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Gauntlet defence

Economy-first start that leads with a Gauntlet from 5:30 to anchor the middle with area-control artillery well before it's normal for the role, fighting purely forward in the middle before transitioning into a broader army.

#defence #artillery · 92 distinct matches · 48 players · 6% of Armada Front games · team won 57% of 95 · Recently observed

THE CATCH, AND WHAT COMES WITH IT
  • GauntletEarly defence from 5:30 · 8% of role by thenOnly 8% of Front games have it by then; others who build it get it around 11:13

Where those units first fight, in 81 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 (12% of army), rocketeer (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 92 GAMES · AGAINST STANDARD FRONT
  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
PLAY THE OPENING

Follow the example game's first 6:30 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 0:39–6:40

    Some games also: Vehicle Plant (42%)

    By 0:28 in all: 2 mex · 1 wind

    The example game in this phase · 171 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind
    3. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 0:53 · typical 0:47
    4. RoverScout
    5. Wind
    6. RoverScout ×2
    7. Wind ×2
    8. RoverScout
    9. Construction VehicleCon vehicle ×2
    10. BlitzBlitz ×2
    11. Mex
    12. BlitzBlitz ×5
    13. Mex
    14. BlitzBlitz
    15. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    16. Mex
    17. BeamerBeamer
    18. JanusJanus
    19. Mex
    20. JanusJanus ×2
    21. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×4
    22. JanusJanus
    23. BeamerBeamer
    24. StoutStout
    25. WhistlerMissile truck
    26. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    27. Construction VehicleCon vehicle ×2
    28. SentrySentry
    29. Con turret
    30. SentrySentry
    31. BlitzBlitz ×2
    32. SentrySentry
    33. Wind
    34. Con turret
    35. Metal storage
    36. Wind
    37. Mex
    38. Con turret
    39. Wind
    40. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    41. Wind
    42. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    43. Con turret
    44. Wind
    45. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    46. SentrySentry
    47. Wind ×4
    48. SentrySentry
    49. Wind ×8
    50. SentrySentry
    51. Wind ×8
    52. SentrySentry
    53. Wind ×4
    54. SentrySentry
    55. Wind ×3
    56. SentrySentry
    57. Wind ×2
    58. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 8:25
    59. Wind
    60. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    61. SentrySentry
    62. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    63. Wind
    64. Advanced solar
    65. Construction VehicleCon vehicle ×3
    66. Advanced solar
    67. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 9:19 · typical 9:10
    68. Advanced solar
    69. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    70. Wind
    71. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    72. Wind ×3
    73. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    74. Wind
    75. Con turret
    76. Wind ×2
    77. Con turret
    78. Wind
    79. Con turret
    80. Wind
    81. Con turret
    82. Wind
    83. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    84. Wind
    85. Converter
    86. Wind
    87. Converter
    88. Wind
    89. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 11:27
    90. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    91. BlinkScout plane
    92. Wind
    93. Converter
    94. Wind
    95. BlinkScout plane
    96. Wind
    97. Advanced Vehicle PlantAdvanced Vehicle Plantdone 12:38
    98. BlinkScout plane
    99. Converter
    100. Wind
    101. BlinkScout plane
    102. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    103. VeilVeil
    104. BlinkScout plane
    105. Wind
    106. Converter
    107. Energy storage
    108. BlinkScout plane
    109. Energy storage
    110. Wind
    111. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    112. Wind
    113. BlinkScout plane
    114. Converter
    115. Wind
    116. BlinkScout plane
    117. Wind
    118. Converter
    119. BlinkScout plane
    120. Wind
    121. Converter
    122. BlinkScout plane
    123. JaguarJaguar
    124. BlinkScout plane
    125. Converter
    126. Wind
    127. JaguarJaguar
    128. BlinkScout plane
    129. Wind
    130. JaguarJaguar
    131. BlinkScout plane
    132. Wind
    133. BlinkScout plane
    134. JaguarJaguar
    135. BlinkScout plane ×2
    136. JaguarJaguar
    137. Converter
    138. Wind
    139. Con turret
    140. Wind
    141. JaguarJaguar
    142. BlinkScout plane
    143. Con turret
    144. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 14:12
    145. Wind
    146. JaguarJaguar
    147. Wind
    148. BlinkScout plane
    149. Wind
    150. JaguarJaguar
    151. Wind
    152. Con turret
    153. BlinkScout plane
    154. JaguarJaguar
    155. BansheeBanshee
    156. Con turret
    157. Wind
    158. Converter
    159. JaguarJaguar
    160. BansheeBanshee
    161. Wind
    162. JaguarJaguar
    163. BansheeBanshee
    164. Converter
    165. AmbassadorAmbassadordone 14:46
    166. Wind
    167. BansheeBanshee
    168. Wind
    169. BansheeBanshee
    170. AmbassadorAmbassador
    171. Bot LabBot Labdone 14:59 · 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 ~6:32, middle half 6:06–7:03
    Builders
    • Construction Bot2 Con bot +2 vs standard
    Army
    • Sentry1 Sentry
    • Rocketeer5 Rocketeer +5 vs standard

    Some games also: tick (48%) · Lazarus (46%) · con turret (45%) · centurion (39%) · Radar Tower (36%)

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

    By 5:30 in all: 6 mex · 8 wind (standard 6) · 1 con turret

    The example game in this phase · 1 step
    1. GauntletGauntletdone 5:36 · typical 6:32
  3. 3

    Early defence to 10:00

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

    Some games also: Beamer (47%) · Dragon's Teeth (46%) · energy storage (45%) · Sentry (40%) · converter (39%)

    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 · 3 steps
    1. Converter
    2. BlinkScout plane
    3. Wind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Immort's (56 OS, 26/09/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

Nothing regular.

You get

  • Tidal Generator4 Tidal from Pondfirst at 0:18 · in 75% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Geo or Techfirst at 7:27 · in 65% 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

95 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
2:0086484631213131
3:0016611625130141106105
4:0027252716435541323333
5:00390538688551199614818
6:00516950781464211210951522
7:00638763302102298617222420
8:00767976622854387123213347
9:00911490883649467928674310
10:0010984106954045532333955055
11:0013268126234568582145415711
12:0016136148465244638556956524
13:0019023174505721701065817236
14:0022403201836552762378048103
15:0025904227236984837486098946
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

Immort

56.0 OS · 26/09/2026

Open source match ↗

8 received units · includes a constructor
232 metal received · 63957 energy received

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

Typical milestones

Bot Lab0:45Middle 50%: 0:39–6:40 · n=66
Vehicle Plant0:47Middle 50%: 0:42–0:55 · n=58
Gauntlet6:32Middle 50%: 6:06–7:03 · n=79
Advanced Metal Extractor9:10Middle 50%: 8:15–10:32 · n=78

Played most by

Leohvm14games of this buildDRM7games of this buildGodmother134games of this buildImmort4games of this build[MooDeng]NongJohn3games of this build