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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 · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind
    3. Bot LabBot Labdone 0:54 · 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 · 35 steps
    1. TickTick ×3
    2. PawnPawn ×3
    3. LazarusLazarus ×2
    4. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    5. CenturionCenturion
    6. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    7. Mex
    8. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    9. Mex
    10. RocketeerRocketeer
    11. PawnPawn
    12. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    13. Mex
    14. RocketeerRocketeer
    15. GruntGrunt
    16. RocketeerRocketeer
    17. LazarusLazarus
    18. Construction BotCon bot
    19. RocketeerRocketeer ×5
    20. BeamerBeamer
    21. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    22. LazarusLazarus
    23. BeamerBeamer
    24. Construction BotCon bot
    25. RocketeerRocketeer
    26. Con turret
    27. RocketeerRocketeer
    28. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    29. Wind
    30. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    31. RocketeerRocketeer
    32. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    33. Energy storage
    34. Wind
    35. GauntletGauntletdone 8:10 · 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 · 156 steps
    1. RocketeerRocketeer
    2. LazarusLazarus
    3. Wind ×2
    4. Construction BotCon bot
    5. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 9:01 · typical 9:10
    6. Mex
    7. Con turret
    8. Wind
    9. TickTick
    10. Wind
    11. TickTick
    12. Con turret
    13. TickTick ×2
    14. Wind
    15. TickTick ×3
    16. Wind
    17. TickTick ×2
    18. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    19. TickTick ×2
    20. BeamerBeamer
    21. TickTick ×2
    22. Wind
    23. TickTick ×6
    24. Wind
    25. TickTick ×2
    26. Converter
    27. TickTick
    28. Wind
    29. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    30. Con turret
    31. TickTick ×2
    32. Converter
    33. TickTick
    34. LazarusLazarus
    35. Wind
    36. Converter
    37. LazarusLazarus
    38. Converter
    39. LazarusLazarus
    40. Con turret
    41. Wind
    42. LazarusLazarus
    43. Converter
    44. TickTick
    45. Sneaky PeteSneaky Pete
    46. Wind
    47. TickTick ×2
    48. Converter
    49. TickTick ×2
    50. Converter
    51. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    52. TickTick
    53. Con turret
    54. Wind
    55. TickTick ×3
    56. Sneaky PeteSneaky Pete
    57. Wind
    58. TickTick
    59. Converter
    60. TickTick
    61. Wind
    62. TickTick
    63. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    64. Converter
    65. Con turret
    66. TickTick
    67. Wind
    68. Con turret
    69. TickTick
    70. Wind
    71. TickTick
    72. Converter
    73. Wind
    74. TickTick ×2
    75. Wind ×2
    76. TickTick ×2
    77. Wind
    78. TickTick ×2
    79. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 13:21
    80. Wind
    81. TickTick
    82. Wind
    83. TickTick ×3
    84. Wind
    85. TickTick
    86. Wind
    87. TickTick ×2
    88. Wind
    89. TickTick ×3
    90. Wind
    91. TickTick ×2
    92. Wind
    93. TickTick
    94. Wind
    95. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    96. TickTick ×2
    97. Wind
    98. TickTick
    99. Wind
    100. TickTick
    101. Wind
    102. Converter
    103. TickTick ×2
    104. Converter
    105. TickTick
    106. Wind
    107. TickTick ×2
    108. Converter
    109. TickTick
    110. Wind ×2
    111. TickTick
    112. Converter
    113. TickTick ×2
    114. Wind
    115. Con turret
    116. Converter
    117. TickTick
    118. Wind
    119. TickTick
    120. Converter
    121. Wind
    122. TickTick ×2
    123. Converter
    124. Wind
    125. TickTick
    126. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    127. TickTick
    128. Wind
    129. Converter
    130. TickTick
    131. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    132. TickTick ×2
    133. Wind ×2
    134. TickTick ×2
    135. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 14:37 · typical 0:47
    136. Wind
    137. TickTick ×2
    138. Wind
    139. TickTick
    140. BlitzBlitz
    141. TickTick
    142. BlitzBlitz
    143. TickTick
    144. BlitzBlitz
    145. Wind
    146. TickTick
    147. Wind
    148. BlitzBlitz
    149. TickTick
    150. BlitzBlitz
    151. Wind
    152. TickTick
    153. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    154. TickTick ×2
    155. Wind
    156. BlitzBlitz

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is [MooDeng]NongJohn's (38 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

[MooDeng]NongJohn

37.8 OS · 13/09/2026

Open source match ↗

7 received units · includes a constructor
168 metal received · 45568 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