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Gauntlet defence

Front builds a Gauntlet by around 5:30, well before the norm, to anchor a defensive line at middle while the economy develops, backing it later with Rattlesnake and more Gauntlets.

#defence #artillery · 84 distinct matches · 44 players · 6% of Armada Front games · team won 56% of 86 · Recently observed

THE CATCH, AND WHAT COMES WITH IT
  • GauntletEarly defence from 5:31 · 8% of role by thenOnly 8% of Front games have it by then; others who build it get it around 11:14

Where those units first fight, in 72 games with kill data: in the middle 100%.

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

Then transitions into rocketeer (12% of army), blitz (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 84 GAMES · AGAINST STANDARD FRONT
  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
PLAY THE OPENING

Follow the example game's first 6:32 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 0:39–0:55

    Some games also: Vehicle Plant (41%)

    By 0:28 in all: 2 mex · 1 wind

    The example game in this phase · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×2
    2. Wind
    3. Bot LabBot Labdone 0:39 · 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 ~6:37, middle half 6:07–7:10
    Builders
    • Construction Bot2 Con bot +2 vs standard
    Army
    • Sentry2 Sentry
    • Rocketeer3 Rocketeer +3 vs standard

    Some games also: tick (49%) · con turret (48%) · Lazarus (45%) · centurion (42%) · Radar Tower (36%)

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

    By 5:31 in all: 6 mex · 8 wind · 1 con turret

    The example game in this phase · 39 steps
    1. TickTick ×3
    2. Construction BotCon bot
    3. CenturionCenturion
    4. Mex
    5. Wind
    6. CenturionCenturion
    7. Mex
    8. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    9. Mex
    10. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    11. Wind
    12. LazarusLazarus
    13. Wind
    14. RocketeerRocketeer
    15. Wind
    16. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    17. Wind
    18. Mex
    19. RocketeerRocketeer
    20. Mex
    21. Construction BotCon bot
    22. Wind
    23. RocketeerRocketeer
    24. Wind
    25. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    26. Wind
    27. Mex
    28. RocketeerRocketeer
    29. LazarusLazarus
    30. Wind
    31. Energy storage
    32. RocketeerRocketeer
    33. Construction BotCon bot
    34. Wind
    35. Construction BotCon bot
    36. RocketeerRocketeer
    37. Wind
    38. RocketeerRocketeer
    39. GauntletGauntletnot finished by 15:00 · typical 6:37
  3. 3

    Early defence to 10:00

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

    Some games also: energy storage (50%) · Dragon's Teeth (47%) · Beamer (45%) · converter (40%) · Sentry (38%)

    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 · 201 steps
    1. Construction BotCon bot
    2. Converter
    3. Wind
    4. RocketeerRocketeer
    5. Con turret
    6. RocketeerRocketeer
    7. Wind
    8. Converter
    9. Wind ×3
    10. MaceMace
    11. Wind
    12. Converter
    13. MaceMace
    14. Wind ×2
    15. Converter
    16. Wind
    17. MaceMace
    18. Converter
    19. Wind ×2
    20. MaceMace
    21. Con turret
    22. Wind
    23. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 8:03 · typical 9:10
    24. Wind ×2
    25. Converter
    26. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    27. Wind
    28. MaceMace
    29. Wind ×2
    30. MaceMace
    31. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    32. Wind
    33. MaceMace
    34. Wind
    35. Converter
    36. Wind ×3
    37. MaceMace
    38. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    39. Wind
    40. MaceMace
    41. Converter
    42. Wind
    43. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    44. BeamerBeamer
    45. MaceMace
    46. TickTick
    47. Wind
    48. TickTick
    49. Converter
    50. TickTick
    51. Wind
    52. TickTick ×3
    53. Converter
    54. TickTick ×4
    55. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    56. TickTick
    57. Wind
    58. TickTick ×6
    59. BeamerBeamer
    60. TickTick ×4
    61. Wind
    62. TickTick
    63. Wind ×2
    64. TickTick ×2
    65. Armada CommanderArmada Commander
    66. TickTick
    67. Bot LabBot Labdone 10:32
    68. TickTick
    69. Wind
    70. LazarusLazarus ×2
    71. Con turret
    72. Wind ×2
    73. LazarusLazarus
    74. Wind
    75. Con turret
    76. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    77. Wind ×2
    78. Construction BotCon bot
    79. Wind
    80. Construction BotCon bot ×3
    81. Wind
    82. LazarusLazarus
    83. Wind
    84. LazarusLazarus ×2
    85. TickTick
    86. LazarusLazarus
    87. TickTick
    88. Wind
    89. TickTick ×5
    90. Wind
    91. TickTick ×3
    92. Wind
    93. TickTick ×4
    94. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    95. TickTick ×8
    96. Wind
    97. TickTick ×5
    98. Wind
    99. TickTick ×4
    100. PawnPawn ×2
    101. Wind
    102. PawnPawn
    103. Con turret
    104. PawnPawn
    105. Con turret
    106. PawnPawn
    107. Wind
    108. PawnPawn ×2
    109. Wind
    110. PawnPawn ×3
    111. Bot LabBot Labdone 12:34
    112. Wind
    113. PawnPawn ×6
    114. Wind
    115. PawnPawn ×3
    116. Wind
    117. PawnPawn
    118. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    119. PawnPawn ×3
    120. Wind
    121. PawnPawn ×9
    122. Wind
    123. PawnPawn ×3
    124. Wind
    125. PawnPawn ×7
    126. Wind
    127. PawnPawn ×3
    128. RattlesnakeRattlesnakedone 13:57
    129. PawnPawn ×2
    130. Wind
    131. PawnPawn ×4
    132. Wind
    133. PawnPawn ×3
    134. JaguarJaguar
    135. Wind
    136. PawnPawn ×2
    137. Wind
    138. PawnPawn ×3
    139. OverwatchOverwatch
    140. PawnPawn
    141. Wind
    142. PawnPawn ×5
    143. Wind
    144. PawnPawn
    145. Wind
    146. PawnPawn ×3
    147. Wind
    148. PawnPawn ×3
    149. Wind ×2
    150. PawnPawn ×2
    151. JaguarJaguar
    152. PawnPawn
    153. Wind ×2
    154. PawnPawn ×3
    155. JaguarJaguar
    156. Wind
    157. PawnPawn ×2
    158. Wind
    159. PawnPawn
    160. Wind
    161. PawnPawn ×2
    162. Wind
    163. PawnPawn ×3
    164. Wind
    165. PawnPawn ×3
    166. Wind
    167. PawnPawn ×3
    168. Wind
    169. PawnPawn ×3
    170. Wind
    171. PawnPawn ×3
    172. Wind
    173. PawnPawn
    174. Wind
    175. PawnPawn ×3
    176. Wind
    177. PawnPawn
    178. Wind
    179. PawnPawn ×5
    180. Wind
    181. PawnPawn ×2
    182. Wind
    183. PawnPawn ×2
    184. Wind
    185. PawnPawn ×3
    186. Construction BotCon bot
    187. Wind
    188. Con turret
    189. Wind
    190. PawnPawn ×2
    191. Advanced Construction VehicleT2 con vehicle
    192. Wind
    193. PawnPawn
    194. Wind
    195. PawnPawn ×6
    196. Wind
    197. PawnPawn ×2
    198. Wind
    199. PawnPawn
    200. Wind
    201. PawnPawn ×2

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is OUDLES's (36 OS, 14/08/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

Nothing regular.

You get

  • Tidal Generator4 Tidal from Pondfirst at 0:19 · in 79% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Geo or Techfirst at 7:23 · in 63% 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

86 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
2:0086284629213131
3:0016571624127140109105
4:0027052712435540302333
5:00387938688501188593813
6:00509650761444209910881526
7:00633763141987298417222459
8:00762976622705387122953365
9:00906090873544463228574312
10:0010927106663958530833545060
11:0013153126084497581943315701
12:0015864148155115631355116521
13:0018984174405686698165067256
14:0022200201836548758475798093
15:0025798226307050839486268939
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

OUDLES

36.3 OS · 14/08/2026

Open source match ↗

4 received units · includes a constructor
129 metal received · 34573 energy received

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

Typical milestones

Bot Lab0:45Middle 50%: 0:39–0:55 · n=57
Vehicle Plant0:47Middle 50%: 0:41–1:00 · n=54
Gauntlet6:37Middle 50%: 6:07–7:10 · n=72
Advanced Metal Extractor9:10Middle 50%: 8:15–10:41 · n=69

Played most by

Leohvm12games of this buildDRM7games of this buildCentientWaffle4games of this buildGodmother134games of this buildarmjanus3games of this build