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Geo / Cortex / Economy first / OBSERVED BUILD

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 ×2
    2. Wind ×3
    3. Bot LabBot Labdone 0:52 · 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 · 12 steps
    1. GraverobberGraverobber ×3
    2. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    3. GraverobberGraverobberfor Beach sea
    4. GraverobberGraverobber
    5. Mex ×2
    6. GraverobberGraverobber ×2
    7. Geothermal PowerplantGeodone 3:21 · typical 3:27
    8. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    9. Con turret ×3
    10. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 4:09 · typical 6:54
    11. Converter ×6
    12. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×4done 4:40
  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 · 1 step
    1. WhirlwindWhirlwinddone 4:33
  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 · 15 steps
    1. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×3
    2. ValiantValiant ×3
    3. Metal storage
    4. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexnot finished by 15:00
    5. ValiantValiant ×2
    6. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×2
    7. Con turret
    8. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    9. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    10. Con turret
    11. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    12. Energy storage
    13. Advanced Geothermal PowerplantAdvanced Geothermal Powerplantdone 8:44
    14. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    15. Advanced Bot LabAdvanced Bot Labdone 9:29 · typical 9:38
  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 · 12 steps
    1. Converter ×5
    2. SkuttleCrawling bombdone 9:50
    3. Converter ×3
    4. DuckDuck ×4
    5. Con turret
    6. DuckDuck
    7. Con turret
    8. DuckDuck ×17
    9. Advanced Construction BotT2 con bot
    10. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 14:50
    11. Con turret ×4
    12. Fusion ReactorFusion

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is OsamaBinClappin's (31 OS, 12/09/2026); 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
2:008628710000
3:00151315010000
4:00268526640000
5:00372036950000
6:00535755950000
7:00775078940000
8:00102081096700500
9:0012984138762402130344
10:00159301678420053171737192
11:001922419610306311092354738
12:0021927226853413223332691400
13:0024977255974465403935772394
14:0027468284445679580947244294
15:0030092313517073786253805625
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

OsamaBinClappin

31.4 OS · 12/09/2026

Open source match ↗

1 received units · includes a constructor
3148 metal received · 68124 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