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Gauntlet defence

Front builds a Gauntlet by around 5:30, well before the norm, to anchor a defensive line at middle while the economy develops, backing it later with Rattlesnake and more Gauntlets.

#defence #artillery · 84 distinct matches · 44 players · 6% of Armada Front games · team won 56% of 86 · Recently observed

THE CATCH, AND WHAT COMES WITH IT
  • GauntletEarly defence from 5:31 · 8% of role by thenOnly 8% of Front games have it by then; others who build it get it around 11:14

Where those units first fight, in 72 games with kill data: in the middle 100%.

Those units destroy a typical 620 metal of enemy units by 15:00.

Then transitions into rocketeer (12% of army), blitz (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 84 GAMES · AGAINST STANDARD FRONT
  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
PLAY THE OPENING

Follow the example game's first 6:32 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 0:39–0:55

    Some games also: Vehicle Plant (41%)

    By 0:28 in all: 2 mex · 1 wind

    The example game in this phase · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×2
    2. Wind ×2
    3. Bot LabBot Labdone 0:46 · 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 ~6:37, middle half 6:07–7:10
    Builders
    • Construction Bot2 Con bot +2 vs standard
    Army
    • Sentry2 Sentry
    • Rocketeer3 Rocketeer +3 vs standard

    Some games also: tick (49%) · con turret (48%) · Lazarus (45%) · centurion (42%) · Radar Tower (36%)

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

    By 5:31 in all: 6 mex · 8 wind · 1 con turret

    The example game in this phase · 52 steps
    1. TickTick ×2
    2. Mex
    3. LazarusLazarus
    4. Construction BotCon bot ×3
    5. CenturionCenturion
    6. RocketeerRocketeer
    7. Mex
    8. RocketeerRocketeer
    9. Mex
    10. RocketeerRocketeer ×3
    11. SentrySentry
    12. PawnPawn
    13. Mex
    14. PawnPawn ×3
    15. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    16. Con turret
    17. RocketeerRocketeer
    18. SentrySentry
    19. RocketeerRocketeer
    20. Wind
    21. RocketeerRocketeer
    22. SentrySentry
    23. Construction BotCon bot
    24. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×4
    25. SentrySentry
    26. Construction BotCon bot
    27. RocketeerRocketeer
    28. Wind
    29. Con turret
    30. RocketeerRocketeer
    31. Con turret
    32. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×5
    33. Wind
    34. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    35. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    36. Wind ×2
    37. Bot LabBot Labdone 5:01
    38. Wind ×2
    39. Energy storage
    40. Wind
    41. CenturionCenturion
    42. RocketeerRocketeer
    43. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    44. RocketeerRocketeer
    45. Wind
    46. RocketeerRocketeer
    47. Wind
    48. Mex
    49. Wind ×2
    50. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    51. Wind
    52. GauntletGauntletdone 6:30 · typical 6:37
  3. 3

    Early defence to 10:00

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

    Some games also: energy storage (50%) · Dragon's Teeth (47%) · Beamer (45%) · converter (40%) · Sentry (38%)

    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 · 180 steps
    1. Wind
    2. RocketeerRocketeer
    3. Wind
    4. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    5. Wind ×10
    6. Con turret
    7. Wind ×5
    8. Sneaky PeteSneaky Pete
    9. Energy storage
    10. Wind ×2
    11. Energy storage
    12. Wind
    13. Mex
    14. Wind
    15. Con turret
    16. Wind ×2
    17. BeamerBeamer
    18. Wind ×4
    19. Con turret
    20. Converter
    21. Wind
    22. Converter
    23. Wind
    24. Converter
    25. Wind ×3
    26. Converter ×2
    27. Wind
    28. Converter ×2
    29. Wind
    30. Converter ×2
    31. Con turret
    32. Converter
    33. Con turret
    34. GauntletGauntlet
    35. Converter ×2
    36. Wind
    37. Converter ×3
    38. Wind
    39. Converter ×2
    40. Wind
    41. Converter ×2
    42. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 10:24
    43. Wind
    44. Converter ×2
    45. Wind
    46. SentrySentry
    47. Wind
    48. Converter
    49. Wind ×2
    50. SentrySentry
    51. Converter
    52. Wind
    53. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    54. Converter
    55. SentrySentry
    56. Wind
    57. Converter
    58. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 11:11 · typical 9:10
    59. Converter
    60. Sneaky PeteSneaky Pete
    61. Converter
    62. Con turret ×2
    63. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    64. Energy storage
    65. Bot LabBot Labdone 11:33
    66. PawnPawn
    67. Converter
    68. PawnPawn
    69. Wind
    70. PawnPawn
    71. Converter
    72. Wind
    73. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    74. PawnPawn
    75. Bot LabBot Labdone 11:58
    76. Converter
    77. Wind
    78. Con turret
    79. Advanced solar
    80. Converter
    81. Wind
    82. PawnPawn
    83. CenturionCenturion
    84. Converter
    85. Wind
    86. Con turret
    87. CenturionCenturion
    88. PawnPawn
    89. Wind ×2
    90. CenturionCenturion
    91. Wind
    92. PawnPawn
    93. Wind
    94. CenturionCenturion
    95. Advanced solar
    96. PawnPawn
    97. CenturionCenturion
    98. Wind
    99. PawnPawn
    100. Wind
    101. PawnPawn ×2
    102. Wind
    103. PawnPawn ×5
    104. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    105. PawnPawn ×2
    106. CenturionCenturion
    107. PawnPawn
    108. Advanced solar
    109. CenturionCenturion
    110. PawnPawn
    111. CenturionCenturion
    112. Construction BotCon bot
    113. CenturionCenturion
    114. Construction BotCon bot
    115. Advanced solar
    116. CenturionCenturion
    117. Con turret
    118. PawnPawn
    119. Mex
    120. PawnPawn ×2
    121. LazarusLazarus
    122. PawnPawn
    123. LazarusLazarus
    124. PawnPawn
    125. Con turret
    126. LazarusLazarus
    127. PawnPawn
    128. Con turret
    129. LazarusLazarus
    130. Con turret ×2
    131. PawnPawn
    132. LazarusLazarus
    133. PawnPawn
    134. Wind
    135. LazarusLazarus
    136. Converter
    137. Advanced solar
    138. GruntGrunt
    139. LazarusLazarus ×2
    140. Wind
    141. Converter
    142. LazarusLazarus
    143. PawnPawn
    144. LazarusLazarus
    145. Wind
    146. LazarusLazarus
    147. Converter
    148. PawnPawn
    149. LazarusLazarus
    150. Wind
    151. PawnPawn
    152. LazarusLazarus
    153. Converter
    154. PawnPawn
    155. Wind
    156. LazarusLazarus
    157. PawnPawn
    158. Wind
    159. LazarusLazarus
    160. PawnPawn
    161. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    162. Wind
    163. Converter
    164. LazarusLazarus
    165. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    166. PawnPawn
    167. LazarusLazarus
    168. Converter
    169. PawnPawn
    170. DecurionDecurion
    171. MedusaMedusadone 14:48
    172. Converter
    173. PawnPawn ×2
    174. Converter
    175. PawnPawn
    176. Wind
    177. PawnPawn
    178. Converter
    179. PawnPawn
    180. Wind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is UsurpeR's (48 OS, 11/09/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

Nothing regular.

You get

  • Tidal Generator4 Tidal from Pondfirst at 0:19 · in 79% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Geo or Techfirst at 7:23 · in 63% 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

86 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
2:0086284629213131
3:0016571624127140109105
4:0027052712435540302333
5:00387938688501188593813
6:00509650761444209910881526
7:00633763141987298417222459
8:00762976622705387122953365
9:00906090873544463228574312
10:0010927106663958530833545060
11:0013153126084497581943315701
12:0015864148155115631355116521
13:0018984174405686698165067256
14:0022200201836548758475798093
15:0025798226307050839486268939
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

UsurpeR

47.9 OS · 11/09/2026

Open source match ↗

9 received units · includes a constructor
326 metal received · 105743 energy received

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

Typical milestones

Bot Lab0:45Middle 50%: 0:39–0:55 · n=57
Vehicle Plant0:47Middle 50%: 0:41–1:00 · n=54
Gauntlet6:37Middle 50%: 6:07–7:10 · n=72
Advanced Metal Extractor9:10Middle 50%: 8:15–10:41 · n=69

Played most by

Leohvm12games of this buildDRM7games of this buildCentientWaffle4games of this buildGodmother134games of this buildarmjanus3games of this build