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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 ×2
    2. Wind ×2
    3. Bot LabBot Labdone 0:46 · 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 · 25 steps
    1. TickTick ×5
    2. Construction BotCon bot
    3. Mex
    4. Construction BotCon bot
    5. CenturionCenturion
    6. LazarusLazarus
    7. Construction BotCon bot
    8. Mex
    9. RocketeerRocketeer ×3
    10. Mex ×2
    11. RocketeerRocketeer
    12. SentrySentry
    13. RocketeerRocketeer ×3
    14. SentrySentry ×2
    15. RocketeerRocketeer ×3
    16. Construction BotCon bot
    17. BeamerBeamer
    18. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    19. BeamerBeamer
    20. Wind
    21. BeamerBeamer
    22. Wind ×3
    23. OverwatchOverwatch
    24. Wind ×7
    25. GauntletGauntletdone 6:26 · 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 · 143 steps
    1. Wind
    2. Converter
    3. Con turret
    4. Wind ×6
    5. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    6. Wind ×2
    7. Con turret
    8. Wind ×2
    9. Con turret
    10. Wind ×2
    11. Converter
    12. Wind ×2
    13. Converter
    14. Wind ×2
    15. Converter
    16. Wind ×2
    17. Converter
    18. Con turret
    19. Energy storage
    20. Converter
    21. Wind
    22. Sneaky PeteSneaky Pete
    23. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 8:14 · typical 9:10
    24. Converter
    25. Wind
    26. Converter
    27. Wind ×2
    28. Converter
    29. Wind ×2
    30. Converter
    31. Wind
    32. Converter
    33. Wind
    34. RattlesnakeRattlesnakenot finished by 15:00
    35. Converter
    36. Wind
    37. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 9:00
    38. Converter
    39. Wind
    40. StorkLight transport
    41. Con turret
    42. Converter
    43. Wind
    44. Con turret
    45. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    46. Converter
    47. Wind
    48. Converter
    49. Wind
    50. Con turret
    51. Wind ×2
    52. Energy storage
    53. Con turret
    54. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    55. Con turret ×2
    56. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×2
    57. Wind ×4
    58. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    59. Con turret ×2
    60. Converter ×2
    61. Wind ×11
    62. Converter
    63. Wind
    64. Converter
    65. Wind ×2
    66. Converter
    67. Wind ×2
    68. Con turret ×2
    69. Wind ×3
    70. Converter
    71. Wind ×12
    72. Converter
    73. Wind
    74. Converter
    75. Wind ×3
    76. Con turret
    77. Wind
    78. Converter
    79. Wind ×3
    80. Converter
    81. Wind
    82. Converter
    83. Wind ×2
    84. Converter ×3
    85. Wind ×12
    86. Converter
    87. Wind ×5
    88. Converter
    89. Wind ×5
    90. Converter
    91. Wind ×5
    92. Converter
    93. Wind ×4
    94. Converter
    95. Wind ×2
    96. Metal storage
    97. Wind ×3
    98. Metal storage
    99. Wind ×3
    100. Converter
    101. Wind
    102. Con turret
    103. Wind ×3
    104. Converter
    105. Wind ×5
    106. Advanced Fusion ReactorAdvanced Fusion Reactornot finished by 15:00
    107. Converter
    108. Wind
    109. Con turret
    110. RattlesnakeRattlesnake
    111. Wind
    112. Converter
    113. Wind ×4
    114. Converter
    115. Wind ×2
    116. Converter
    117. Con turret
    118. Wind ×3
    119. Converter
    120. Wind ×2
    121. Converter
    122. Wind ×4
    123. Con turret
    124. Wind ×7
    125. Converter
    126. Wind ×2
    127. BeamerBeamer
    128. Con turret
    129. Wind
    130. Converter
    131. Wind
    132. Converter
    133. Wind ×5
    134. Con turret
    135. Wind
    136. SentrySentry
    137. BeamerBeamer
    138. Wind ×3
    139. Converter
    140. Wind
    141. Con turret
    142. SentrySentry
    143. Converter

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Dad_The_Speedrunner's (37 OS, 19/09/2026); 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

Dad_The_Speedrunner

36.6 OS · 19/09/2026

Open source match ↗

8 received units · includes a constructor
8 metal received · 32808 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