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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 · 159 distinct matches · 75 players · 6% of Armada Front games · team won 53% of 162 · 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 143 games with kill data: in the middle 100%.

Those units destroy a typical 625 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 159 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 0:33–0:53

    Some games also: wind (48%)

    By 0:27 in all: 2 mex

    The example game in this phase · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×2
    2. Wind
    3. Bot LabBot Labdone 0:39 · 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
    • Tick2 Tick +2 vs standard

    Some games also: con turret (43%) · Beamer (40%) · centurion (38%) · Radar Tower (38%) · pawn (36%)

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

    The example game in this phase · 30 steps
    1. TickTick ×5
    2. LazarusLazarus
    3. Wind
    4. Construction BotCon bot
    5. Wind
    6. Construction BotCon bot
    7. Mex
    8. PawnPawn
    9. RocketeerRocketeer ×3
    10. Mex
    11. LazarusLazarus
    12. Mex
    13. RocketeerRocketeer
    14. Mex
    15. RocketeerRocketeer
    16. SentrySentry
    17. RocketeerRocketeer
    18. LazarusLazarus
    19. RocketeerRocketeer
    20. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    21. RocketeerRocketeer
    22. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    23. BeamerBeamer
    24. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    25. RocketeerRocketeer
    26. LazarusLazarus
    27. OverwatchOverwatch
    28. RocketeerRocketeer ×3
    29. LazarusLazarus
    30. GauntletGauntletdone 5:36 · 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 (43%) · 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 · 205 steps
    1. LazarusLazarus
    2. Wind
    3. PawnPawn
    4. Construction BotCon bot
    5. Wind
    6. Construction BotCon bot
    7. Wind ×5
    8. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    9. Wind
    10. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    11. Energy storage
    12. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    13. Wind
    14. Con turret
    15. Wind ×3
    16. PawnPawn
    17. Con turret ×2
    18. PawnPawn
    19. BeamerBeamer
    20. PawnPawn
    21. TickTick ×2
    22. BeamerBeamer
    23. TickTick ×2
    24. Con turret
    25. TickTick
    26. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 8:36 · typical 8:58
    27. TickTick ×2
    28. Wind
    29. TickTick
    30. Wind
    31. Dragon's ClawDragon's Claw
    32. Wind
    33. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    34. Wind
    35. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    36. Wind
    37. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    38. TickTick
    39. Wind
    40. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    41. TickTick
    42. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    43. TickTick
    44. Wind
    45. TickTick ×2
    46. PawnPawn ×10
    47. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    48. PawnPawn ×2
    49. Wind
    50. TickTick ×2
    51. Wind
    52. TickTick
    53. Wind
    54. Converter
    55. TickTick
    56. Converter
    57. Wind
    58. TickTick ×2
    59. Wind
    60. Converter
    61. TickTick
    62. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    63. TickTick ×2
    64. Wind
    65. TickTick
    66. Wind
    67. LazarusLazarus
    68. Con turret ×2
    69. LazarusLazarus
    70. Wind ×2
    71. LazarusLazarus
    72. Wind
    73. LazarusLazarus
    74. Wind ×2
    75. Metal storage
    76. PawnPawn
    77. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    78. PawnPawn
    79. TickTick ×8
    80. Wind
    81. TickTick ×2
    82. Wind
    83. TickTick
    84. Wind
    85. TickTick ×2
    86. Wind
    87. TickTick ×2
    88. Wind
    89. TickTick ×2
    90. Wind
    91. TickTick ×2
    92. Wind
    93. TickTick ×2
    94. Wind
    95. TickTick
    96. Wind
    97. TickTick ×2
    98. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 13:18
    99. Wind
    100. TickTick
    101. Wind
    102. TickTick
    103. Wind
    104. TickTick
    105. Wind
    106. TickTick
    107. Wind
    108. TickTick
    109. Wind
    110. TickTick
    111. Wind
    112. TickTick
    113. Wind
    114. TickTick
    115. Wind
    116. TickTick
    117. Wind
    118. Construction BotCon bot
    119. Wind
    120. TickTick
    121. Wind
    122. TickTick
    123. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    124. Wind
    125. TickTick
    126. Converter
    127. TickTick
    128. Wind
    129. TickTick ×2
    130. Wind
    131. TickTick
    132. PawnPawn
    133. Wind
    134. PawnPawn
    135. Wind
    136. Converter
    137. PawnPawn
    138. Wind
    139. PawnPawn ×2
    140. Wind
    141. PawnPawn
    142. Converter
    143. PawnPawn
    144. Con turret
    145. Wind
    146. Bot LabBot Labdone 13:51
    147. PawnPawn
    148. Wind
    149. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    150. Converter
    151. PawnPawn ×2
    152. Wind
    153. Converter
    154. PawnPawn ×2
    155. Wind
    156. PawnPawn ×3
    157. Con turret
    158. Wind
    159. TickTick
    160. Wind
    161. TickTick ×2
    162. Wind
    163. PawnPawn
    164. TickTick ×2
    165. Wind
    166. PawnPawn
    167. Con turret
    168. TickTick ×2
    169. Wind
    170. PawnPawn
    171. Converter
    172. TickTick ×2
    173. PawnPawn
    174. Wind
    175. Con turret
    176. TickTick
    177. PawnPawn
    178. TickTick
    179. RattlesnakeRattlesnakenot finished by 15:00
    180. Converter
    181. PawnPawn
    182. TickTick ×2
    183. Wind
    184. Con turret
    185. PawnPawn
    186. TickTick ×2
    187. Bot LabBot Labdone 14:55
    188. PawnPawn
    189. TickTick
    190. Wind
    191. Converter
    192. TickTick
    193. PawnPawn
    194. TickTick
    195. Wind
    196. PawnPawn
    197. TickTick
    198. Converter
    199. Wind
    200. PawnPawn
    201. TickTick
    202. PawnPawn
    203. TickTick
    204. Wind
    205. CenturionCenturion

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is TrevGod's (30 OS, 06/09/2026); 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 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

162 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
2:0085484021213131
3:001626161913013493108
4:0027212700396522294333
5:00389038477471127591787
6:00514850351348193411231428
7:00634862491898272217272309
8:00762475332751354524423177
9:00908489703662432931394073
10:0010880105294220500538334812
11:0013244123644690553645705547
12:0015864145275394598857806408
13:0018303168576033646866367002
14:0021363192206637720780457830
15:0024691218547448787189048698
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

TrevGod

30.1 OS · 06/09/2026

Open source match ↗

6 received units · includes a constructor
135 metal received · 16187 energy received

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

Typical milestones

Bot Lab0:44Middle 50%: 0:33–0:53 · n=122
Vehicle Plant0:49Middle 50%: 0:44–7:31 · n=93
Gauntlet6:24Middle 50%: 5:46–6:54 · n=134
Advanced Metal Extractor8:58Middle 50%: 8:13–9:47 · n=124

Played most by

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