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Gauntlet defence

Armada Front build order · Supreme Isthmus

Economy-first start that commits early to a Gauntlet around 5:30 for static area-control defence at the front, well ahead of the usual time, holding the middle while eco continues behind it.

#defence #artillery · 114 distinct matches · 54 players · 6% of Armada Front games · team won 54% of 117 · Recently observed

THE CATCH, AND WHAT COMES WITH IT
  • GauntletEarly defence from 5:27 · 9% of role by thenOnly 9% of Front games have it by then; others who build it get it around 11:11

Where those units first fight, in 102 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 (13% of army), rocketeer (11% of army), Rattlesnake (8% of army).

HOW TO PLAY IT

Key timing: Gauntlet by 5:30

  1. Open 3 mex into wind and a vehicle plant, economy first as usual.
  2. Add radar and early defence (Sentry, Beamer) toward the coast gap.
  3. Commit to a Gauntlet well ahead of schedule to anchor a forward line.
  4. Reinforce the line with Blitz and Rocketeer around the Gauntlet.
  5. Upgrade mex to advanced and transition into the normal t1 mix.

Phase by phase

TYPICAL OF ITS 114 GAMES · AGAINST STANDARD FRONT
  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
PLAY THE OPENING

Follow the example game's first 6:27 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 0:39–8:37

    Some games also: Vehicle Plant (39%)

    By 0:28 in all: 2 mex · 1 wind

    The example game in this phase · 48 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind
    3. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 0:55 · typical 0:47
    4. RoverScout ×5
    5. Construction VehicleCon vehicle ×2
    6. Mex
    7. JanusJanus
    8. Wind ×2
    9. JanusJanus
    10. Mex
    11. Wind ×2
    12. JanusJanus
    13. Mex
    14. Wind
    15. Con turret
    16. JanusJanus
    17. Wind ×5
    18. BeamerBeamer
    19. Wind
    20. GauntletGauntletdone 5:32 · typical 6:30
    21. Energy storage
    22. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    23. Wind
    24. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×7
    25. Wind
    26. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    27. Wind
    28. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:41 · typical 8:58
    29. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    30. Con turret
    31. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    32. BeamerBeamer
    33. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    34. Sneaky PeteSneaky Pete
    35. BlitzBlitz
    36. RoverScout
    37. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    38. RoverScout ×6
    39. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    40. RoverScout ×3
    41. Con turret
    42. RoverScout ×7
    43. Con turret
    44. RoverScout
    45. Con turret
    46. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    47. Con turret
    48. Bot LabBot Labdone 10:03 · 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, 6 wind, 1 con turretdone ~6:30, middle half 6:00–7:03
    Builders
    • Construction Bot2 Con bot +2 vs standard
    Army
    • Sentry1 Sentry

    Some games also: rocketeer (49%) · tick (47%) · Lazarus (44%) · con turret (44%) · Radar Tower (41%)

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

    By 5:27 in all: 6 mex · 7 wind · 1 con turret

    The example game in this phase · 1 step
    1. GauntletGauntletdone 4:02
  3. 3

    Early defence to 10:00

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor1Mex
    • Wind Turbine16Wind
    Builders
    • Construction Turret2 Con turret

    Some games also: Dragon's Teeth (46%) · energy storage (45%) · Beamer (45%) · Sentry (39%) · converter (36%) · eat Vehicle Plant (32%)

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

    By 10:00 in all: 7 mex · 26 wind · 1 energy storage · 4 con turret

    The example game in this phase · 127 steps
    1. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    2. LazarusLazarus
    3. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    4. LazarusLazarus ×5
    5. Wind
    6. LazarusLazarus
    7. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    8. LazarusLazarus
    9. Wind
    10. TickTick
    11. GauntletGauntlet
    12. TickTick ×2
    13. Wind
    14. TickTick ×2
    15. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    16. TickTick ×2
    17. Wind
    18. TickTick ×3
    19. Wind
    20. TickTick
    21. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    22. TickTick ×2
    23. Wind
    24. TickTick ×2
    25. BeamerBeamer
    26. TickTick ×5
    27. Wind
    28. BeamerBeamer
    29. TickTick
    30. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    31. TickTick
    32. Wind
    33. TickTick
    34. RoverScout
    35. TickTick
    36. BlitzBlitz
    37. TickTick ×2
    38. BlitzBlitz
    39. TickTick
    40. BlitzBlitz
    41. TickTick ×2
    42. Wind
    43. TickTick
    44. BlitzBlitz
    45. TickTick ×2
    46. Wind
    47. TickTick
    48. BlitzBlitz
    49. TickTick ×3
    50. Wind
    51. BlitzBlitz
    52. TickTick
    53. PawnPawn
    54. Converter
    55. PawnPawn
    56. Wind
    57. PawnPawn
    58. Wind ×2
    59. BlitzBlitz
    60. PawnPawn ×2
    61. Wind
    62. ThugThug
    63. PawnPawn
    64. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    65. BlitzBlitz
    66. PawnPawn ×2
    67. BlitzBlitz
    68. PawnPawn
    69. Wind ×2
    70. PawnPawn
    71. Wind
    72. Converter
    73. BlitzBlitz
    74. PawnPawn ×2
    75. BlitzBlitz
    76. PawnPawn ×2
    77. Wind ×2
    78. PawnPawn
    79. BlitzBlitz
    80. PawnPawn
    81. Wind ×2
    82. PawnPawn
    83. Con turret
    84. PawnPawn
    85. BlitzBlitz
    86. PawnPawn
    87. Wind
    88. PawnPawn
    89. Converter
    90. Wind
    91. BlitzBlitz
    92. PawnPawn ×2
    93. Wind ×2
    94. PawnPawn
    95. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    96. BlitzBlitz
    97. PawnPawn
    98. Wind
    99. PawnPawn ×2
    100. BlitzBlitz
    101. Wind
    102. Converter
    103. PawnPawn
    104. Wind ×3
    105. PawnPawn
    106. BlitzBlitz
    107. Wind
    108. PawnPawn ×2
    109. Wind ×2
    110. LazarusLazarus
    111. Wind
    112. BlitzBlitz
    113. Wind
    114. LazarusLazarus ×2
    115. Wind
    116. Converter
    117. Wind
    118. LazarusLazarus
    119. Wind ×2
    120. BlitzBlitz
    121. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    122. LazarusLazarus ×2
    123. Wind ×2
    124. LazarusLazarus
    125. BlitzBlitz
    126. LazarusLazarus
    127. Wind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Hummell's (49 OS, 11/10/2026); 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 73% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Geo or Techfirst at 7:13 · in 66% 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

117 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
2:0086084426213131
3:0016531621129143106105
4:0027252709409545312333
5:00391138558361200614813
6:00518550601453208011131512
7:00634962991998294118572450
8:00763476242719378025513332
9:00906290603589460931554251
10:0010919106614045524339754952
11:0013268125914574574647745677
12:0015966147745287630557256491
13:0018610173765781690666507192
14:0022005200896594756378328079
15:0025153226567101829589338940
WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY

Won less often than the standard build, with lower kills despite better own metal production.

  • + Metal production by 15:00 ahead of standard (25351 vs 22714).
  • + Own metal lost by 15:00 close to standard despite early defensive commitment (8868 vs 8944).
  • − Team win rate only 58% vs 63% for standard build.
  • − Enemy metal destroyed by 15:00 clearly lower (7050 vs 8365).
THE EXAMPLE YOU ARE READING

Hummell

48.5 OS · 11/10/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
1338 metal received · 41089 energy received

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

Typical milestones

Bot Lab0:45Middle 50%: 0:39–8:37 · n=80
Vehicle Plant0:47Middle 50%: 0:42–0:53 · n=71
Gauntlet6:30Middle 50%: 6:00–7:03 · n=97
Advanced Metal Extractor8:58Middle 50%: 8:12–10:14 · n=94

Played most by

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