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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 · 43 steps
    1. Mex ×2
    2. Solar
    3. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 0:44 · typical 0:47
    4. RoverScout ×4
    5. BlitzBlitz
    6. Mex
    7. BlitzBlitz
    8. Wind
    9. BlitzBlitz
    10. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    11. JanusJanus
    12. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    13. Mex
    14. JanusJanus
    15. Mex
    16. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    17. Mex
    18. JanusJanus ×2
    19. BeamerBeamer
    20. Solar
    21. WhistlerMissile truck
    22. BeamerBeamer
    23. Wind
    24. WhistlerMissile truck
    25. Con turret
    26. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    27. JanusJanus
    28. WhistlerMissile truck
    29. Wind ×6
    30. Energy storage
    31. Con turret
    32. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    33. Con turret
    34. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×4
    35. Wind
    36. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    37. Wind
    38. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:41 · typical 9:10
    39. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    40. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    41. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    42. Con turret
    43. Bot LabBot Labdone 8:30 · 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 · 1 step
    1. GauntletGauntletdone 6:50 · 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 · 112 steps
    1. PawnPawn ×2
    2. Con turret
    3. PawnPawn ×4
    4. NettleNettle
    5. PawnPawn ×2
    6. BeamerBeamer
    7. PawnPawn ×3
    8. Sneaky PeteSneaky Pete
    9. PawnPawn
    10. Solar
    11. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    12. Solar
    13. PawnPawn ×3
    14. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    15. PawnPawn
    16. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    17. PawnPawn
    18. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    19. PawnPawn
    20. Twilight
    21. Construction BotCon bot
    22. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    23. Construction BotCon bot
    24. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    25. PawnPawn ×7
    26. Con turret
    27. Wind
    28. PawnPawn
    29. Wind ×2
    30. PawnPawn
    31. Wind ×2
    32. Energy storage
    33. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    34. Wind
    35. PawnPawn
    36. Wind ×2
    37. PawnPawn
    38. Wind ×2
    39. PawnPawn
    40. Wind ×2
    41. PawnPawn
    42. Wind ×2
    43. PawnPawn
    44. Wind ×3
    45. PawnPawn
    46. Wind
    47. PawnPawn
    48. Wind ×2
    49. PawnPawn
    50. Wind ×2
    51. PawnPawn
    52. Wind
    53. CenturionCenturion
    54. Wind
    55. RattlesnakeRattlesnakedone 12:49
    56. Con turret
    57. Wind
    58. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 12:46
    59. PawnPawn
    60. Wind
    61. BlinkScout plane ×2
    62. Wind
    63. PawnPawn
    64. BlinkScout plane
    65. PawnPawn
    66. Wind
    67. CenturionCenturion
    68. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    69. Wind ×2
    70. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    71. BlinkScout plane
    72. PawnPawn
    73. Fortification WallFortification Wall ×2
    74. Wind
    75. CenturionCenturion
    76. Wind
    77. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    78. Wind ×2
    79. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    80. BlinkScout plane
    81. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    82. Wind ×2
    83. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    84. Wind
    85. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    86. Wind ×2
    87. Advanced Vehicle PlantAdvanced Vehicle Plantnot finished by 15:00
    88. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    89. BlinkScout plane
    90. Wind ×2
    91. Con turret
    92. BlinkScout plane
    93. Wind
    94. BlinkScout plane
    95. Wind ×3
    96. BlinkScout plane
    97. Con turret
    98. Wind
    99. BlinkScout plane
    100. Wind
    101. Con turret
    102. Wind
    103. BlinkScout plane
    104. Wind
    105. Con turret
    106. Wind
    107. Pit BullPit Bull
    108. Wind
    109. BlinkScout plane
    110. Wind ×3
    111. Twilight
    112. Wind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Leohvm's (52 OS, 27/09/2026); 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 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

Leohvm

51.9 OS · 27/09/2026

Open source match ↗

33 received units · includes a constructor
650 metal received · 34758 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