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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 · 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 · 2 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Bot LabBot Labdone 0:46 · 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 · 16 steps
    1. Construction BotCon bot
    2. TickTick
    3. PawnPawn ×2
    4. Mex
    5. Construction BotCon bot
    6. LazarusLazarus ×2
    7. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    8. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    9. SentrySentry
    10. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    11. Mex
    12. RocketeerRocketeer
    13. SentrySentry
    14. BeamerBeamer
    15. Construction BotCon bot
    16. 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 · 101 steps
    1. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    2. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    3. RocketeerRocketeer
    4. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    5. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    6. Wind ×3
    7. RocketeerRocketeer
    8. Mex
    9. RocketeerRocketeer
    10. Wind
    11. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    12. Wind
    13. RocketeerRocketeer
    14. SentrySentry
    15. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    16. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    17. Wind
    18. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×4
    19. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    20. Wind
    21. GauntletGauntlet
    22. RocketeerRocketeer
    23. SentrySentry
    24. RocketeerRocketeer
    25. Wind
    26. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    27. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    28. Wind
    29. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    30. Wind
    31. RocketeerRocketeer
    32. LazarusLazarus
    33. SentrySentry
    34. Wind
    35. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    36. Mex
    37. Wind
    38. RocketeerRocketeer
    39. OverwatchOverwatch
    40. CenturionCenturion
    41. Wind
    42. Construction BotCon bot
    43. SentrySentry
    44. Wind ×2
    45. RocketeerRocketeer
    46. LazarusLazarus
    47. Wind
    48. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    49. Wind
    50. RocketeerRocketeer
    51. Con turret
    52. CenturionCenturion
    53. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 11:42 · typical 8:58
    54. Wind ×2
    55. Converter
    56. Wind
    57. Converter
    58. RocketeerRocketeer
    59. Wind
    60. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    61. LazarusLazarus
    62. Wind ×2
    63. RocketeerRocketeer
    64. Converter
    65. SentrySentry
    66. Wind
    67. SentrySentry
    68. RocketeerRocketeer
    69. PawnPawn
    70. Wind
    71. PawnPawn
    72. Converter
    73. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    74. PawnPawn
    75. Wind
    76. PawnPawn
    77. Converter
    78. PawnPawn
    79. Converter
    80. Wind
    81. PawnPawn
    82. Converter
    83. PawnPawn ×2
    84. SentrySentry
    85. PawnPawn
    86. Wind
    87. Con turret
    88. PawnPawn
    89. SentrySentry
    90. PawnPawn ×2
    91. Converter
    92. Wind
    93. PawnPawn ×3
    94. Wind
    95. Converter
    96. PawnPawn ×2
    97. Converter
    98. PawnPawn ×2
    99. Converter
    100. PawnPawn ×2
    101. Converter

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is CommanderXeo's (30 OS, 03/10/2026); 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
6:00514850351327192311431427
7:00634462491898271417362302
8:00761875342727354425123173
9:00907089733652432631994069
10:0010860105384210500539254807
11:0013159123734688553345815547
12:0015780145275394597657866408
13:0018135168576033646866366999
14:0021314192206667716380457826
15:0024557218547480786889048687
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

CommanderXeo

30.5 OS · 03/10/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
407 metal received · 8421 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