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Gauntlet defence

Armada Front build order · Supreme Isthmus

Economy-first start that commits early to a Gauntlet from around 5:14, well ahead of the role norm, using its area-control plasma to anchor the middle before transitioning into the usual T1 army mix.

#defence #artillery · 160 distinct matches · 76 players · 6% of Armada Front games · team won 53% of 163 · Recently observed

THE CATCH, AND WHAT COMES WITH IT
  • GauntletEarly defence from 5:14 · 9% of role by thenOnly 9% of Front games have it by then; others who build it get it around 11:01

Where those units first fight, in 144 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 (14% of army), blitz (11% of army), Rattlesnake (8% of army).

HOW TO PLAY IT

Key timing: Gauntlet by 5:28

  1. Open mex and Vehicle Plant as standard economy-first Front.
  2. Add early Sentries and Beamers to hold the wider gap.
  3. Rush a Gauntlet well before the usual 11:13 timing.
  4. Reclaim Vehicle Plant in a third of games to pay for defence.
  5. Push into Blitz and Rattlesnake army as T2 approaches.

Phase by phase

TYPICAL OF ITS 160 GAMES · AGAINST STANDARD FRONT
  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
PLAY THE OPENING

Follow the example game's first 6:15 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
    Order
    1. Bot LabBot Lab after 2 mex, 1 winddone ~0:44, middle half 0:33–0:52

    Some games also: wind (48%)

    By 0:27 in all: 2 mex

    The example game in this phase · 2 steps
    1. Mex ×2
    2. Bot LabBot Labdone 0:33 · typical 0:44
  2. 2

    Bot Lab to Early defence

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor4Mex
    • Wind Turbine3Wind−2 vs standard
    Order
    1. GauntletEarly defence after 6 mex, 5 wind, 1 con turretdone ~6:24, middle half 5:46–6:54
    Builders
    • Construction Bot3 Con bot
    • Lazarus1 Lazarus
    Army
    • Sentry1 Sentry
    • Rocketeer9 Rocketeer
    • Tick1 Tick

    Some games also: con turret (42%) · Beamer (39%) · centurion (39%) · Radar Tower (39%) · pawn (36%)

    By 5:14 in all: 6 mex · 5 wind · 1 con turret

    The example game in this phase · 37 steps
    1. PawnPawn
    2. Mex
    3. Wind
    4. PawnPawn
    5. Wind ×2
    6. Construction BotCon bot
    7. PawnPawn
    8. Mex
    9. PawnPawn ×2
    10. Mex
    11. Construction BotCon bot
    12. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    13. Mex
    14. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    15. SentrySentry
    16. RocketeerRocketeer
    17. SentrySentry
    18. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    19. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    20. RocketeerRocketeer ×3
    21. TickTick
    22. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    23. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×4
    24. RocketeerRocketeer
    25. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    26. RocketeerRocketeer
    27. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    28. RocketeerRocketeer
    29. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    30. RocketeerRocketeer
    31. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    32. RocketeerRocketeer ×6
    33. TickTick
    34. RocketeerRocketeer
    35. OverwatchOverwatch
    36. RocketeerRocketeer ×5
    37. GauntletGauntletnot finished by 15:00 · typical 6:24
  3. 3

    Early defence to 10:00

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

    Some games also: Dragon's Teeth (47%) · energy storage (46%) · Beamer (45%) · rocketeer (44%) · Sentry (43%)

    By 10:00 in all: 7 mex · 24 wind · 1 energy storage · 4 con turret (standard 2)

    The example game in this phase · 62 steps
    1. RocketeerRocketeer ×4
    2. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    3. TickTick
    4. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    5. GauntletGauntlet
    6. RocketeerRocketeer
    7. TickTick
    8. PawnPawn
    9. Mex
    10. Wind
    11. PawnPawn ×2
    12. Wind
    13. PawnPawn ×2
    14. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 9:25
    15. Wind
    16. PawnPawn ×2
    17. Wind
    18. PawnPawn
    19. Wind
    20. PawnPawn ×2
    21. Wind
    22. PawnPawn ×2
    23. Wind
    24. SentrySentry
    25. PawnPawn
    26. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    27. SentrySentry
    28. Wind
    29. PawnPawn
    30. SentrySentry
    31. PawnPawn
    32. Wind
    33. SentrySentry
    34. LazarusLazarus
    35. PawnPawn ×2
    36. Wind
    37. PawnPawn
    38. Construction BotCon bot
    39. PawnPawn
    40. Wind
    41. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    42. PawnPawn ×2
    43. Mex
    44. LazarusLazarus
    45. Wind
    46. PawnPawn ×3
    47. Wind
    48. Construction BotCon bot
    49. BeamerBeamer
    50. Wind ×3
    51. PawnPawn
    52. Wind
    53. BeamerBeamer
    54. Wind
    55. BeamerBeamer
    56. PawnPawn
    57. Wind
    58. PawnPawn
    59. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    60. Wind ×2
    61. LazarusLazarus
    62. Wind ×7

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Hunfore's (33 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 72% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Geo or Techfirst at 7:18 · in 60% 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

163 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
2:0085384021213131
3:001626161913013493108
4:0027212700402522295333
5:00389038477451127592787
6:00514950351334193411301428
7:00634762511909272217312307
8:00762375342767354524653173
9:00907889713669432931554072
10:0010868105294230500538674808
11:0013174123644731553645755546
12:0015811145265401598858346406
13:0018156168576036646866506999
14:0021318192136680720780547827
15:0024631218447449786989338690
WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY

Lower team win rate than standard despite better metal production, suggesting the early Gauntlet reacts to pressure rather than prevents losses.

  • + Metal production reaches 25200 vs 22627 standard by 15:00.
  • + Own metal lost stays close to standard by 15:00 (8904 vs 8940).
  • − Team win rate drops to 53% vs 62% standard.
  • − Enemy metal destroyed trails standard at every checkpoint.
THE EXAMPLE YOU ARE READING

Hunfore

32.9 OS · 09/10/2026

Open source match ↗

7 received units · includes a constructor
99 metal received · 6931 energy received

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

Typical milestones

Bot Lab0:44Middle 50%: 0:33–0:52 · n=123
Vehicle Plant0:49Middle 50%: 0:44–8:12 · n=94
Gauntlet6:24Middle 50%: 5:46–6:54 · n=134
Advanced Metal Extractor8:59Middle 50%: 8:14–9:47 · n=125

Played most by

Leohvm13games of this buildTheGeneraI12games of this buildDRM9games of this buildGodmother136games of this buildEpicTyrannus5games of this build