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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 · 114 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind
    3. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 0:53 · typical 0:47
    4. RoverScout
    5. Wind
    6. RoverScout
    7. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    8. Wind ×2
    9. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    10. BlitzBlitz ×3
    11. Mex
    12. BlitzBlitz
    13. JanusJanus
    14. Mex
    15. JanusJanus ×2
    16. Mex
    17. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    18. JanusJanus
    19. StoutStout
    20. SentrySentry ×2
    21. WhistlerMissile truck
    22. BeamerBeamer
    23. Construction VehicleCon vehicle ×2
    24. SentrySentry
    25. BeamerBeamer
    26. JanusJanus
    27. Solar
    28. JanusJanus
    29. Mex
    30. JanusJanus
    31. StoutStout
    32. WhistlerMissile truck
    33. BlitzBlitz ×5
    34. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    35. Mex
    36. BlitzBlitz ×3
    37. Mex
    38. BlitzBlitz ×2
    39. Con turret
    40. Energy storage
    41. BlitzBlitz
    42. GuardGuard
    43. BlitzBlitz
    44. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    45. JanusJanus
    46. BeamerBeamer
    47. JanusJanus
    48. StoutStout
    49. BlitzBlitz ×4
    50. Con turret
    51. BlitzBlitz
    52. Energy storage
    53. BlitzBlitz
    54. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 10:07 · typical 9:10
    55. Con turret
    56. BlitzBlitz
    57. Wind ×2
    58. BlitzBlitz
    59. Wind
    60. Wind ×3
    61. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    62. Wind ×6
    63. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    64. Con turret
    65. Wind
    66. Con turret
    67. Wind
    68. Con turret
    69. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 11:57
    70. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    71. Wind ×3
    72. BruteBrute
    73. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    74. Wind
    75. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    76. Converter
    77. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    78. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    79. BruteBrute
    80. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    81. Wind
    82. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    83. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    84. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    85. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    86. Converter
    87. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    88. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    89. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    90. Wind
    91. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    92. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    93. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×4
    94. Wind
    95. BruteBrute
    96. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    97. Converter
    98. Wind ×2
    99. BruteBrute
    100. Converter
    101. Wind ×2
    102. BruteBrute
    103. Converter
    104. Wind
    105. BruteBrute
    106. Converter
    107. Wind
    108. BruteBrute
    109. Wind
    110. Radar TowerRadar Tower ×2
    111. Wind
    112. BeamerBeamer
    113. BruteBrute
    114. Bot LabBot Labdone 13:48 · 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. GauntletGauntletnot finished by 15:00 · 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 · 20 steps
    1. Wind
    2. BruteBrute
    3. Wind
    4. BeamerBeamer
    5. LazarusLazarus
    6. BruteBrute
    7. Wind
    8. LazarusLazarus
    9. BruteBrute
    10. Wind
    11. LazarusLazarus ×2
    12. BruteBrute
    13. LazarusLazarus
    14. BruteBrute
    15. LazarusLazarus
    16. BruteBrute
    17. Wind
    18. BruteBrute
    19. Mex
    20. Wind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Immort's (56 OS, 29/09/2026); 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

Immort

56.0 OS · 29/09/2026

Open source match ↗

6 received units · includes a constructor
15 metal received · 25872 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