BAR / BUILD ATLAS
← All builds
Front / Armada / Economy first / OBSERVED BUILD

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 · 2 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Bot LabBot Labdone 0:44 · 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 · 37 steps
    1. TickTick ×3
    2. Wind
    3. LazarusLazarus
    4. Construction BotCon bot
    5. Wind
    6. TickTick ×5
    7. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    8. CenturionCenturion
    9. Mex
    10. RocketeerRocketeer ×4
    11. Mex
    12. RocketeerRocketeer ×3
    13. TickTick
    14. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    15. Mex
    16. RocketeerRocketeer ×4
    17. SentrySentry
    18. RocketeerRocketeer ×3
    19. CenturionCenturion
    20. RocketeerRocketeer
    21. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×4
    22. Construction BotCon bot
    23. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    24. Construction BotCon bot
    25. TickTick ×2
    26. Con turret
    27. RocketeerRocketeer ×3
    28. Mex ×2
    29. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    30. Wind
    31. RocketeerRocketeer
    32. Wind
    33. Energy storage
    34. RocketeerRocketeer
    35. Wind
    36. RocketeerRocketeer
    37. GauntletGauntletnot finished by 15:00 · 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 · 62 steps
    1. Wind
    2. LazarusLazarus
    3. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexnot finished by 15:00 · typical 9:10
    4. Wind
    5. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    6. Wind
    7. RocketeerRocketeer
    8. Wind
    9. CenturionCenturion
    10. SentrySentry
    11. Converter
    12. Wind ×2
    13. TickTick ×3
    14. Wind
    15. TickTick
    16. Converter
    17. TickTick ×2
    18. Wind
    19. TickTick ×2
    20. Mex
    21. TickTick
    22. Wind
    23. RocketeerRocketeer
    24. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    25. Wind ×2
    26. SentrySentry
    27. Wind
    28. SentrySentry
    29. TickTick
    30. Wind
    31. Mex
    32. TickTick
    33. Wind
    34. TickTick
    35. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    36. Con turret
    37. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    38. LazarusLazarus
    39. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    40. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    41. Mex
    42. Wind
    43. TickTick
    44. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 10:04 · typical 0:47
    45. TickTick
    46. Wind
    47. TickTick
    48. Sneaky PeteSneaky Pete
    49. TickTick
    50. Wind ×2
    51. BlitzBlitz
    52. Wind
    53. BlitzBlitz
    54. Wind
    55. BeamerBeamer
    56. BlitzBlitz
    57. Wind
    58. BlitzBlitz
    59. Wind
    60. BlitzBlitz
    61. Wind
    62. BlitzBlitz

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is confirm_'s (62 OS, 22/08/2026); 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

confirm_

61.9 OS · 22/08/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
878 metal received · 35016 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