Economy

Economy is the general term used to refer to the set of resource-producing units (both for Gold and Technology) controlled by a player.

=Economy levels= Depending on the random set and their favored style of play, players will aim to get at various income levels before starting to produce mainly attacking and defending units. Unlike in other strategy games, Drone production is generally interrupted at that point, leading to the economy stabilizing until it eventually collapses if the player starts getting breached. Economy levels are broken up in two categories: high and low econ.

High economy
A player with a large gold/turn production (roughly per turn) is said to have a high economy. Players wanting to get a high economy will generally invest in an additional Engineer on their second turn of play, signalling their intention to their opponent. High-econ games are typically associated to the presence of high-tier blue units in the random set, or to a generally defensive/economic set. The standard high-econ build orders for both players are:

For Player 1:
 * DD
 * 1) DDE
 * 2) DDD
 * 3) DDDB

For Player 2:
 * DD
 * 1) DDE
 * 2) DDDC
 * 3) DDDB

Alternative build for Player 2 if they mainly want to get to as fast as possible:
 * DD
 * 1) DDE
 * 2) DDD
 * 3) DBBB

Those builds lead both players to income levels where they can afford high-tech units such as Omega Splitter or Asteri Cannon using only the gold they harvested that turn. Games developing in this direction will often last for a long period of time, and players will often be buying large amounts of both attack and defense in the same turn.

Low economy
A player on a low economy earns roughly or less per turn. Getting to this income level is way faster than going for high economy, but obviously doesn't let you produce the same units (or not as many of them). Low-econ games are typically associated to the presence of red rush units in the random set, or an agressive/chilly/frontline set. Example builds orders for low-econ:

For Player 1:
 * DD
 * DD
 * 1) DDA

Or, if getting Green early seems paramount:
 * DD
 * DC
 * DA

For Player 2:
 * DD
 * DA

Games where both players opt for low economy will often be determined by tactical decisions and snap calls, especially with units like Protoplasm being able to swing the tempo very fast if not anticipated. Though most low-economy attackers are red, obtaining a Conduit is often important--near the ending stages of the game, you will need to Forcefield many of your drones. The low amount of resources and units leads to a generally shorter game.

=Asymmetrical economies, 'medium' economies= Players don't always agree to both go for high or low economy. For instance, after Player 1 builds a third Engineer on their second turn, Player 2 can choose to build an Animus in an attempt to pressure his opponent's economy. This can lead to one or both players changing their strategy and building more Drones (or conversely stopping Drone production), leaving the board in a less conventional state. In case both players stick to their plans, the resulting board state is economically asymmetrical, giving one player an advantage in damage and the other an advantage in economy.

Sometimes, players will refrain from making bold moves, not going for a massive economy but not rushing for attackers either. This can be a consequence of the random set containing units in a rock-paper-scissors relation with each other for instance, or because of the presence of Green units able to swing the game heavily in a single turn like Tia Thurnax or Cluster bolt. This medium economy can evolve towards a higher one if no player makes an offensive move, or be resolved in a matter of turns if one chooses to go all out.