BAR / BUILD ATLAS
← All builds
Front / Armada / Economy first / OBSERVED BUILD

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 · 4 steps
    1. Mexfor Suicide front
    2. Mex
    3. Windfor Suicide front
    4. 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 ~6:37, 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 · 27 steps
    1. RoverScout
    2. Windfor Suicide front
    3. RoverScout ×4
    4. Construction VehicleCon vehiclefor Suicide front
    5. Windfor Suicide front
    6. JanusJanus
    7. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    8. JanusJanus
    9. Mexfor Suicide front
    10. JanusJanus
    11. Mexfor Suicide front
    12. Mex
    13. JanusJanus
    14. Mexfor Suicide front
    15. SentrySentry ×2
    16. Windfor Suicide front
    17. StoutStout
    18. Con turret
    19. Windfor Suicide front
    20. Construction VehicleCon vehiclefor Suicide front
    21. Windfor Suicide front
    22. BlitzBlitz
    23. Windfor Suicide front
    24. BlitzBlitz
    25. Con turretfor Suicide front
    26. BlitzBlitz
    27. GauntletGauntletdone 6:18 · 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 · 158 steps
    1. BlitzBlitz ×2
    2. Windfor Suicide front
    3. JanusJanus
    4. Windfor Suicide front
    5. JanusJanus
    6. Wind ×2for Suicide front
    7. JanusJanus
    8. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×7
    9. RoverScout
    10. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    11. RoverScout
    12. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    13. RoverScout
    14. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    15. RoverScout
    16. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    17. RoverScout
    18. Windfor Suicide front
    19. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    20. RoverScout
    21. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    22. Con turretfor Suicide front
    23. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    24. RoverScout
    25. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    26. Windfor Suicide front
    27. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    28. RoverScout ×2
    29. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    30. Windfor Suicide front
    31. RoverScout
    32. BlitzBlitz
    33. Wind
    34. Con turretfor Suicide front
    35. BlitzBlitz
    36. Windfor Suicide front
    37. BlitzBlitz
    38. Windfor Suicide front
    39. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    40. BlitzBlitz
    41. Wind ×2for Suicide front
    42. BlitzBlitz
    43. Wind ×2for Suicide front
    44. BlitzBlitz
    45. Wind ×2for Suicide front
    46. BlitzBlitz
    47. Wind ×2for Suicide front
    48. BlitzBlitz
    49. Wind ×2for Suicide front
    50. Converterfor Suicide front
    51. BlitzBlitz
    52. Windfor Suicide front
    53. BlitzBlitz
    54. Converterfor Suicide front
    55. Windfor Suicide front
    56. BlitzBlitz
    57. RoverScout
    58. Wind ×2for Suicide front
    59. RoverScout
    60. Converterfor Suicide front
    61. Energy storagefor Suicide front
    62. RoverScout
    63. Converterfor Suicide front
    64. RoverScout
    65. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    66. Wind ×2for Suicide front
    67. RoverScout
    68. Wind ×2for Suicide front
    69. RoverScout
    70. Windfor Suicide front
    71. RoverScout
    72. Windfor Suicide front
    73. RoverScout
    74. Wind ×2for Suicide front
    75. RoverScout
    76. Windfor Suicide front
    77. RoverScout
    78. Windfor Suicide front
    79. Converterfor Suicide front
    80. RoverScout
    81. Windfor Suicide front
    82. Converterfor Suicide front
    83. RoverScout
    84. Windfor Suicide front
    85. RoverScout
    86. Windfor Suicide front
    87. RoverScout
    88. Construction VehicleCon vehiclefor Suicide front
    89. Windfor Suicide front
    90. RoverScout
    91. Windfor Suicide front
    92. RoverScout ×4
    93. Windfor Suicide front
    94. RoverScout ×2
    95. Windfor Suicide front
    96. RoverScout ×2
    97. Windfor Suicide front
    98. RoverScout ×3
    99. Windfor Suicide front
    100. RoverScout
    101. Construction VehicleCon vehiclefor Suicide front
    102. Windfor Suicide front
    103. Mexfor Suicide front
    104. RoverScout
    105. Windfor Suicide front
    106. RoverScout ×2
    107. Windfor Suicide front
    108. RoverScout
    109. Converterfor Suicide front
    110. RoverScout
    111. Windfor Suicide front
    112. SentrySentryfor Suicide front
    113. RoverScout
    114. Converterfor Suicide front
    115. Windfor Suicide front
    116. RoverScout
    117. Con turretfor Suicide front
    118. RoverScout
    119. Windfor Suicide front
    120. RoverScout
    121. Converterfor Suicide front
    122. RoverScout
    123. Windfor Suicide front
    124. Con turretfor Suicide front
    125. RoverScout
    126. Windfor Suicide front
    127. Con turretfor Suicide front
    128. RoverScout
    129. Windfor Suicide front
    130. RoverScout ×2
    131. Energy storagefor Suicide front
    132. RoverScout
    133. Converterfor Suicide front
    134. RoverScout
    135. Mex
    136. Converterfor Suicide front
    137. RoverScoutfor Suicide front
    138. Converterfor Suicide front
    139. RoverScout ×2for Suicide front
    140. Converterfor Suicide front
    141. RoverScout ×2for Suicide front
    142. Windfor Suicide front
    143. RoverScout ×3for Suicide front
    144. Windfor Suicide front
    145. Con turretfor Suicide front
    146. RoverScout ×2for Suicide front
    147. Windfor Suicide front
    148. RoverScoutfor Suicide front
    149. RoverScout
    150. Con turretfor Suicide front
    151. BeaverBeaver
    152. Windfor Suicide front
    153. Construction VehicleCon vehiclefor Suicide front
    154. Wind ×5for Suicide front
    155. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexfor Suicide frontdone 14:18
    156. Windfor Suicide front
    157. Con turretfor Suicide front
    158. Wind ×3for Suicide front

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is armjanus's (40 OS, 20/09/2026); 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

armjanus

40.1 OS · 20/09/2026

Open source match ↗

6 received units · includes a constructor
5 metal received · 11761 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