindWhirlwinddone 4:04
  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 · 9 steps
    1. Wind
    2. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    3. Wind
    4. HerculesLight transport
    5. Wind
    6. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×4done 5:55 · typical 5:29
    7. Advanced Geothermal PowerplantAdvanced Geothermal Powerplantdone 8:34 · typical 7:02
    8. Con turret ×2
    9. Advanced Bot LabAdvanced Bot Labdone 8:58 · typical 9:55
  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 · 93 steps
    1. SkuttleCrawling bombdone 9:23
    2. Con turret
    3. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    4. Con turret ×3
    5. SkuttleCrawling bomb
    6. Converter
    7. DeceiverJammer botfor Suicide front
    8. AugurRadar botfor Suicide front
    9. SheldonSheldonfor Suicide frontdone 9:55
    10. Converter
    11. SheldonSheldonfor Suicide front
    12. Converter
    13. SheldonSheldonfor Suicide front
    14. Converter
    15. SheldonSheldonfor Suicide front
    16. Converter
    17. SheldonSheldonfor Suicide front
    18. Converter ×2
    19. SheldonSheldonfor Suicide front
    20. Converter
    21. SheldonSheldonfor Suicide front
    22. Converter
    23. ArbiterArbiterfor Suicide frontdone 10:49
    24. Converter ×2
    25. ArbiterArbiterfor Suicide front
    26. Converter
    27. ArbiterArbiterfor Suicide front
    28. Converter
    29. ArbiterArbiterfor Suicide front
    30. Converter
    31. Advanced Construction BotT2 con bot
    32. Converter
    33. FiendFiend ×2
    34. Converter
    35. FiendFiend ×7
    36. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 11:52
    37. FiendFiend
    38. BirdshotBirdshot
    39. FiendFiend
    40. Con turret
    41. Metal storage
    42. FiendFiend
    43. Con turret ×3
    44. FiendFiend
    45. IncisorIncisor
    46. FiendFiend
    47. IncisorIncisor
    48. FiendFiend
    49. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 12:36
    50. IncisorIncisor ×8
    51. BruteBrute
    52. IncisorIncisor
    53. BruteBrute
    54. IncisorIncisor
    55. BruteBrute
    56. IncisorIncisor
    57. BruteBrute
    58. IncisorIncisor
    59. BruteBrute
    60. IncisorIncisor
    61. BruteBrute
    62. IncisorIncisor
    63. BruteBrute
    64. IncisorIncisor
    65. BruteBrute
    66. IncisorIncisor
    67. BruteBrute
    68. IncisorIncisor
    69. BruteBrute
    70. IncisorIncisor
    71. BruteBrute
    72. IncisorIncisor
    73. BruteBrute
    74. IncisorIncisor
    75. BruteBrute
    76. IncisorIncisor
    77. BruteBrute
    78. IncisorIncisor
    79. BruteBrute
    80. IncisorIncisor
    81. BruteBrute
    82. IncisorIncisor
    83. BruteBrute
    84. IncisorIncisor
    85. BruteBrute
    86. IncisorIncisor
    87. BruteBrute
    88. IncisorIncisor
    89. BruteBrute
    90. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 14:04
    91. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    92. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 14:35
    93. Advanced Aircraft PlantAdvanced Aircraft Plantnot finished by 15:00

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is LobsterMeat's (40 OS, 08/09/2026); 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
1:003313350000
2:008288620000
3:00152414990000
4:00272326630000
5:00367737560000
6:00567956900000
7:00789279780000
8:0010669110470000
9:0013227140811503712093
10:00167071694419043831773259
11:001941919811283212992599715
12:0022093226763413253634551639
13:0025168255595086434137802635
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

LobsterMeat

39.8 OS · 08/09/2026

Open source match ↗

8 received units · includes a constructor
5941 metal received · 88956 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