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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 5:14 · 9% of role by thenOnly 9% of Front games have it by then; others who build it get it around 11:03

Where those units first fight, in 145 games with kill data: in the middle 100%.

Those units destroy a typical 625 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 6:14 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 ~0:42, middle half 0:33–0:49

    Some games also: wind (46%)

    By 0:26 in all: 2 mex

    The example game in this phase · 1 step
    1. Bot LabBot Labdone 0:20 · typical 0:42
  2. 2

    Bot Lab to Early defence

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor4Mex
    • Wind Turbine3Wind−2 vs standard
    Order
    1. GauntletEarly defence after 6 mex, 5 wind, 1 con turretdone ~6:23, middle half 5:46–6:53
    Builders
    • Construction Bot3 Con bot
    • Lazarus1 Lazarus
    Army
    • Sentry1 Sentry
    • Rocketeer8 Rocketeer
    • Tick1 Tick

    Some games also: con turret (42%) · Beamer (40%) · Radar Tower (39%) · centurion (38%) · pawn (35%)

    By 5:13 in all: 6 mex · 6 wind · 1 con turret

    The example game in this phase · 48 steps
    1. Construction BotCon bot
    2. TickTick ×3
    3. Construction BotCon bot
    4. Mex
    5. Construction BotCon bot
    6. TickTick ×3
    7. Mex
    8. Construction BotCon bot
    9. BeamerBeamer
    10. Construction BotCon bot
    11. Mex
    12. SentrySentry
    13. TickTick ×2
    14. SentrySentry
    15. TickTick ×4
    16. Mex
    17. TickTick
    18. SentrySentry
    19. Construction BotCon bot
    20. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    21. Mex ×2
    22. CenturionCenturion
    23. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×4
    24. Wind
    25. LazarusLazarus
    26. CenturionCenturion
    27. Wind
    28. SentrySentry
    29. RocketeerRocketeer
    30. Wind
    31. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    32. Wind
    33. RocketeerRocketeer
    34. Mex
    35. RocketeerRocketeer
    36. Wind
    37. Construction BotCon bot
    38. RocketeerRocketeer
    39. Mex
    40. RocketeerRocketeer
    41. Wind
    42. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    43. RocketeerRocketeer
    44. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    45. RocketeerRocketeer
    46. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    47. Mex
    48. GauntletGauntletdone 6:55 · typical 6:23
  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 (46%) · Beamer (44%) · rocketeer (43%) · Sentry (43%)

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

    The example game in this phase · 143 steps
    1. Wind
    2. RocketeerRocketeer
    3. LazarusLazarus ×2
    4. Construction BotCon bot
    5. LazarusLazarus
    6. Wind
    7. LazarusLazarus
    8. Wind ×3
    9. RocketeerRocketeer
    10. Wind
    11. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 8:13 · typical 9:00
    12. Wind ×2
    13. RocketeerRocketeer
    14. Wind
    15. RocketeerRocketeer
    16. BeamerBeamer
    17. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    18. Wind
    19. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    20. BeamerBeamer
    21. RocketeerRocketeer
    22. Con turret
    23. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    24. Con turret
    25. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    26. Mex
    27. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    28. Construction BotCon bot
    29. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    30. Wind
    31. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×5
    32. Construction BotCon bot
    33. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    34. RattlesnakeRattlesnakedone 9:59
    35. Construction BotCon bot
    36. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    37. Wind
    38. Con turret
    39. Energy storage
    40. Wind ×2
    41. Con turret
    42. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    43. Con turret
    44. Fortification WallFortification Wall ×2
    45. Wind
    46. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    47. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    48. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    49. Energy storage
    50. Fortification WallFortification Wall ×3
    51. Wind
    52. Advanced solar
    53. SentrySentry
    54. Wind
    55. Advanced solar
    56. Con turret
    57. Wind
    58. Advanced solar
    59. Wind
    60. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    61. Wind
    62. Advanced solar
    63. Wind ×2
    64. Advanced solar
    65. Wind
    66. Advanced solar
    67. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    68. Wind
    69. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    70. Advanced Bot LabAdvanced Bot Labdone 12:42
    71. Converter
    72. Wind
    73. Converter
    74. Wind
    75. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    76. Wind
    77. Converter
    78. Con turret
    79. Wind
    80. PlatypusPlatypus
    81. Wind
    82. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    83. Converter
    84. Con turret
    85. PlatypusPlatypus
    86. Pit BullPit Bull
    87. Wind
    88. Converter
    89. PlatypusPlatypus
    90. Wind
    91. Converter
    92. PlatypusPlatypus
    93. Wind ×2
    94. Converter
    95. PlatypusPlatypus
    96. Wind
    97. Converter
    98. PlatypusPlatypus
    99. Wind
    100. Converter
    101. PlatypusPlatypus
    102. Wind
    103. Converter
    104. PlatypusPlatypus
    105. Wind
    106. Converter
    107. Wind
    108. PlatypusPlatypus
    109. Converter
    110. Wind
    111. PlatypusPlatypus
    112. Wind
    113. Converter
    114. PlatypusPlatypus
    115. Wind ×2
    116. Pit BullPit Bull
    117. Converter
    118. PlatypusPlatypus
    119. Wind
    120. Converter
    121. PlatypusPlatypus
    122. Wind ×2
    123. Converter
    124. PlatypusPlatypus
    125. Con turret
    126. Wind
    127. Pit BullPit Bull
    128. Con turret
    129. PlatypusPlatypus
    130. Wind
    131. Converter
    132. PlatypusPlatypus
    133. Wind
    134. PlatypusPlatypus
    135. Converter
    136. Wind ×2
    137. PlatypusPlatypus
    138. Wind
    139. PlatypusPlatypus
    140. Wind
    141. PlatypusPlatypus
    142. Converter
    143. Wind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Erilium's (46 OS, 12/10/2026); 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 7:25 · 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
2:0085484021213131
3:001628161913013595109
4:0027272700402522294333
5:00389038477441126604783
6:00514350351327193711561427
7:00633662501886272617482302
8:00760975352727354825123173
9:00907089753635433231994071
10:0010855105504176501538334810
11:0013126123844610554045815547
12:0015734145375383599857866404
13:0018135168895987649466366999
14:0021314192606592721780457829
15:0024557218557526787389048701
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

Erilium

46.0 OS · 12/10/2026

Open source match ↗

13 received units · includes a constructor
543 metal received · 51178 energy received

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

Typical milestones

Bot Lab0:42Middle 50%: 0:33–0:49 · n=123
Vehicle Plant0:49Middle 50%: 0:44–7:21 · n=94
Gauntlet6:23Middle 50%: 5:46–6:53 · n=133
Advanced Metal Extractor9:00Middle 50%: 8:14–9:55 · n=126

Played most by

Leohvm13games of this buildTheGeneraI12games of this buildDRM9games of this buildGodmother136games of this buildEpicTyrannus5games of this build