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 around 5:30 for static area-control defence at the front, well ahead of the usual time, holding the middle while eco continues behind it.

#defence #artillery · 114 distinct matches · 54 players · 6% of Armada Front games · team won 54% of 117 · Recently observed

THE CATCH, AND WHAT COMES WITH IT
  • GauntletEarly defence from 5:27 · 9% of role by thenOnly 9% of Front games have it by then; others who build it get it around 11:11

Where those units first fight, in 102 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 (13% of army), rocketeer (11% of army), Rattlesnake (8% of army).

HOW TO PLAY IT

Key timing: Gauntlet by 5:30

  1. Open 3 mex into wind and a vehicle plant, economy first as usual.
  2. Add radar and early defence (Sentry, Beamer) toward the coast gap.
  3. Commit to a Gauntlet well ahead of schedule to anchor a forward line.
  4. Reinforce the line with Blitz and Rocketeer around the Gauntlet.
  5. Upgrade mex to advanced and transition into the normal t1 mix.

Phase by phase

TYPICAL OF ITS 114 GAMES · AGAINST STANDARD FRONT
  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
PLAY THE OPENING

Follow the example game's first 6:27 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 0:39–8:37

    Some games also: Vehicle Plant (39%)

    By 0:28 in all: 2 mex · 1 wind

    The example game in this phase · 1 step
    1. Mex ×3
  2. 2

    Bot Lab to Early defence

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor4Mex
    • Wind Turbine4Wind−2 vs standard
    Order
    1. GauntletEarly defence after 6 mex, 6 wind, 1 con turretdone ~6:30, middle half 6:00–7:03
    Builders
    • Construction Bot2 Con bot +2 vs standard
    Army
    • Sentry1 Sentry

    Some games also: rocketeer (49%) · tick (47%) · Lazarus (44%) · con turret (44%) · Radar Tower (41%)

    The standard build makes here, this one skips: 2 con vehicle · 3 janus

    By 5:27 in all: 6 mex · 7 wind · 1 con turret

    The example game in this phase · 17 steps
    1. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 1:09 · typical 0:47
    2. Wind ×2
    3. RoverScout
    4. BlitzBlitz ×4
    5. Construction VehicleCon vehicle ×3
    6. Mex
    7. JanusJanus
    8. Mex
    9. JanusJanus ×2
    10. Mex
    11. BeamerBeamer
    12. WhistlerMissile truck
    13. BeamerBeamer
    14. WhistlerMissile truck ×3
    15. Con turret
    16. WhistlerMissile truck ×4
    17. GauntletGauntletdone 6:10 · typical 6:30
  3. 3

    Early defence to 10:00

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor1Mex
    • Wind Turbine16Wind
    Builders
    • Construction Turret2 Con turret

    Some games also: Dragon's Teeth (46%) · energy storage (45%) · Beamer (45%) · Sentry (39%) · converter (36%) · eat Vehicle Plant (32%)

    The standard build makes here, this one skips: 2 blitz

    By 10:00 in all: 7 mex · 26 wind · 1 energy storage · 4 con turret

    The example game in this phase · 133 steps
    1. Mex
    2. Con turret
    3. Sneaky PeteSneaky Pete
    4. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    5. Wind ×2
    6. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    7. Wind ×2
    8. Sneaky PeteSneaky Pete
    9. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    10. Wind ×2
    11. Con turret
    12. Wind ×3
    13. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 8:21 · typical 8:58
    14. Wind
    15. Con turret
    16. BeamerBeamer
    17. Wind ×2
    18. Con turret
    19. Wind
    20. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    21. Wind
    22. BeamerBeamer
    23. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    24. Con turret
    25. Wind
    26. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    27. Wind
    28. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    29. Wind
    30. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    31. Wind ×9
    32. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    33. Wind ×8
    34. Con turret
    35. BlitzBlitz
    36. Wind ×2
    37. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    38. Wind ×3
    39. BlitzBlitz
    40. Wind ×5
    41. BlitzBlitz
    42. Wind ×4
    43. BlitzBlitz
    44. Wind ×2
    45. BlitzBlitz
    46. Wind ×2
    47. BlitzBlitz
    48. Wind ×2
    49. Con turret
    50. BlitzBlitz
    51. Wind ×2
    52. BlitzBlitz
    53. Wind ×2
    54. BlitzBlitz
    55. Wind
    56. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    57. Wind
    58. BlitzBlitz
    59. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    60. Wind
    61. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    62. BlitzBlitz
    63. Wind
    64. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    65. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    66. BlitzBlitz
    67. Wind ×3
    68. BlitzBlitz
    69. Wind
    70. BlitzBlitz ×2
    71. Wind
    72. BlitzBlitz
    73. Wind
    74. BeamerBeamer
    75. BlitzBlitz ×2
    76. Wind
    77. BlitzBlitz
    78. Wind
    79. BlitzBlitz
    80. BeamerBeamer
    81. BlitzBlitz
    82. Wind
    83. BlitzBlitz
    84. BeamerBeamer
    85. Wind
    86. BlitzBlitz
    87. Wind
    88. BlitzBlitz ×4
    89. Wind
    90. BlitzBlitz
    91. Wind
    92. BlitzBlitz
    93. Wind
    94. BeamerBeamer
    95. BlitzBlitz
    96. Wind
    97. BlitzBlitz
    98. Wind
    99. BlitzBlitz
    100. Wind
    101. BlitzBlitz ×2
    102. Wind
    103. BlitzBlitz
    104. BeamerBeamer
    105. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    106. Wind
    107. BlitzBlitz ×2
    108. Wind
    109. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    110. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    111. Wind
    112. BeamerBeamer
    113. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    114. Wind ×2
    115. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    116. Wind
    117. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    118. Wind
    119. BlitzBlitz
    120. Wind
    121. BeamerBeamer
    122. BlitzBlitz ×2
    123. Wind ×2
    124. BlitzBlitz
    125. Wind ×2
    126. BlitzBlitz
    127. Wind ×2
    128. BlitzBlitz
    129. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    130. BeamerBeamer
    131. Wind ×2
    132. BlitzBlitz
    133. Con turret

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is DRM's (43 OS, 03/10/2026); 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 73% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Geo or Techfirst at 7:13 · in 66% 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

117 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
2:0086084426213131
3:0016531621129143106105
4:0027252709409545312333
5:00391138558361200614813
6:00518550601453208011131512
7:00634962991998294118572450
8:00763476242719378025513332
9:00906290603589460931554251
10:0010919106614045524339754952
11:0013268125914574574647745677
12:0015966147745287630557256491
13:0018610173765781690666507192
14:0022005200896594756378328079
15:0025153226567101829589338940
WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY

Won less often than the standard build, with lower kills despite better own metal production.

  • + Metal production by 15:00 ahead of standard (25351 vs 22714).
  • + Own metal lost by 15:00 close to standard despite early defensive commitment (8868 vs 8944).
  • − Team win rate only 58% vs 63% for standard build.
  • − Enemy metal destroyed by 15:00 clearly lower (7050 vs 8365).
THE EXAMPLE YOU ARE READING

DRM

43.4 OS · 03/10/2026

Open source match ↗

6 received units · includes a constructor
33 metal received · 71851 energy received

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

Typical milestones

Bot Lab0:45Middle 50%: 0:39–8:37 · n=80
Vehicle Plant0:47Middle 50%: 0:42–0:53 · n=71
Gauntlet6:30Middle 50%: 6:00–7:03 · n=97
Advanced Metal Extractor8:58Middle 50%: 8:12–10:14 · n=94

Played most by

Leohvm14games of this buildDRM8games of this buildGodmother135games of this buildJustSomeGuy5games of this buildIcouldbeToxic4games of this build