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Front / Armada / Economy first / OBSERVED BUILD

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 · 159 distinct matches · 77 players · 6% of Armada Front games · team won 52% of 162 · 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 11:01

Where those units first fight, in 143 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 159 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 ~0:43, middle half 0:33–0:50

    Some games also: wind (47%)

    By 0:27 in all: 2 mex

    The example game in this phase · 56 steps
    1. Mex ×2
    2. Wind
    3. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 0:42 · typical 0:49
    4. RoverScout
    5. Mex
    6. RoverScout
    7. Wind
    8. BlitzBlitz
    9. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    10. JanusJanus
    11. Wind
    12. Mex
    13. JanusJanus
    14. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    15. Mex
    16. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    17. JanusJanus
    18. Mex
    19. WhistlerMissile truck
    20. JanusJanus
    21. SentrySentry
    22. BlitzBlitz ×3
    23. BeamerBeamer
    24. BlitzBlitz ×2
    25. Wind
    26. BlitzBlitz
    27. BeamerBeamer
    28. Wind
    29. BlitzBlitz
    30. Wind
    31. BlitzBlitz
    32. Wind
    33. BlitzBlitz
    34. Con turret ×2
    35. BlitzBlitz ×5
    36. SentrySentry
    37. BlitzBlitz
    38. Wind
    39. BlitzBlitz
    40. Con turret
    41. Wind ×2
    42. SentrySentry
    43. Vehicle PlantEat Vehicle Plantreclaimed for its metal
    44. Wind ×5
    45. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:51 · typical 8:58
    46. Wind
    47. SentrySentry
    48. Wind
    49. Sneaky PeteSneaky Pete
    50. Mex
    51. Wind ×2
    52. Sneaky PeteSneaky Pete
    53. Wind ×6
    54. Con turret
    55. Wind
    56. Bot LabBot Labdone 8:45 · typical 0:43
  2. 2

    Bot Lab to Early defence

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

    Some games also: con turret (41%) · 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 · 1 step
    1. GauntletGauntletdone 6:58 · 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 · 103 steps
    1. Wind
    2. Con turret
    3. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    4. Wind
    5. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    6. TickTick
    7. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    8. TickTick
    9. Wind
    10. TickTick
    11. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    12. Wind
    13. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    14. Wind
    15. TickTick
    16. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    17. Wind
    18. TickTick
    19. Wind
    20. TickTick
    21. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    22. Wind ×2
    23. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    24. TickTick
    25. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    26. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    27. Wind
    28. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    29. TickTick ×2
    30. Wind
    31. TickTick
    32. Wind
    33. TickTick ×4
    34. Wind
    35. TickTick
    36. Wind
    37. TickTick
    38. Wind
    39. LazarusLazarus ×2
    40. Wind
    41. RattlesnakeRattlesnakedone 10:49
    42. LazarusLazarus
    43. Wind ×3
    44. Converter
    45. Wind
    46. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    47. LazarusLazarus
    48. Converter
    49. Wind
    50. TickTick ×2
    51. Wind
    52. TickTick
    53. SentrySentry
    54. TickTick ×5
    55. Con turret
    56. TickTick ×2
    57. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    58. SentrySentry
    59. Wind ×2
    60. TickTick
    61. Wind
    62. TickTick
    63. Energy storage
    64. TickTick
    65. SentrySentry
    66. Wind
    67. TickTick
    68. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    69. TickTick
    70. Energy storage
    71. TickTick
    72. SentrySentry
    73. CenturionCenturion
    74. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    75. CenturionCenturion
    76. Construction BotCon bot
    77. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 12:53
    78. Advanced solar
    79. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    80. SentrySentry
    81. Construction BotCon bot
    82. Con turret
    83. Advanced solar
    84. CenturionCenturion
    85. SentrySentry
    86. Con turret
    87. CenturionCenturion
    88. SentrySentry
    89. Con turret
    90. ShellshockerArty
    91. StoutStout
    92. CenturionCenturion
    93. Fusion ReactorFusionnot finished by 15:00
    94. Advanced solar
    95. Advanced Vehicle PlantAdvanced Vehicle Plantnot finished by 15:00
    96. SentrySentry
    97. CenturionCenturion
    98. BlitzBlitz
    99. CenturionCenturion ×2
    100. BlitzBlitz
    101. CenturionCenturion
    102. JunoJuno
    103. Advanced solar

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is AinzIsHere's (45 OS, 12/10/2026); 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 72% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Geo or Techfirst at 7:20 · 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

162 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
2:0085384021213131
3:001627161813013593108
4:0027272699402522294333
5:00389038477441127603787
6:00514850351327192311431426
7:00634462511898271717362302
8:00761875352727354525123173
9:00907089733652432631994069
10:0010860105384210500539254807
11:0013159123734688553345815546
12:0015780145275394597657866406
13:0018135168576033646866366999
14:0021314192206667718180457826
15:0024557218547480786989048687
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

AinzIsHere

44.5 OS · 12/10/2026

Open source match ↗

7 received units · includes a constructor
414 metal received · 11435 energy received

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

Typical milestones

Bot Lab0:43Middle 50%: 0:33–0:50 · n=122
Vehicle Plant0:49Middle 50%: 0:44–7:31 · n=93
Gauntlet6:23Middle 50%: 5:46–6:53 · n=132
Advanced Metal Extractor8:58Middle 50%: 8:13–9:51 · n=124

Played most by

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