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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 · 2 steps
    1. Wind
    2. Bot LabBot Labdone 0:26 · 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 · 21 steps
    1. Mex
    2. PawnPawn
    3. Mex
    4. PawnPawn
    5. Wind
    6. PawnPawn
    7. Construction BotCon bot ×3
    8. Mex
    9. LazarusLazarus
    10. MaceMace
    11. TickTick
    12. RocketeerRocketeer
    13. Mex
    14. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    15. Mex
    16. LazarusLazarus
    17. RocketeerRocketeer ×3
    18. TickTick
    19. Mex
    20. RocketeerRocketeer
    21. GauntletGauntletdone 4:35 · 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 · 94 steps
    1. RocketeerRocketeer
    2. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    3. Mex
    4. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    5. GauntletGauntlet
    6. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    7. TickTick
    8. RocketeerRocketeer
    9. LazarusLazarus
    10. RocketeerRocketeer
    11. TickTick
    12. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    13. SentrySentry
    14. CenturionCenturion
    15. BeamerBeamer
    16. Mex
    17. CenturionCenturion ×3
    18. Con turret
    19. CenturionCenturion ×5
    20. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×7
    21. CenturionCenturion
    22. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×5
    23. Wind
    24. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    25. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 10:41 · typical 9:10
    26. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    27. Wind
    28. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    29. Wind
    30. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    31. Wind
    32. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    33. Wind
    34. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    35. Wind
    36. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    37. Wind
    38. Construction BotCon bot
    39. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    40. Wind
    41. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    42. Energy storage
    43. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    44. Construction BotCon bot
    45. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    46. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    47. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    48. Construction BotCon bot
    49. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    50. RattlesnakeRattlesnakenot finished by 15:00
    51. Con turret
    52. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    53. Construction BotCon bot
    54. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×7
    55. Wind
    56. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    57. Converter
    58. Wind
    59. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    60. Wind ×2
    61. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    62. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    63. Converter
    64. Wind
    65. Converter
    66. Wind ×2
    67. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    68. Converter
    69. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    70. Wind
    71. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    72. Wind
    73. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    74. Wind
    75. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    76. Converter
    77. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    78. Wind
    79. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    80. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    81. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    82. Wind
    83. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    84. Converter
    85. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    86. Wind ×2
    87. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    88. Wind ×2
    89. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    90. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    91. Wind
    92. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×4
    93. Wind ×3
    94. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is _X_'s (42 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

_X_

41.5 OS · 27/09/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
83 metal received · 87434 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