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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 · 2 steps
    1. Mex
    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, 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 · 34 steps
    1. TickTick ×6
    2. LazarusLazarus
    3. Construction BotCon bot
    4. Mex
    5. Construction BotCon bot
    6. CenturionCenturion
    7. Construction BotCon bot
    8. Mex
    9. RocketeerRocketeer
    10. Mex
    11. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    12. Mex
    13. RocketeerRocketeer ×4
    14. Mex
    15. RocketeerRocketeer
    16. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    17. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    18. SentrySentry
    19. RocketeerRocketeer
    20. SentrySentry
    21. RocketeerRocketeer ×3
    22. SentrySentry
    23. RocketeerRocketeer
    24. SentrySentry
    25. RocketeerRocketeer
    26. SentrySentry
    27. RocketeerRocketeer
    28. SentrySentry
    29. RocketeerRocketeer ×3
    30. Construction BotCon bot
    31. Wind ×2
    32. Construction BotCon bot
    33. SentrySentry
    34. GauntletGauntletdone 7:05 · 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 · 169 steps
    1. Wind
    2. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    3. Construction BotCon bot
    4. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×6
    5. Construction BotCon bot
    6. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    7. SentrySentry
    8. Wind
    9. SentrySentry
    10. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    11. Con turret
    12. Wind
    13. Construction BotCon bot
    14. Mex
    15. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 8:26 · typical 8:58
    16. Wind
    17. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×7
    18. Wind
    19. Construction BotCon bot
    20. SentrySentry
    21. Wind
    22. SentrySentry
    23. Wind ×3
    24. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    25. SentrySentry
    26. Wind ×3
    27. Energy storage
    28. TickTick ×2
    29. Wind
    30. TickTick ×2
    31. Wind
    32. TickTick
    33. Wind
    34. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    35. Converter
    36. TickTick
    37. Wind
    38. TickTick ×2
    39. Wind
    40. SentrySentry
    41. TickTick
    42. Wind
    43. TickTick
    44. Converter
    45. Wind
    46. TickTick
    47. Wind
    48. TickTick ×2
    49. Converter
    50. SentrySentry
    51. TickTick
    52. Wind ×2
    53. TickTick
    54. Converter
    55. TickTick
    56. SentrySentry
    57. Wind
    58. TickTick
    59. Con turret
    60. Wind
    61. TickTick
    62. Wind
    63. TickTick
    64. Converter
    65. Wind
    66. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    67. TickTick
    68. Con turret
    69. TickTick
    70. Wind
    71. Converter
    72. TickTick
    73. Wind
    74. Con turret
    75. LazarusLazarus
    76. Wind
    77. LazarusLazarus
    78. Converter
    79. Wind ×2
    80. LazarusLazarus
    81. Wind ×2
    82. Converter
    83. TickTick
    84. Wind
    85. TickTick
    86. Converter
    87. SentrySentry
    88. Wind
    89. TickTick
    90. Wind ×2
    91. TickTick
    92. Wind
    93. TickTick
    94. Converter
    95. NettleNettle
    96. Wind ×2
    97. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    98. TickTick ×2
    99. NettleNettle
    100. TickTick ×2
    101. Con turret
    102. TickTick
    103. NettleNettle
    104. Wind ×2
    105. TickTick ×2
    106. Con turret ×2
    107. TickTick
    108. Wind ×2
    109. TickTick
    110. Wind
    111. TickTick ×4
    112. Wind
    113. TickTick ×2
    114. Wind
    115. TickTick
    116. Wind
    117. TickTick ×6
    118. Wind
    119. TickTick ×4
    120. Wind ×2
    121. TickTick ×4
    122. Wind
    123. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    124. Wind
    125. TickTick ×3
    126. Wind
    127. TickTick ×5
    128. Wind
    129. TickTick ×2
    130. Wind
    131. TickTick ×3
    132. Wind
    133. TickTick
    134. Con turret
    135. Wind
    136. TickTick
    137. Con turret
    138. Wind ×2
    139. TickTick
    140. Con turret
    141. TickTick
    142. Wind
    143. Con turret
    144. Wind ×2
    145. TickTick
    146. RattlesnakeRattlesnakenot finished by 15:00
    147. TickTick
    148. Wind ×2
    149. TickTick
    150. Wind
    151. TickTick
    152. Wind
    153. TickTick
    154. Wind ×2
    155. TickTick ×4
    156. SentrySentry
    157. TickTick ×2
    158. Wind
    159. TickTick ×4
    160. Wind
    161. TickTick
    162. SentrySentry
    163. TickTick ×5
    164. Wind
    165. Advanced Bot LabAdvanced Bot Labnot finished by 15:00
    166. Wind ×2
    167. SentrySentry
    168. Wind ×2
    169. TickTick

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Blover's (38 OS, 06/10/2026); 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

Blover

37.6 OS · 06/10/2026

Open source match ↗

9 received units · includes a constructor
193 metal received · 31495 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