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Front / Armada / Economy first / OBSERVED BUILD

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 · 135 steps
    1. Wind
    2. Mex ×2
    3. Wind
    4. Mex
    5. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 1:01 · typical 0:47
    6. RoverScout
    7. Wind ×2
    8. RoverScout
    9. Wind
    10. Construction VehicleCon vehicle ×2
    11. Wind
    12. Mex
    13. BlitzBlitz ×4
    14. Wind
    15. Mex
    16. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    17. Wind
    18. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    19. Wind
    20. Mex
    21. JanusJanus
    22. Wind
    23. JanusJanus
    24. Mex
    25. Wind
    26. JanusJanus
    27. BeamerBeamer
    28. WhistlerMissile truck
    29. BeamerBeamer
    30. Wind
    31. JanusJanus
    32. Wind
    33. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×7
    34. ShellshockerArty
    35. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    36. Wind
    37. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    38. ShellshockerArty
    39. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    40. Wind
    41. ShellshockerArty
    42. WhistlerMissile truck
    43. OverwatchOverwatch
    44. WhistlerMissile truck ×3
    45. Wind ×3
    46. WhistlerMissile truck
    47. Wind
    48. GauntletGauntletnot finished by 15:00 · typical 6:37
    49. Wind
    50. WhistlerMissile truck
    51. Wind
    52. WhistlerMissile truck
    53. Wind ×2
    54. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    55. Con turret
    56. WhistlerMissile truck ×2
    57. Wind
    58. Con turret
    59. WhistlerMissile truck
    60. Wind
    61. WhistlerMissile truck
    62. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    63. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 9:17 · typical 9:10
    64. Wind
    65. Con turret
    66. Wind
    67. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    68. Mex
    69. Wind ×8
    70. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    71. Wind
    72. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    73. Wind ×2
    74. BeamerBeamer
    75. Wind
    76. Energy storage
    77. Wind ×5
    78. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    79. Wind ×5
    80. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 11:56
    81. Wind ×3
    82. Con turret
    83. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    84. Wind ×2
    85. Con turret
    86. Sneaky PeteSneaky Pete
    87. Wind
    88. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    89. Wind ×2
    90. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    91. Wind ×4
    92. Fusion ReactorFusion
    93. Wind ×3
    94. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    95. Wind
    96. Sneaky PeteSneaky Pete
    97. Wind ×3
    98. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    99. Wind ×3
    100. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    101. Wind ×4
    102. RoverScout
    103. Wind ×2
    104. RoverScout ×2
    105. Wind
    106. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    107. RoverScout ×2
    108. Wind
    109. Con turret
    110. RoverScout
    111. Wind
    112. RoverScout ×2
    113. Sneaky PeteSneaky Pete
    114. RoverScout
    115. Wind
    116. Con turret
    117. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    118. RoverScout
    119. Wind
    120. RoverScout
    121. Wind
    122. RoverScout ×2
    123. Con turret
    124. RoverScout ×3
    125. Wind
    126. RoverScout ×4
    127. Con turret
    128. RoverScout
    129. Wind
    130. RoverScout
    131. VeilVeil
    132. RoverScout ×2
    133. Con turret
    134. RoverScout ×2
    135. Bot LabBot Labdone 14:26 · 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 · 1 step
    1. GauntletGauntletnot finished by 15:00
  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 · 25 steps
    1. Wind
    2. RoverScout ×2
    3. Con turret
    4. RoverScout
    5. Bot LabBot Labdone 14:34
    6. RattlesnakeRattlesnakenot finished by 15:00
    7. Con turret
    8. Wind
    9. Con turret
    10. TickTick
    11. RoverScout
    12. TickTick ×3
    13. RoverScout
    14. Con turret
    15. TickTick ×2
    16. Wind
    17. TickTick ×2
    18. Converter ×2
    19. Wind
    20. TickTick
    21. Con turret
    22. Converter
    23. TickTick ×2
    24. Converter
    25. Wind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is DRM's (44 OS, 13/09/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

Nothing regular.

You get

  • Tidal Generator4 Tidal from Pondfirst at 0:19 · 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

DRM

44.3 OS · 13/09/2026

Open source match ↗

4 received units · includes a constructor
208 metal received · 19669 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