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

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 · 161 distinct matches · 77 players · 6% of Armada Front games · team won 51% of 164 · Recently observed

THE CATCH, AND WHAT COMES WITH IT
  • GauntletEarly defence from 5:09 · 8% of role by thenOnly 8% of Front games have it by then; others who build it get it around 11:01

Where those units first fight, in 146 games with kill data: in the middle 100%.

Those units destroy a typical 655 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 161 GAMES · AGAINST STANDARD FRONT
  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
PLAY THE OPENING

Follow the example game's first 6:09 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 ~0:43, middle half 0:33–0:51

    Some games also: wind (46%)

    By 0:27 in all: 2 mex

    The example game in this phase · 54 steps
    1. Mex ×2
    2. Solar
    3. Wind
    4. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 0:50 · typical 0:49
    5. RoverScout ×4
    6. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    7. Mex
    8. Wind
    9. JanusJanus
    10. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    11. Mex ×2
    12. JanusJanus
    13. Mex
    14. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    15. JanusJanus ×2
    16. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×5
    17. WhistlerMissile truck
    18. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    19. WhistlerMissile truck
    20. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    21. JanusJanus
    22. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×4
    23. JanusJanus ×3
    24. GauntletGauntletdone 7:43 · typical 6:21
    25. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    26. Construction VehicleCon vehicle ×2
    27. BlitzBlitz ×7
    28. Vehicle PlantEat Vehicle Plantreclaimed for its metal
    29. Wind
    30. Con turret
    31. Wind ×2
    32. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 8:54 · typical 8:59
    33. BeamerBeamer ×2
    34. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    35. BeamerBeamer ×3
    36. Con turret
    37. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexfor Suicide front
    38. Con turret
    39. SentrySentry ×4
    40. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    41. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexfor Suicide front
    42. SentrySentry
    43. Con turret
    44. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexfor Suicide front
    45. Con turret ×2
    46. Wind
    47. Con turret
    48. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    49. Wind ×4
    50. Con turret
    51. Wind ×5
    52. Con turret
    53. Wind ×6
    54. Bot LabBot Labdone 13:34 · typical 0:43
  2. 2

    Bot Lab to Early defence

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor4Mex
    • Wind Turbine3Wind
    Order
    1. GauntletEarly defence after 6 mex, 5 winddone ~6:21, middle half 5:41–6:51
    Builders
    • Construction Bot3 Con bot +2 vs standard
    • Lazarus1 Lazarus
    Army
    • Sentry1 Sentry
    • Rocketeer8 Rocketeer +2 vs standard
    • Tick1 Tick

    Some games also: con turret (40%) · Beamer (38%) · centurion (37%) · Radar Tower (37%) · pawn (34%)

    By 5:08 in all: 6 mex · 6 wind · 1 con turret

    The example game in this phase · 1 step
    1. GauntletGauntletdone 5:36
  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 (45%) · Beamer (45%) · rocketeer (44%) · Sentry (43%) · eat Vehicle Plant (30%)

    By 10:00 in all: 7 mex · 24 wind · 1 energy storage · 4 con turret (standard 2)

    The example game in this phase · 57 steps
    1. Wind ×3
    2. PawnPawn
    3. TickTick
    4. PawnPawn
    5. Wind ×2
    6. TickTick
    7. Wind
    8. PawnPawn
    9. Converter
    10. TickTick
    11. Wind
    12. PawnPawn
    13. Wind
    14. Converter
    15. Con turret
    16. Wind
    17. TickTick
    18. Wind
    19. PawnPawn
    20. Converter
    21. Wind
    22. TickTick
    23. Wind
    24. PawnPawn
    25. Converter
    26. TickTick
    27. Wind
    28. PawnPawn
    29. TickTick
    30. PawnPawn
    31. TickTick
    32. Wind
    33. PawnPawn
    34. TickTick
    35. PawnPawn
    36. TickTick
    37. PawnPawn
    38. Wind
    39. TickTick
    40. PawnPawn
    41. TickTick
    42. PawnPawn
    43. TickTick
    44. Con turret
    45. PawnPawn
    46. Wind
    47. Con turret
    48. TickTick
    49. PawnPawn
    50. Con turret
    51. TickTick
    52. Wind
    53. PawnPawn
    54. Con turret
    55. TickTick
    56. Con turret
    57. PawnPawn

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Leohvm's (52 OS, 14/10/2026); 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 7:25 · in 59% 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

164 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
2:0085284021213131
3:001626161913013595110
4:0027212700402522282333
5:00388438477381128597782
6:00513250341299193411581425
7:00632662541884272417362301
8:00761875382705354724693173
9:00908489813600433031764071
10:0010855105534081501337994808
11:0013057123884560553845615547
12:0015734145405383597657106401
13:0018135168985987647766146999
14:0021314192756592720579397829
15:0024691218927526787087608701
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

Leohvm

52.3 OS · 14/10/2026

Open source match ↗

11 received units · includes a constructor
2439 metal received · 34483 energy received

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

Typical milestones

Bot Lab0:43Middle 50%: 0:33–0:51 · n=124
Vehicle Plant0:49Middle 50%: 0:44–7:11 · n=95
Gauntlet6:21Middle 50%: 5:41–6:51 · n=134
Advanced Metal Extractor8:59Middle 50%: 8:14–10:02 · n=127

Played most by

Leohvm14games of this buildTheGeneraI11games of this buildDRM9games of this buildGodmother136games of this build[crd]sisa4games of this build