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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 0:44 · 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 · 44 steps
    1. TickTick ×3
    2. LazarusLazarus
    3. Wind
    4. Construction BotCon bot
    5. Wind
    6. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    7. CenturionCenturion
    8. Mex
    9. RocketeerRocketeer ×4
    10. Mex
    11. RocketeerRocketeer ×4
    12. Mex
    13. RocketeerRocketeer ×7
    14. Construction BotCon bot
    15. Con turret
    16. Construction BotCon bot
    17. RocketeerRocketeer
    18. SentrySentry
    19. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    20. Wind
    21. TickTick
    22. Wind
    23. TickTick ×2
    24. Wind
    25. TickTick
    26. Wind
    27. TickTick
    28. Energy storage
    29. TickTick
    30. Wind
    31. TickTick
    32. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    33. TickTick
    34. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    35. TickTick
    36. Wind
    37. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    38. TickTick
    39. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    40. Wind
    41. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    42. Wind
    43. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    44. GauntletGauntletdone 6:24 · 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 · 134 steps
    1. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    2. Wind ×17
    3. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    4. Con turret
    5. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    6. Wind ×2
    7. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    8. Wind
    9. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    10. Wind
    11. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    12. Wind
    13. Construction BotCon bot
    14. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    15. Wind
    16. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×6
    17. Construction BotCon bot
    18. Wind
    19. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    20. Converter
    21. Wind
    22. Construction BotCon bot
    23. TickTick
    24. Con turret
    25. TickTick
    26. Wind
    27. SentrySentry
    28. TickTick
    29. Wind
    30. TickTick
    31. Converter
    32. Wind
    33. Mex
    34. Construction BotCon bot
    35. Sneaky PeteSneaky Pete
    36. Wind
    37. Converter
    38. Wind
    39. Converter
    40. Wind
    41. Mex
    42. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 8:16 · typical 9:10
    43. Wind ×3
    44. BeamerBeamer
    45. Converter
    46. Wind ×3
    47. BeamerBeamer
    48. Converter
    49. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    50. Wind
    51. SentrySentry
    52. Wind ×2
    53. Converter
    54. SentrySentry
    55. Wind ×2
    56. SentrySentry
    57. Wind ×2
    58. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 9:26 · typical 0:47
    59. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    60. Wind ×3
    61. StoutStout
    62. Con turret
    63. Converter
    64. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    65. StoutStout
    66. Wind
    67. StoutStout
    68. Wind
    69. StoutStout
    70. Con turret
    71. StoutStout
    72. Wind
    73. Converter
    74. SentrySentry
    75. Con turret
    76. SentrySentry
    77. StoutStout
    78. Wind
    79. StoutStout
    80. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    81. Con turret
    82. StoutStout
    83. SentrySentry
    84. Wind
    85. ChainsawChainsaw
    86. Wind
    87. Converter
    88. Wind ×2
    89. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    90. SentrySentry
    91. Construction VehicleCon vehiclefor Suicide front
    92. NettleNettle
    93. Converter
    94. Wind
    95. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 12:13
    96. Wind
    97. Converter
    98. Energy storage
    99. Wind ×2
    100. Converter
    101. Wind ×3
    102. Experimental GantryExperimental Gantrydone 12:58
    103. Wind ×3
    104. Converter
    105. Wind ×2
    106. Con turret
    107. Wind
    108. Converter
    109. Wind
    110. Con turret
    111. Wind ×5
    112. RazorbackRazorbackdone 13:40
    113. BeamerBeamer
    114. Converter
    115. BeamerBeamer
    116. Wind
    117. Converter
    118. SentrySentry
    119. Wind
    120. SentrySentry
    121. Converter
    122. MercuryMercurydone 14:14
    123. VanguardVanguardnot finished by 15:00
    124. Wind
    125. VanguardVanguard
    126. SentrySentry
    127. Converter
    128. Wind ×2
    129. Converter
    130. Wind
    131. Converter
    132. Wind ×5
    133. Converter
    134. Wind ×3

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is confirm_'s (62 OS, 22/08/2026); 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

confirm_

61.9 OS · 22/08/2026

Open source match ↗

13 received units · includes a constructor
5426 metal received · 44528 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