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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 · 2 steps
    1. Mex
    2. Bot LabBot Labdone 0:26 · 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 · 37 steps
    1. Mex
    2. TickTick ×6
    3. LazarusLazarus
    4. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    5. PawnPawn ×3
    6. Construction BotCon bot
    7. Mex
    8. RocketeerRocketeer ×4
    9. Mex
    10. RocketeerRocketeer ×3
    11. Mex
    12. RocketeerRocketeer ×3
    13. CenturionCenturion
    14. Mex
    15. RocketeerRocketeer ×3
    16. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    17. RocketeerRocketeer
    18. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    19. RocketeerRocketeer
    20. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    21. RocketeerRocketeer
    22. SentrySentry
    23. RocketeerRocketeer
    24. SentrySentry
    25. RocketeerRocketeer
    26. SentrySentry
    27. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    28. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    29. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×9
    30. SentrySentry ×2
    31. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    32. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    33. RocketeerRocketeer ×3
    34. Wind
    35. Converter
    36. RocketeerRocketeer
    37. GauntletGauntletdone 8:09 · 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 · 163 steps
    1. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    2. Wind ×2
    3. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    4. Wind
    5. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    6. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    7. Wind ×2
    8. PawnPawn
    9. Mex
    10. Wind
    11. RocketeerRocketeer
    12. PawnPawn
    13. Wind
    14. Mex
    15. Construction BotCon bot
    16. Mex
    17. Wind
    18. Mex
    19. Wind
    20. LazarusLazarus
    21. Mex
    22. Wind ×2
    23. Mex
    24. Converter
    25. Wind ×2
    26. Construction BotCon bot
    27. Wind
    28. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    29. Wind
    30. Mex
    31. Sneaky PeteSneaky Pete
    32. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    33. Wind
    34. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    35. Wind
    36. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    37. Wind
    38. TickTick
    39. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    40. TickTick
    41. Converter
    42. Construction BotCon bot
    43. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    44. Wind
    45. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 10:15 · typical 9:10
    46. Wind ×4
    47. Construction BotCon bot
    48. Wind ×3
    49. Con turret
    50. Wind ×2
    51. Converter
    52. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    53. Wind ×3
    54. Con turret
    55. Wind ×2
    56. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    57. TickTick
    58. Wind ×3
    59. TickTick
    60. Wind
    61. Con turret
    62. TickTick
    63. Wind
    64. TickTick
    65. Converter
    66. Wind
    67. TickTick ×2
    68. Wind
    69. BeamerBeamer ×2
    70. TickTick ×2
    71. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    72. BeamerBeamer
    73. TickTick
    74. BeamerBeamer
    75. TickTick
    76. BlitzBlitz
    77. TickTick
    78. BeamerBeamer ×2
    79. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    80. TickTick
    81. LazarusLazarus
    82. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    83. Mex
    84. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    85. BlitzBlitz
    86. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    87. LazarusLazarus
    88. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    89. LazarusLazarus
    90. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    91. BlitzBlitz ×2
    92. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    93. LazarusLazarus
    94. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    95. Mex
    96. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    97. TickTick
    98. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    99. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    100. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    101. TickTick
    102. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×4
    103. TickTick
    104. BlitzBlitz
    105. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    106. Sneaky PeteSneaky Pete
    107. TickTick
    108. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    109. TickTick ×3
    110. BlitzBlitz
    111. TickTick ×6
    112. BlitzBlitz
    113. TickTick ×2
    114. BlitzBlitz
    115. TickTick ×2
    116. BlitzBlitz
    117. TickTick
    118. BlitzBlitz
    119. TickTick
    120. Advanced solar
    121. TickTick
    122. RattlesnakeRattlesnakedone 14:10
    123. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    124. Advanced solar
    125. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×5
    126. Wind
    127. TickTick
    128. Wind
    129. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    130. TickTick
    131. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    132. Advanced solar
    133. Wind
    134. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    135. Wind
    136. TickTick ×2
    137. Wind ×2
    138. TickTick ×2
    139. Advanced solar
    140. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    141. Wind ×2
    142. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    143. TickTick
    144. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    145. Wind
    146. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    147. TickTick
    148. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    149. Wind
    150. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    151. TickTick
    152. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    153. Wind
    154. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    155. TickTick
    156. Wind ×2
    157. TickTick
    158. PulsarPulsarnot finished by 15:00
    159. Wind
    160. TickTick
    161. Wind
    162. TickTick
    163. Wind ×2

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Blover's (38 OS, 22/09/2026); 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

Blover

38.0 OS · 22/09/2026

Open source match ↗

60 received units · includes a constructor
519 metal received · 22199 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