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Gauntlet defence

Armada Front build order · Supreme Isthmus

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 5:28 · 8% of role by thenOnly 8% of Front games have it by then; others who build it get it around 11:11

Where those units first fight, in 81 games with kill data: in the middle 100%.

Those units destroy a typical 620 metal of enemy units by 15:00.

Then transitions into blitz (13% 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 6:28 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 0:45 · 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 6:07–7:03
    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 5:28 in all: 6 mex · 8 wind (standard 6) · 1 con turret

    The example game in this phase · 38 steps
    1. Wind
    2. TickTick ×2
    3. Wind
    4. TickTickfor Geo
    5. Wind
    6. LazarusLazarus
    7. Wind ×4
    8. Construction BotCon bot
    9. CenturionCenturion
    10. Mex
    11. CenturionCenturion ×2
    12. Mex
    13. Construction BotCon bot
    14. Mex
    15. Construction BotCon bot ×3
    16. CenturionCenturion ×3
    17. Converter
    18. LazarusLazarus
    19. Converter
    20. LazarusLazarus
    21. Converter
    22. LazarusLazarus
    23. Converter
    24. LazarusLazarus
    25. Converter
    26. SentrySentry
    27. Converter
    28. SentrySentry
    29. Converter ×2
    30. Con turret
    31. Construction BotCon bot
    32. Converter
    33. Wind
    34. Con turret
    35. Construction BotCon bot
    36. Wind ×3
    37. Construction BotCon bot
    38. GauntletGauntletnot finished by 15:00 · 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 · 58 steps
    1. Wind
    2. SentrySentry
    3. Wind
    4. PawnPawn ×10
    5. BeamerBeamer
    6. PawnPawn ×8
    7. BeamerBeamer
    8. PawnPawn
    9. Mex
    10. PawnPawn ×2
    11. Converter
    12. PawnPawn
    13. Mex
    14. Converter
    15. Energy storage
    16. PawnPawn ×2
    17. BeamerBeamer
    18. Wind ×2
    19. PawnPawn
    20. Wind
    21. BeamerBeamer
    22. GauntletGauntlet
    23. Wind
    24. PawnPawn
    25. Wind ×2
    26. PawnPawn
    27. Wind ×2
    28. PawnPawn
    29. BeamerBeamer
    30. Wind ×2
    31. PawnPawn
    32. Wind
    33. BeamerBeamer
    34. Wind
    35. PawnPawn
    36. Wind ×2
    37. Converter
    38. PawnPawn
    39. Con turret
    40. PawnPawn
    41. Wind ×2
    42. Con turret
    43. PawnPawn
    44. Wind ×2
    45. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 11:37 · typical 9:10
    46. Wind ×2
    47. Sneaky PeteSneaky Pete
    48. BeamerBeamer
    49. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    50. BeamerBeamer ×2
    51. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    52. Con turret ×2
    53. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    54. HarpoonHarpoon
    55. Wind ×12
    56. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    57. Con turret ×2
    58. Advanced Bot LabAdvanced Bot Labnot finished by 15:00

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is RAM_GreedyDArc's (36 OS, 17/08/2026); 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
2:0086484831213131
3:0016681625130141106105
4:0027292715435542302333
5:00391438658601200604821
6:00518550741494211210951523
7:00640863142104298517222452
8:00768876372854385323213361
9:00911490793649468128674319
10:0010984106844045532933955064
11:0013268125984568582045415719
12:0016136148215244636556956527
13:0018944174195721699665817244
14:0022369201726552762178288099
15:0025830226776984837686438960
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

RAM_GreedyDArc

35.9 OS · 17/08/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
16 metal received · 11681 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%: 0:42–0:54 · n=58
Gauntlet6:32Middle 50%: 6:07–7:03 · n=80
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