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Gauntlet defence

Armada Front build order · Supreme Isthmus

Economy-first start that commits early to a Gauntlet around 5:30 for static area-control defence at the front, well ahead of the usual time, holding the middle while eco continues behind it.

#defence #artillery · 114 distinct matches · 54 players · 6% of Armada Front games · team won 54% of 117 · Recently observed

THE CATCH, AND WHAT COMES WITH IT
  • GauntletEarly defence from 5:27 · 9% of role by thenOnly 9% of Front games have it by then; others who build it get it around 11:11

Where those units first fight, in 102 games with kill data: in the middle 100%.

Those units destroy a typical 600 metal of enemy units by 15:00.

Then transitions into blitz (13% of army), rocketeer (11% of army), Rattlesnake (8% of army).

HOW TO PLAY IT

Key timing: Gauntlet by 5:30

  1. Open 3 mex into wind and a vehicle plant, economy first as usual.
  2. Add radar and early defence (Sentry, Beamer) toward the coast gap.
  3. Commit to a Gauntlet well ahead of schedule to anchor a forward line.
  4. Reinforce the line with Blitz and Rocketeer around the Gauntlet.
  5. Upgrade mex to advanced and transition into the normal t1 mix.

Phase by phase

TYPICAL OF ITS 114 GAMES · AGAINST STANDARD FRONT
  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
PLAY THE OPENING

Follow the example game's first 6:27 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 0:39–8:37

    Some games also: Vehicle Plant (39%)

    By 0:28 in all: 2 mex · 1 wind

    The example game in this phase · 2 steps
    1. Mex ×2
    2. Bot LabBot Labdone 0:33 · 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, 6 wind, 1 con turretdone ~6:30, middle half 6:00–7:03
    Builders
    • Construction Bot2 Con bot +2 vs standard
    Army
    • Sentry1 Sentry

    Some games also: rocketeer (49%) · tick (47%) · Lazarus (44%) · con turret (44%) · Radar Tower (41%)

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

    By 5:27 in all: 6 mex · 7 wind · 1 con turret

    The example game in this phase · 40 steps
    1. TickTick ×2
    2. Wind
    3. TickTick ×2
    4. LazarusLazarus
    5. Wind
    6. Construction BotCon bot
    7. Mex
    8. PawnPawn ×5
    9. Mex
    10. PawnPawn ×2
    11. Construction BotCon bot
    12. RocketeerRocketeer
    13. TickTick ×2
    14. RocketeerRocketeer ×3
    15. Construction BotCon bot
    16. Mex
    17. RocketeerRocketeer ×4
    18. Mex
    19. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    20. SentrySentry
    21. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    22. Construction BotCon bot
    23. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    24. LazarusLazarus
    25. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    26. CenturionCenturion
    27. RocketeerRocketeer ×4
    28. SentrySentry
    29. RocketeerRocketeer
    30. BeamerBeamer
    31. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    32. Construction BotCon bot
    33. Wind
    34. RocketeerRocketeer ×3
    35. Wind
    36. Con turret
    37. TickTick
    38. Wind
    39. TickTick
    40. GauntletGauntletdone 7:21 · typical 6:30
  3. 3

    Early defence to 10:00

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor1Mex
    • Wind Turbine16Wind
    Builders
    • Construction Turret2 Con turret

    Some games also: Dragon's Teeth (46%) · energy storage (45%) · Beamer (45%) · Sentry (39%) · converter (36%) · eat Vehicle Plant (32%)

    The standard build makes here, this one skips: 2 blitz

    By 10:00 in all: 7 mex · 26 wind · 1 energy storage · 4 con turret

    The example game in this phase · 97 steps
    1. TickTick ×3
    2. Wind
    3. TickTick
    4. Energy storage
    5. Con turret
    6. TickTick
    7. Wind
    8. TickTick
    9. PawnPawn
    10. Wind
    11. PawnPawn
    12. Mex
    13. TickTick
    14. SentrySentry
    15. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 8:04 · typical 8:58
    16. TickTick ×2
    17. Wind ×2
    18. Sneaky PeteSneaky Pete
    19. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    20. Wind
    21. LazarusLazarus
    22. Wind
    23. Con turret
    24. Wind ×4
    25. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    26. Construction BotCon bot
    27. Wind
    28. Construction BotCon bot
    29. Wind ×2
    30. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    31. Wind
    32. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    33. Wind
    34. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    35. TickTick
    36. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    37. Wind
    38. TickTick
    39. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    40. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    41. Wind
    42. TickTick
    43. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    44. TickTick
    45. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    46. TickTick
    47. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    48. Wind
    49. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    50. PawnPawn
    51. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    52. TickTick ×3
    53. Energy storage
    54. TickTick
    55. Advanced solar
    56. TickTick ×3
    57. Advanced solar
    58. TickTick
    59. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    60. TickTick ×3
    61. Advanced solar
    62. TickTick ×2
    63. Con turret
    64. TickTick ×3
    65. Con turret
    66. TickTick ×2
    67. Con turret
    68. TickTick
    69. Con turret
    70. TickTick
    71. Con turret
    72. TickTick ×3
    73. Con turret
    74. TickTick ×3
    75. SentrySentry
    76. TickTick ×2
    77. SentrySentry
    78. TickTick
    79. RattlesnakeRattlesnakedone 12:49
    80. TickTick ×8
    81. SentrySentry
    82. TickTick ×3
    83. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    84. TickTick
    85. SentrySentry
    86. TickTick ×4
    87. BeamerBeamer
    88. TickTick
    89. CenturionCenturion
    90. BeamerBeamer
    91. CenturionCenturion ×5
    92. ChainsawChainsaw
    93. CenturionCenturion
    94. BeamerBeamer
    95. CitadelAnti-nukedone 14:34
    96. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    97. Bot LabBot Labnot finished by 15:00

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is EpicTyrannus's (44 OS, 09/10/2026); 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 73% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Geo or Techfirst at 7:13 · in 66% 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

117 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
2:0086084426213131
3:0016531621129143106105
4:0027252709409545312333
5:00391138558361200614813
6:00518550601453208011131512
7:00634962991998294118572450
8:00763476242719378025513332
9:00906290603589460931554251
10:0010919106614045524339754952
11:0013268125914574574647745677
12:0015966147745287630557256491
13:0018610173765781690666507192
14:0022005200896594756378328079
15:0025153226567101829589338940
WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY

Won less often than the standard build, with lower kills despite better own metal production.

  • + Metal production by 15:00 ahead of standard (25351 vs 22714).
  • + Own metal lost by 15:00 close to standard despite early defensive commitment (8868 vs 8944).
  • − Team win rate only 58% vs 63% for standard build.
  • − Enemy metal destroyed by 15:00 clearly lower (7050 vs 8365).
THE EXAMPLE YOU ARE READING

EpicTyrannus

43.7 OS · 09/10/2026

Open source match ↗

16 received units · includes a constructor
52 metal received · 11912 energy received

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

Typical milestones

Bot Lab0:45Middle 50%: 0:39–8:37 · n=80
Vehicle Plant0:47Middle 50%: 0:42–0:53 · n=71
Gauntlet6:30Middle 50%: 6:00–7:03 · n=97
Advanced Metal Extractor8:58Middle 50%: 8:12–10:14 · n=94

Played most by

Leohvm14games of this buildDRM8games of this buildGodmother135games of this buildJustSomeGuy5games of this buildIcouldbeToxic4games of this build