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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 · 87 steps
    1. Mex ×2
    2. Wind
    3. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 0:42 · typical 0:47
    4. RoverScout ×3
    5. Mex
    6. BlitzBlitz
    7. Wind
    8. Solar
    9. BlitzBlitz ×3
    10. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    11. JanusJanus
    12. Mex
    13. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    14. Mex
    15. JanusJanus
    16. BlitzBlitz ×2
    17. Mex
    18. JanusJanus
    19. Wind
    20. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    21. Wind
    22. SentrySentry
    23. JanusJanus ×2
    24. Wind
    25. WhistlerMissile truck
    26. Wind
    27. WhistlerMissile truck
    28. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    29. JanusJanus
    30. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    31. Wind
    32. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×5
    33. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    34. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    35. Wind
    36. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    37. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    38. Wind
    39. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    40. Mex
    41. Wind
    42. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    43. Wind ×6
    44. Energy storage
    45. Con turret ×2
    46. Wind
    47. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:11 · typical 9:10
    48. Wind
    49. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    50. Con turret
    51. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    52. Wind ×2
    53. HarpoonHarpoonfor Geo sea
    54. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    55. Wind
    56. HarpoonHarpoon
    57. Wind
    58. AnemoneAnemone
    59. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    60. AnemoneAnemone
    61. Con turret
    62. NettleNettle
    63. Con turret
    64. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    65. HarpoonHarpoon
    66. AnemoneAnemone
    67. Wind ×2
    68. Con turret
    69. Wind ×3
    70. AnemoneAnemone
    71. Sneaky PeteSneaky Pete
    72. Wind ×2
    73. Con turret ×2
    74. Wind ×5
    75. Con turret
    76. Wind ×6
    77. RattlesnakeRattlesnakedone 12:10
    78. Wind
    79. Con turret
    80. Wind ×3
    81. BeholderBeholder
    82. Wind
    83. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    84. Wind ×6
    85. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    86. Wind ×18
    87. Bot LabBot Labdone 12:28 · 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 · 1 step
    1. GauntletGauntletdone 6:19 · 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 · 128 steps
    1. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    2. Wind ×4
    3. TickTick
    4. Wind
    5. Bot LabBot Labdone 12:49
    6. Wind
    7. PawnPawn
    8. Wind
    9. ChainsawChainsaw
    10. Wind ×5
    11. TickTick ×2
    12. Wind
    13. PawnPawn
    14. Wind ×2
    15. PawnPawn
    16. TickTick
    17. Wind ×2
    18. PawnPawn
    19. Con turret
    20. TickTick
    21. Wind
    22. TickTick
    23. PawnPawn
    24. Con turret
    25. Wind
    26. PawnPawn
    27. Wind
    28. TickTick
    29. PawnPawn
    30. Wind ×2
    31. TickTick
    32. PawnPawn
    33. Con turret
    34. Wind
    35. TickTick
    36. PawnPawn
    37. Wind ×2
    38. TickTick ×2
    39. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    40. Wind
    41. PawnPawn
    42. Wind
    43. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    44. TickTick
    45. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    46. Wind
    47. PawnPawn ×2
    48. Con turret
    49. Wind ×2
    50. TickTick
    51. Wind
    52. PawnPawn
    53. TickTick
    54. Wind
    55. TickTick
    56. Wind
    57. PawnPawn ×2
    58. Wind
    59. TickTick ×2
    60. PawnPawn
    61. Wind ×2
    62. TickTick
    63. Wind
    64. PawnPawn ×2
    65. TickTick ×2
    66. PawnPawn
    67. Wind
    68. Con turret
    69. TickTick
    70. PawnPawn
    71. Wind
    72. PawnPawn
    73. Wind ×2
    74. TickTick
    75. PawnPawn
    76. CitadelAnti-nukedone 14:45
    77. Con turret
    78. TickTick
    79. Wind ×2
    80. TickTick
    81. Wind
    82. PawnPawn
    83. Wind
    84. CrossbowCrossbow ×2
    85. Wind
    86. CrossbowCrossbow
    87. Wind ×2
    88. CrossbowCrossbow
    89. TickTick
    90. Converter
    91. Wind ×2
    92. PawnPawn
    93. Wind
    94. TickTick
    95. CrossbowCrossbow
    96. PawnPawn
    97. Wind
    98. TickTick
    99. Wind ×2
    100. PawnPawn
    101. Wind
    102. SentrySentry
    103. Wind
    104. SentrySentry
    105. TickTick
    106. Wind
    107. PawnPawn
    108. Wind
    109. CrossbowCrossbow
    110. Converter
    111. Wind
    112. TickTick
    113. PawnPawn
    114. TickTick
    115. Wind
    116. PawnPawn ×2
    117. Wind
    118. TickTick
    119. TracerTracer
    120. Wind
    121. TickTick
    122. PawnPawn ×2
    123. TickTick
    124. SentrySentry
    125. Converter
    126. PawnPawn
    127. Wind ×2
    128. TickTick

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Leohvm's (50 OS, 11/09/2026); 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

Leohvm

49.6 OS · 11/09/2026

Open source match ↗

6 received units · includes a constructor
2344 metal received · 15117 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