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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 · 2 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 0:52 · 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, 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 · 35 steps
    1. RoverScout ×5
    2. Construction VehicleCon vehicle ×2
    3. Mex
    4. JanusJanus ×2
    5. Mex ×2
    6. JanusJanus
    7. SentrySentry
    8. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    9. SentrySentry
    10. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    11. Mex
    12. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    13. SentrySentry
    14. WhistlerMissile truck
    15. SentrySentry ×2
    16. WhistlerMissile truck
    17. BeamerBeamer
    18. SentrySentry
    19. WhistlerMissile truck
    20. SentrySentry
    21. JanusJanus ×2
    22. Wind
    23. OverwatchOverwatch
    24. Mex
    25. WhistlerMissile truck
    26. Wind
    27. WhistlerMissile truck
    28. JanusJanus
    29. Wind
    30. JanusJanus
    31. Wind
    32. JanusJanus
    33. BeamerBeamer
    34. Wind
    35. GauntletGauntletdone 6:48 · typical 6:30
  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 · 85 steps
    1. JanusJanus
    2. Wind
    3. WhistlerMissile truck
    4. Wind
    5. Con turret
    6. Wind
    7. Vehicle PlantEat Vehicle Plantreclaimed for its metal
    8. Wind
    9. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 8:40 · typical 8:58
    10. Wind
    11. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 7:48
    12. Wind ×2
    13. BlitzBlitz
    14. Wind
    15. BlitzBlitz
    16. Sneaky PeteSneaky Pete
    17. BlitzBlitz
    18. Wind
    19. BlitzBlitz ×3
    20. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    21. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    22. BlitzBlitz
    23. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    24. BlitzBlitz
    25. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    26. BlitzBlitz
    27. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    28. BlitzBlitz
    29. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    30. BlitzBlitz
    31. Mex
    32. Con turret
    33. BlitzBlitz ×2
    34. Con turret
    35. SentrySentry
    36. BlitzBlitz
    37. Con turret
    38. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    39. BlitzBlitz
    40. Advanced solar
    41. BlitzBlitz ×2
    42. Advanced solar
    43. BlitzBlitz
    44. Advanced solar
    45. BlitzBlitz ×2
    46. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    47. Advanced solar ×2
    48. SentrySentry
    49. Advanced solar
    50. ShellshockerArty
    51. Advanced solar
    52. SentrySentry
    53. ShellshockerArty
    54. SentrySentry
    55. Advanced solar
    56. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    57. ShellshockerArty ×3
    58. Con turret ×2
    59. RoverScout
    60. Con turret
    61. Sneaky PeteSneaky Pete
    62. ShipyardShipyarddone 13:07
    63. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    64. EelSubmarinedone 13:20
    65. Con turret ×2
    66. EelSubmarine
    67. Con turret
    68. EelSubmarine ×3
    69. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    70. EelSubmarine
    71. ShellshockerArty ×2
    72. EelSubmarine
    73. ShellshockerArty
    74. EelSubmarine
    75. BlitzBlitz
    76. RagnarokRagnaroknot finished by 15:00
    77. EelSubmarine
    78. BlitzBlitz ×2
    79. EelSubmarine
    80. BlitzBlitz ×2
    81. EelSubmarine
    82. BlitzBlitz
    83. EelSubmarine
    84. BlitzBlitz ×4
    85. EelSubmarine

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Lexosis's (40 OS, 09/10/2026); 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

Lexosis

39.7 OS · 09/10/2026

Open source match ↗

6 received units · includes a constructor
231 metal received · 43063 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

Leohvm14games of this buildDRM8games of this buildGodmother135games of this buildJustSomeGuy5games of this buildIcouldbeToxic4games of this build