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Gauntlet defence

Armada Front build order · Supreme Isthmus

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 5:28 · 8% of role by thenOnly 8% of Front games have it by then; others who build it get it around 11:11

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

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

Then transitions into blitz (13% 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 6:28 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 · 2 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 0:47 · typical 0:47
  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 6:07–7:03
    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 5:28 in all: 6 mex · 8 wind (standard 6) · 1 con turret

    The example game in this phase · 25 steps
    1. RoverScout
    2. Wind
    3. RoverScout
    4. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    5. Wind
    6. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    7. Wind
    8. Mex
    9. Wind
    10. JanusJanus
    11. RoverScout
    12. Mex
    13. Wind
    14. RoverScout
    15. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    16. JanusJanus
    17. WhistlerMissile truck
    18. Mex
    19. JanusJanus
    20. WhistlerMissile truck
    21. SentrySentry
    22. WhistlerMissile truck ×2
    23. Con turret
    24. WhistlerMissile truck ×3
    25. GauntletGauntletdone 5:11 · 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 · 116 steps
    1. WhistlerMissile truck ×2
    2. Wind
    3. WhistlerMissile truck ×2
    4. Wind
    5. SentrySentry
    6. StoutStout
    7. Wind
    8. SentrySentry
    9. BeamerBeamer
    10. StoutStout
    11. Wind
    12. StoutStout
    13. SentrySentry
    14. Wind
    15. StoutStout
    16. SentrySentry ×2
    17. StoutStout
    18. Wind
    19. StoutStout
    20. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    21. Wind
    22. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    23. StoutStout
    24. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×5
    25. StoutStout
    26. Wind
    27. StoutStout ×2
    28. Wind ×2
    29. Construction VehicleCon vehicle ×2
    30. Con turret
    31. Wind
    32. Con turret
    33. Converter
    34. Wind
    35. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    36. Con turret
    37. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 10:01
    38. Mex
    39. Wind
    40. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    41. Wind
    42. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    43. Energy storage
    44. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×6
    45. Wind ×5
    46. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    47. Wind ×4
    48. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    49. Wind ×2
    50. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    51. Wind
    52. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    53. Wind ×3
    54. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    55. Wind ×2
    56. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×4
    57. Wind
    58. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    59. Wind
    60. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    61. Con turret
    62. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    63. Wind ×14
    64. Sneaky PeteSneaky Pete
    65. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    66. Wind ×17
    67. BeamerBeamer
    68. Wind
    69. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    70. Wind ×2
    71. Con turret
    72. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    73. Wind
    74. Con turret
    75. Wind ×4
    76. Con turret
    77. Wind ×5
    78. Con turret
    79. Wind
    80. BlitzBlitz
    81. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    82. Wind ×2
    83. Con turret
    84. Wind
    85. BlitzBlitz
    86. Wind ×2
    87. Con turret
    88. BlitzBlitz
    89. Con turret
    90. Wind ×2
    91. BlitzBlitz
    92. Wind ×2
    93. Con turret
    94. BlitzBlitz
    95. Wind ×3
    96. BlitzBlitz
    97. Wind ×3
    98. Con turret
    99. BlitzBlitz
    100. Wind ×2
    101. BlitzBlitz
    102. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 14:23
    103. Wind
    104. BlitzBlitz
    105. Wind ×2
    106. ScorpionScorpion
    107. Wind ×7
    108. BlitzBlitz
    109. Wind ×2
    110. ScorpionScorpion
    111. BlitzBlitz
    112. Wind
    113. StoutStout ×2
    114. Wind ×5
    115. StoutStout
    116. Wind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Zippo9's (38 OS, 12/08/2026); 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
2:0086484831213131
3:0016681625130141106105
4:0027292715435542302333
5:00391438658601200604821
6:00518550741494211210951523
7:00640863142104298517222452
8:00768876372854385323213361
9:00911490793649468128674319
10:0010984106844045532933955064
11:0013268125984568582045415719
12:0016136148215244636556956527
13:0018944174195721699665817244
14:0022369201726552762178288099
15:0025830226776984837686438960
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

Zippo9

37.9 OS · 12/08/2026

Open source match ↗

30 received units · includes a constructor
203 metal received · 42405 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%: 0:42–0:54 · n=58
Gauntlet6:32Middle 50%: 6:07–7:03 · n=80
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