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

Gauntlet defence

Economy-first start that leads with a Gauntlet from 5:30 to anchor the middle with area-control artillery well before it's normal for the role, fighting purely forward in the middle before transitioning into a broader army.

#defence #artillery · 92 distinct matches · 48 players · 6% of Armada Front games · team won 57% of 95 · Recently observed

THE CATCH, AND WHAT COMES WITH IT
  • GauntletEarly defence from 5:30 · 8% of role by thenOnly 8% of Front games have it by then; others who build it get it around 11:13

Where those units first fight, in 81 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 (12% of army), rocketeer (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 92 GAMES · AGAINST STANDARD FRONT
  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
PLAY THE OPENING

Follow the example game's first 6:30 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 0:39–6:40

    Some games also: Vehicle Plant (42%)

    By 0:28 in all: 2 mex · 1 wind

    The example game in this phase · 2 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Bot LabBot Labdone 0:46 · 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, 7 wind, 1 con turretdone ~6:32, middle half 6:06–7:03
    Builders
    • Construction Bot2 Con bot +2 vs standard
    Army
    • Sentry1 Sentry
    • Rocketeer5 Rocketeer +5 vs standard

    Some games also: tick (48%) · Lazarus (46%) · con turret (45%) · centurion (39%) · Radar Tower (36%)

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

    By 5:30 in all: 6 mex · 8 wind (standard 6) · 1 con turret

    The example game in this phase · 28 steps
    1. LazarusLazarus
    2. Construction BotCon bot
    3. Wind ×2
    4. Construction BotCon bot
    5. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    6. Mex
    7. RocketeerRocketeer ×3
    8. Con turret
    9. Mex ×2
    10. SentrySentry
    11. Wind
    12. Con turret
    13. SentrySentry
    14. Wind ×2
    15. SentrySentry
    16. Wind ×3
    17. SentrySentry
    18. Wind
    19. MaceMace
    20. Wind
    21. MaceMace
    22. Mex
    23. Wind
    24. MaceMace
    25. Wind
    26. SentrySentry
    27. Wind
    28. GauntletGauntletdone 5:04 · typical 6:32
  3. 3

    Early defence to 10:00

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

    Some games also: Beamer (47%) · Dragon's Teeth (46%) · energy storage (45%) · Sentry (40%) · converter (39%)

    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 · 113 steps
    1. LazarusLazarus
    2. Wind
    3. Construction BotCon bot
    4. Wind
    5. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    6. Wind
    7. Con turret
    8. Wind ×4
    9. SentrySentry
    10. LazarusLazarus
    11. Metal storage
    12. Wind
    13. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    14. Wind ×2
    15. Energy storage
    16. Wind
    17. Con turret
    18. SentrySentry
    19. Wind ×2
    20. SentrySentry
    21. Wind ×3
    22. Con turret
    23. Wind ×3
    24. Con turret
    25. Wind
    26. TickTick
    27. Wind
    28. TickTick ×2
    29. Wind
    30. TickTick
    31. Wind
    32. TickTick
    33. Wind
    34. Mex
    35. Con turret
    36. Wind ×4
    37. Advanced Bot LabAdvanced Bot Labdone 8:35
    38. TickTick
    39. Wind
    40. TickTick ×7
    41. NettleNettle
    42. TickTick ×4
    43. Wind
    44. TickTick ×2
    45. CrossbowCrossbow
    46. Wind
    47. TickTick ×3
    48. Wind
    49. TickTick ×3
    50. Wind
    51. TickTick
    52. Mex
    53. TickTick
    54. Wind
    55. TickTick
    56. FatboyFatboydone 9:38
    57. Wind
    58. TickTick ×3
    59. Mex
    60. TickTick
    61. Wind
    62. TickTick ×2
    63. Wind
    64. TickTick ×2
    65. Wind
    66. Mex
    67. TickTick
    68. Wind
    69. TickTick
    70. NettleNettle ×2
    71. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    72. TickTick ×9
    73. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 10:22 · typical 9:10
    74. TickTick
    75. SentrySentry
    76. TickTick ×4
    77. SentrySentry
    78. TickTick ×14
    79. SentrySentry
    80. TickTick
    81. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    82. TickTick ×3
    83. SentrySentry
    84. TickTick
    85. Mex
    86. TickTick ×5
    87. Mex
    88. TickTick
    89. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    90. TickTick ×2
    91. FatboyFatboy
    92. TickTick
    93. Mex
    94. TickTick
    95. SentrySentry
    96. TickTick ×6
    97. SentrySentry
    98. TickTick ×7
    99. WelderWelder
    100. TickTick ×2
    101. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    102. TickTick ×2
    103. SentrySentry
    104. TickTick ×16
    105. LazarusLazarus
    106. FatboyFatboy
    107. TickTick ×8
    108. SentrySentry
    109. TickTick ×4
    110. Con turret
    111. TickTick ×7
    112. Advanced Construction BotT2 con bot
    113. TickTick ×13

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Zeker_niet_Philipp's (37 OS, 25/09/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

Nothing regular.

You get

  • Tidal Generator4 Tidal from Pondfirst at 0:18 · in 75% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Geo or Techfirst at 7:27 · in 65% 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

95 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
2:0086484631213131
3:0016611625130141106105
4:0027252716435541323333
5:00390538688551199614818
6:00516950781464211210951522
7:00638763302102298617222420
8:00767976622854387123213347
9:00911490883649467928674310
10:0010984106954045532333955055
11:0013268126234568582145415711
12:0016136148465244638556956524
13:0019023174505721701065817236
14:0022403201836552762378048103
15:0025904227236984837486098946
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

Zeker_niet_Philipp

36.5 OS · 25/09/2026

Open source match ↗

15 received units · includes a constructor
722 metal received · 23794 energy received

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

Typical milestones

Bot Lab0:45Middle 50%: 0:39–6:40 · n=66
Vehicle Plant0:47Middle 50%: 0:42–0:55 · n=58
Gauntlet6:32Middle 50%: 6:06–7:03 · n=79
Advanced Metal Extractor9:10Middle 50%: 8:15–10:32 · n=78

Played most by

Leohvm14games of this buildDRM7games of this buildGodmother134games of this buildImmort4games of this build[MooDeng]NongJohn3games of this build