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Gauntlet defence

Armada Front build order · Supreme Isthmus

Economy-first start that commits early to a Gauntlet from around 5:14, well ahead of the role norm, using its area-control plasma to anchor the middle before transitioning into the usual T1 army mix.

#defence #artillery · 161 distinct matches · 77 players · 6% of Armada Front games · team won 51% of 164 · Recently observed

THE CATCH, AND WHAT COMES WITH IT
  • GauntletEarly defence from 5:14 · 9% of role by thenOnly 9% of Front games have it by then; others who build it get it around 11:03

Where those units first fight, in 145 games with kill data: in the middle 100%.

Those units destroy a typical 625 metal of enemy units by 15:00.

Then transitions into rocketeer (14% of army), blitz (11% of army), Rattlesnake (8% of army).

HOW TO PLAY IT

Key timing: Gauntlet by 5:28

  1. Open mex and Vehicle Plant as standard economy-first Front.
  2. Add early Sentries and Beamers to hold the wider gap.
  3. Rush a Gauntlet well before the usual 11:13 timing.
  4. Reclaim Vehicle Plant in a third of games to pay for defence.
  5. Push into Blitz and Rattlesnake army as T2 approaches.

Phase by phase

TYPICAL OF ITS 161 GAMES · AGAINST STANDARD FRONT
  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
PLAY THE OPENING

Follow the example game's first 6:14 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
    Order
    1. Bot LabBot Lab after 2 mex, 1 winddone ~0:42, middle half 0:33–0:49

    Some games also: wind (46%)

    By 0:26 in all: 2 mex

    The example game in this phase · 2 steps
    1. Mex ×2
    2. Bot LabBot Labdone 0:33 · typical 0:42
  2. 2

    Bot Lab to Early defence

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor4Mex
    • Wind Turbine3Wind−2 vs standard
    Order
    1. GauntletEarly defence after 6 mex, 5 wind, 1 con turretdone ~6:23, middle half 5:46–6:53
    Builders
    • Construction Bot3 Con bot
    • Lazarus1 Lazarus
    Army
    • Sentry1 Sentry
    • Rocketeer8 Rocketeer
    • Tick1 Tick

    Some games also: con turret (42%) · Beamer (40%) · Radar Tower (39%) · centurion (38%) · pawn (35%)

    By 5:13 in all: 6 mex · 6 wind · 1 con turret

    The example game in this phase · 45 steps
    1. TickTick
    2. Wind
    3. TickTick
    4. Wind
    5. TickTick ×2
    6. Mex
    7. TickTick
    8. LazarusLazarus
    9. Construction BotCon bot ×3
    10. LazarusLazarus
    11. Mex
    12. CenturionCenturion
    13. RocketeerRocketeer ×3
    14. Mex
    15. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    16. SentrySentry
    17. Mex
    18. LazarusLazarus
    19. RocketeerRocketeer
    20. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×4
    21. RocketeerRocketeer
    22. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    23. RocketeerRocketeer
    24. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    25. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    26. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    27. Construction BotCon bot
    28. RocketeerRocketeer
    29. BeamerBeamer
    30. SentrySentry
    31. RocketeerRocketeer ×3
    32. Wind
    33. RocketeerRocketeer
    34. SentrySentry
    35. LazarusLazarus
    36. BeamerBeamer
    37. Wind
    38. SentrySentry
    39. RocketeerRocketeer
    40. Wind
    41. RocketeerRocketeer ×3
    42. Wind
    43. RocketeerRocketeer
    44. LazarusLazarus
    45. GauntletGauntletnot finished by 15:00 · typical 6:23
  3. 3

    Early defence to 10:00

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

    Some games also: Dragon's Teeth (47%) · energy storage (46%) · Beamer (44%) · rocketeer (43%) · Sentry (43%)

    By 10:00 in all: 7 mex · 24 wind · 1 energy storage · 4 con turret (standard 2)

    The example game in this phase · 167 steps
    1. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    2. Wind
    3. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    4. RocketeerRocketeer
    5. Con turret
    6. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×6
    7. Wind
    8. RocketeerRocketeer
    9. Wind
    10. RocketeerRocketeer
    11. BeamerBeamer
    12. Con turret
    13. RocketeerRocketeer
    14. CenturionCenturion
    15. BeamerBeamer
    16. Con turret
    17. CenturionCenturion
    18. BeamerBeamer ×2
    19. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    20. BeamerBeamer
    21. Wind
    22. PawnPawn
    23. BeamerBeamer
    24. Wind
    25. LazarusLazarus
    26. Converter
    27. LazarusLazarus
    28. Wind
    29. Converter
    30. LazarusLazarus
    31. Converter
    32. BeamerBeamer
    33. Wind
    34. PawnPawn
    35. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 10:06
    36. Converter
    37. PawnPawn
    38. Wind
    39. LazarusLazarus
    40. TickTick
    41. Wind
    42. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    43. Wind
    44. Converter
    45. TickTick
    46. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×7
    47. TickTick
    48. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    49. Wind
    50. Converter
    51. TickTick
    52. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    53. TickTick
    54. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    55. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    56. Converter
    57. TickTick
    58. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    59. TickTick
    60. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    61. Converter
    62. TickTick
    63. Wind ×2
    64. Converter
    65. TickTick
    66. Converter
    67. Wind ×2
    68. TickTick ×2
    69. Converter
    70. TickTick
    71. Wind ×3
    72. TickTick
    73. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    74. TickTick
    75. Wind
    76. TickTick
    77. Converter
    78. TickTick
    79. Wind ×2
    80. TickTick
    81. Wind
    82. TickTick
    83. Converter
    84. TickTick
    85. Wind
    86. TickTick
    87. Wind ×2
    88. TickTick
    89. Converter
    90. TickTick
    91. Wind
    92. TickTick
    93. Construction BotCon bot
    94. Wind
    95. Converter
    96. TickTick
    97. Wind ×2
    98. TickTick ×3
    99. Wind
    100. TickTick
    101. Converter
    102. Wind
    103. TickTick ×2
    104. Wind
    105. BeamerBeamer
    106. TickTick ×3
    107. Wind
    108. TickTick ×2
    109. Wind ×2
    110. TickTick ×2
    111. Wind
    112. TickTick
    113. Con turret
    114. TickTick
    115. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    116. Con turret
    117. Wind
    118. TickTick ×3
    119. Con turret
    120. Wind
    121. TickTick
    122. Wind
    123. Con turret
    124. TickTick ×2
    125. Wind
    126. TickTick
    127. Wind
    128. TickTick
    129. Con turret
    130. TickTick ×2
    131. Wind
    132. BeamerBeamer
    133. TickTick
    134. Wind
    135. TickTick ×4
    136. Wind
    137. TickTick
    138. Construction BotCon bot ×3
    139. TickTick ×2
    140. Wind
    141. TickTick ×3
    142. BeamerBeamer
    143. TickTick
    144. Wind
    145. TickTick
    146. Con turret
    147. TickTick ×4
    148. Wind
    149. TickTick ×2
    150. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 14:45 · typical 0:49
    151. TickTick
    152. Wind
    153. TickTick
    154. Wind
    155. TickTick ×2
    156. Wind
    157. TickTick
    158. BlitzBlitz
    159. TickTick
    160. Wind
    161. BeamerBeamer
    162. BlitzBlitz
    163. TickTick
    164. Wind
    165. TickTick
    166. BlitzBlitz
    167. TickTick

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is HALF_DALLAH_HABIT's (33 OS, 04/10/2026); 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 7:25 · in 59% 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

164 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
2:0085484021213131
3:001628161913013595109
4:0027272700402522294333
5:00389038477441126604783
6:00514350351327193711561427
7:00633662501886272617482302
8:00760975352727354825123173
9:00907089753635433231994071
10:0010855105504176501538334810
11:0013126123844610554045815547
12:0015734145375383599857866404
13:0018135168895987649466366999
14:0021314192606592721780457829
15:0024557218557526787389048701
WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY

Lower team win rate than standard despite better metal production, suggesting the early Gauntlet reacts to pressure rather than prevents losses.

  • + Metal production reaches 25200 vs 22627 standard by 15:00.
  • + Own metal lost stays close to standard by 15:00 (8904 vs 8940).
  • − Team win rate drops to 53% vs 62% standard.
  • − Enemy metal destroyed trails standard at every checkpoint.
THE EXAMPLE YOU ARE READING

HALF_DALLAH_HABIT

33.2 OS · 04/10/2026

Open source match ↗

32 received units · includes a constructor
343 metal received · 5307 energy received

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

Typical milestones

Bot Lab0:42Middle 50%: 0:33–0:49 · n=123
Vehicle Plant0:49Middle 50%: 0:44–7:21 · n=94
Gauntlet6:23Middle 50%: 5:46–6:53 · n=133
Advanced Metal Extractor9:00Middle 50%: 8:14–9:55 · n=126

Played most by

Leohvm13games of this buildTheGeneraI12games of this buildDRM9games of this buildGodmother136games of this buildEpicTyrannus5games of this build