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Gauntlet defence

Economy-first start that leads with a Gauntlet from 5:30 to anchor the middle with area-control artillery well before it's normal for the role, fighting purely forward in the middle before transitioning into a broader army.

#defence #artillery · 92 distinct matches · 48 players · 6% of Armada Front games · team won 57% of 95 · Recently observed

THE CATCH, AND WHAT COMES WITH IT
  • GauntletEarly defence from 5:30 · 8% of role by thenOnly 8% of Front games have it by then; others who build it get it around 11:13

Where those units first fight, in 81 games with kill data: in the middle 100%.

Those units destroy a typical 600 metal of enemy units by 15:00.

Then transitions into blitz (12% of army), rocketeer (12% of army), Rattlesnake (9% of army).

HOW TO PLAY IT

Key timing: Gauntlet by 5:34

  1. Open double mex and wind into a Vehicle Plant for the usual eco-first start.
  2. Add Beamer and defensive turf like Dragon's Teeth while eco grows.
  3. Commit early to a Gauntlet well ahead of the normal timing.
  4. Bring Rattlesnake into the mix to hold the defensive line at middle.
  5. Transition into T2 constructor once the line is anchored.

Phase by phase

TYPICAL OF ITS 92 GAMES · AGAINST STANDARD FRONT
  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
PLAY THE OPENING

Follow the example game's first 6:30 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 Turbine1Wind
    Order
    1. Bot LabBot Lab after 3 mex, 1 winddone ~0:45, middle half 0:39–6:40

    Some games also: Vehicle Plant (42%)

    By 0:28 in all: 2 mex · 1 wind

    The example game in this phase · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×2
    2. Wind
    3. Bot LabBot Labdone 0:39 · typical 0:45
  2. 2

    Bot Lab to Early defence

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor4Mex
    • Wind Turbine4Wind−2 vs standard
    Order
    1. GauntletEarly defence after 6 mex, 7 wind, 1 con turretdone ~6:32, middle half 6:06–7:03
    Builders
    • Construction Bot2 Con bot +2 vs standard
    Army
    • Sentry1 Sentry
    • Rocketeer5 Rocketeer +5 vs standard

    Some games also: tick (48%) · Lazarus (46%) · con turret (45%) · centurion (39%) · Radar Tower (36%)

    The standard build makes here, this one skips: 2 con vehicle · 3 janus

    By 5:30 in all: 6 mex · 8 wind (standard 6) · 1 con turret

    The example game in this phase · 31 steps
    1. TickTick ×5
    2. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    3. Mex
    4. RocketeerRocketeer ×5
    5. Mex ×2
    6. Construction BotCon bot
    7. RocketeerRocketeer
    8. Wind
    9. Mex
    10. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    11. SentrySentry
    12. Wind
    13. RocketeerRocketeer
    14. SentrySentry
    15. RocketeerRocketeer
    16. Wind
    17. Construction BotCon bot
    18. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×5
    19. LazarusLazarus
    20. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    21. Wind
    22. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    23. OverwatchOverwatch
    24. LazarusLazarus
    25. OverwatchOverwatch
    26. LazarusLazarus
    27. Wind
    28. RocketeerRocketeer
    29. Wind
    30. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    31. GauntletGauntletdone 6:33 · typical 6:32
  3. 3

    Early defence to 10:00

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor1Mex
    • Wind Turbine17Wind
    Builders
    • Construction Turret2 Con turret

    Some games also: Beamer (47%) · Dragon's Teeth (46%) · energy storage (45%) · Sentry (40%) · converter (39%)

    The standard build makes here, this one skips: 2 blitz

    By 10:00 in all: 7 mex · 27 wind · 1 energy storage · 4 con turret

    The example game in this phase · 136 steps
    1. Energy storage
    2. RocketeerRocketeer ×3
    3. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    4. RocketeerRocketeer ×4
    5. Con turret
    6. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    7. NettleNettle
    8. RocketeerRocketeer ×5
    9. Wind
    10. SentrySentry
    11. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    12. Wind
    13. RocketeerRocketeer
    14. Wind
    15. RocketeerRocketeer
    16. Wind
    17. RocketeerRocketeer
    18. SentrySentry
    19. RocketeerRocketeer
    20. LazarusLazarus
    21. Converter
    22. Metal storage
    23. LazarusLazarus
    24. Con turret
    25. Wind
    26. Metal storage ×2
    27. LazarusLazarus
    28. Metal storage
    29. Wind
    30. RocketeerRocketeer
    31. Wind
    32. RocketeerRocketeer
    33. Con turret
    34. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 9:47 · typical 9:10
    35. RocketeerRocketeer
    36. Wind
    37. RocketeerRocketeer
    38. Metal storage
    39. Wind
    40. RocketeerRocketeer ×4
    41. Wind
    42. BeamerBeamer
    43. RocketeerRocketeer
    44. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    45. Wind
    46. RocketeerRocketeer
    47. PawnPawn ×3
    48. Wind
    49. PawnPawn ×6
    50. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    51. PawnPawn ×2
    52. Mex
    53. PawnPawn ×7
    54. Construction BotCon bot
    55. Con turret
    56. Construction BotCon bot
    57. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    58. Wind
    59. Converter
    60. Construction BotCon bot
    61. Wind
    62. Construction BotCon bot
    63. Con turret
    64. Wind
    65. Con turret
    66. Construction BotCon bot
    67. Metal storage
    68. Converter
    69. Wind
    70. PawnPawn
    71. Converter
    72. PawnPawn
    73. Wind
    74. PawnPawn
    75. Converter
    76. Wind
    77. PawnPawn
    78. RattlesnakeRattlesnakedone 13:52
    79. Converter
    80. Wind
    81. PawnPawn
    82. Wind
    83. Converter
    84. PawnPawn
    85. Wind
    86. PawnPawn
    87. Wind
    88. PawnPawn
    89. Converter
    90. Wind
    91. PawnPawn
    92. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    93. Converter
    94. PawnPawn
    95. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    96. Wind
    97. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    98. PawnPawn
    99. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    100. Converter
    101. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    102. PawnPawn
    103. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    104. PawnPawn
    105. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    106. PawnPawn
    107. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    108. PawnPawn
    109. Wind
    110. PawnPawn ×3
    111. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    112. PawnPawn ×2
    113. Converter
    114. PawnPawn ×2
    115. Wind
    116. PawnPawn ×7
    117. Wind
    118. PawnPawn
    119. SentrySentry
    120. PawnPawn
    121. Converter
    122. PawnPawn
    123. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    124. PawnPawn
    125. SentrySentry
    126. PawnPawn
    127. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    128. PawnPawn
    129. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    130. PawnPawn
    131. Wind
    132. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    133. PawnPawn
    134. SentrySentry
    135. PawnPawn
    136. Fortification WallFortification Wall

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is xabre's (48 OS, 26/09/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

Nothing regular.

You get

  • Tidal Generator4 Tidal from Pondfirst at 0:18 · in 75% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Geo or Techfirst at 7:27 · in 65% of games

How it plays out

Typical game of this build against the role’s standard build, running totals by minute

  • This build
  • Standard front

Metal produced

010k20k30k
0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

Enemy metal destroyed

05k10k
0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

Own metal lost

05k10k
0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

95 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildMetal produced: Standard frontEnemy metal destroyed: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: Standard frontOwn metal lost: This buildOwn metal lost: Standard front
1:003333330000
2:0086484631213131
3:0016611625130141106105
4:0027252716435541323333
5:00390538688551199614818
6:00516950781464211210951522
7:00638763302102298617222420
8:00767976622854387123213347
9:00911490883649467928674310
10:0010984106954045532333955055
11:0013268126234568582145415711
12:0016136148465244638556956524
13:0019023174505721701065817236
14:0022403201836552762378048103
15:0025904227236984837486098946
WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY

Won less often than the standard build and destroyed noticeably less enemy metal, despite pulling ahead in metal produced by 15:00.

  • + Metal produced by 15:00 clearly ahead (23942 vs 22219)
  • + Own metal lost by 15:00 about even (8933 vs 8949)
  • − Team win rate below standard (51% vs 61%)
  • − Enemy metal destroyed by 15:00 well behind (6999 vs 8347)
THE EXAMPLE YOU ARE READING

xabre

48.3 OS · 26/09/2026

Open source match ↗

17 received units · includes a constructor
1250 metal received · 54673 energy received

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

Typical milestones

Bot Lab0:45Middle 50%: 0:39–6:40 · n=66
Vehicle Plant0:47Middle 50%: 0:42–0:55 · n=58
Gauntlet6:32Middle 50%: 6:06–7:03 · n=79
Advanced Metal Extractor9:10Middle 50%: 8:15–10:32 · n=78

Played most by

Leohvm14games of this buildDRM7games of this buildGodmother134games of this buildImmort4games of this build[MooDeng]NongJohn3games of this build