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 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 · 159 distinct matches · 77 players · 6% of Armada Front games · team won 52% of 162 · 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 11:01

Where those units first fight, in 143 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 159 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 ~0:43, middle half 0:33–0:50

    Some games also: wind (47%)

    By 0:27 in all: 2 mex

    The example game in this phase · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×2
    2. Wind
    3. Bot LabBot Labdone 0:39 · typical 0:43
  2. 2

    Bot Lab to Early defence

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

    Some games also: con turret (41%) · 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 · 36 steps
    1. TickTick ×5
    2. LazarusLazarus
    3. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    4. Mex
    5. Construction BotCon bot
    6. Wind
    7. RocketeerRocketeer ×3
    8. Mex
    9. LazarusLazarus
    10. Mex
    11. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    12. Mex
    13. PawnPawn ×2
    14. SentrySentry
    15. PawnPawn
    16. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    17. BeamerBeamer
    18. LazarusLazarus
    19. BeamerBeamer
    20. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    21. RocketeerRocketeer ×3
    22. BeamerBeamer
    23. LazarusLazarus
    24. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    25. BeamerBeamer
    26. RocketeerRocketeer
    27. BeamerBeamer
    28. LazarusLazarus
    29. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    30. RocketeerRocketeer
    31. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    32. RocketeerRocketeer
    33. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×4
    34. Con turret
    35. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    36. GauntletGauntletnot finished by 15:00 · 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 · 170 steps
    1. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×7
    2. Wind
    3. SentrySentry
    4. Wind ×3
    5. SentrySentry
    6. Construction BotCon bot
    7. Wind
    8. Con turret
    9. Wind
    10. Construction BotCon bot
    11. Wind
    12. PawnPawn
    13. Wind
    14. PawnPawn
    15. BeamerBeamer
    16. PawnPawn ×12
    17. Mex
    18. PawnPawn
    19. Con turret
    20. Wind
    21. PawnPawn ×2
    22. Wind
    23. Energy storage
    24. PawnPawn ×2
    25. Wind
    26. Con turret
    27. Wind ×6
    28. PawnPawn
    29. Construction BotCon bot
    30. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    31. Construction BotCon bot
    32. Con turret
    33. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×4
    34. Wind ×2
    35. Construction BotCon bot
    36. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    37. Construction BotCon bot
    38. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    39. PawnPawn
    40. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    41. PawnPawn
    42. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    43. LazarusLazarus
    44. Wind
    45. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×5
    46. PawnPawn
    47. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    48. Wind
    49. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    50. PawnPawn
    51. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×5
    52. PawnPawn
    53. SentrySentry
    54. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    55. SentrySentry
    56. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    57. Converter
    58. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    59. FerretFerret
    60. SentrySentry
    61. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    62. FerretFerret
    63. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    64. Wind
    65. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    66. SentrySentry
    67. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    68. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    69. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    70. Wind
    71. SentrySentry
    72. Converter
    73. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    74. Wind
    75. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    76. Wind
    77. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    78. Converter
    79. Wind
    80. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    81. Con turret
    82. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    83. Converter
    84. Wind
    85. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    86. Wind ×2
    87. Converter
    88. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    89. Wind
    90. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    91. Wind
    92. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    93. Wind
    94. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    95. Wind ×3
    96. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    97. Wind ×2
    98. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×5
    99. Wind
    100. Converter
    101. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×7
    102. Wind
    103. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    104. Wind ×2
    105. Converter
    106. Wind
    107. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    108. Wind
    109. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×6
    110. Converter
    111. Wind ×3
    112. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×6
    113. Converter
    114. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    115. Wind ×2
    116. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    117. Dragon's ClawDragon's Claw
    118. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    119. Wind ×2
    120. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    121. Converter
    122. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    123. Converter
    124. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    125. Wind
    126. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    127. Wind
    128. Converter
    129. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    130. Wind
    131. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×4
    132. Wind
    133. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    134. Converter
    135. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    136. Wind ×3
    137. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    138. Converter
    139. Dragon's ClawDragon's Claw
    140. Wind ×4
    141. Converter
    142. Wind
    143. Converter
    144. Wind ×3
    145. Converter
    146. Wind ×2
    147. Dragon's ClawDragon's Claw
    148. Wind
    149. Converter
    150. Wind ×3
    151. Converter
    152. Wind ×3
    153. Converter
    154. Dragon's ClawDragon's Claw
    155. BeamerBeamer
    156. Dragon's ClawDragon's Claw
    157. Wind ×2
    158. FerretFerret
    159. BeamerBeamer
    160. Wind ×2
    161. Mex
    162. Wind ×2
    163. BeamerBeamer
    164. Wind
    165. BeamerBeamer
    166. Wind ×2
    167. BeamerBeamer
    168. Bot LabBot Labnot finished by 15:00
    169. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    170. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 14:23 · typical 0:49

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is TrevGod's (31 OS, 13/08/2026); 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 72% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Geo or Techfirst at 7:20 · 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

162 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
2:0085384021213131
3:001627161813013593108
4:0027272699402522294333
5:00389038477441127603787
6:00514850351327192311431427
7:00634462491898271417362302
8:00761875342727354425123173
9:00907089733652432631994069
10:0010860105384210500539254807
11:0013159123734688553345815547
12:0015780145275394597657866408
13:0018135168576033646866366999
14:0021314192206667716380457826
15:0024557218547480786889048687
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

TrevGod

30.6 OS · 13/08/2026

Open source match ↗

4 received units
95 metal received · 68109 energy received

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

Typical milestones

Bot Lab0:43Middle 50%: 0:33–0:50 · n=122
Vehicle Plant0:49Middle 50%: 0:44–7:31 · n=93
Gauntlet6:23Middle 50%: 5:46–6:53 · n=132
Advanced Metal Extractor8:58Middle 50%: 8:13–9:51 · n=124

Played most by

Leohvm13games of this buildTheGeneraI12games of this buildDRM9games of this buildGodmother136games of this buildEpicTyrannus5games of this build
Gauntlet defence · Armada Front build order · BAR Build Atlas