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

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

Those units destroy a typical 610 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 6:15 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 ~0:44, middle half 0:33–0:51

    Some games also: wind (48%)

    By 0:27 in all: 2 mex

    The example game in this phase · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind
    3. Bot LabBot Labdone 0:50 · typical 0:44
  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 ~6:24, middle half 5:46–6:54
    Builders
    • Construction Bot3 Con bot +2 vs standard
    • Lazarus1 Lazarus
    Army
    • Sentry1 Sentry
    • Rocketeer9 Rocketeer
    • Tick1 Tick

    Some games also: con turret (42%) · Beamer (40%) · Radar Tower (39%) · centurion (38%) · pawn (36%)

    By 5:14 in all: 6 mex · 5 wind · 1 con turret

    The example game in this phase · 32 steps
    1. TickTick ×3
    2. LazarusLazarus
    3. PawnPawn ×2
    4. Construction BotCon bot ×3
    5. RocketeerRocketeer
    6. Mex
    7. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    8. PawnPawn ×2
    9. LazarusLazarus ×2
    10. RocketeerRocketeer
    11. PawnPawn
    12. RocketeerRocketeer
    13. SentrySentry
    14. RocketeerRocketeer
    15. SentrySentry
    16. RocketeerRocketeer
    17. Construction BotCon bot
    18. RocketeerRocketeer
    19. SentrySentry
    20. RocketeerRocketeer
    21. SentrySentry
    22. RocketeerRocketeer
    23. Mex ×2
    24. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    25. SentrySentry
    26. RocketeerRocketeer
    27. SentrySentry
    28. RocketeerRocketeer
    29. SentrySentry
    30. RocketeerRocketeer
    31. SentrySentry
    32. GauntletGauntletdone 6:03 · typical 6:24
  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 (45%) · rocketeer (44%) · 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 · 137 steps
    1. RocketeerRocketeer
    2. SentrySentry
    3. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    4. Wind ×4
    5. GauntletGauntlet
    6. Wind ×2
    7. GauntletGauntlet
    8. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    9. Wind ×4
    10. Con turret
    11. Sneaky PeteSneaky Pete
    12. Energy storage
    13. Con turret ×2
    14. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 8:34 · typical 0:49
    15. Con turret
    16. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 9:31
    17. GroundhogGroundhog
    18. RoverScout
    19. Wind
    20. RoverScout
    21. SentrySentry
    22. RoverScout
    23. Wind
    24. RoverScout
    25. Con turret
    26. SentrySentry
    27. RoverScout
    28. Wind ×2
    29. SentrySentry
    30. RoverScout
    31. Wind ×3
    32. RoverScout
    33. Con turret
    34. Wind
    35. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    36. RoverScout
    37. Wind
    38. Energy storage
    39. Wind
    40. RoverScout ×2
    41. Wind ×4
    42. PersecutorPersecutordone 11:17
    43. RoverScout ×2
    44. Wind ×2
    45. RoverScout ×2
    46. Wind ×2
    47. RoverScout ×2
    48. Wind
    49. RoverScout
    50. Wind
    51. RoverScout
    52. Wind
    53. RoverScout ×3
    54. Wind ×2
    55. RoverScout
    56. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    57. RoverScout
    58. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    59. RoverScout
    60. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    61. Wind
    62. Con turret
    63. RoverScout
    64. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    65. Wind ×2
    66. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    67. Wind
    68. RoverScout
    69. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    70. Wind
    71. RoverScout
    72. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    73. Con turret
    74. RoverScout
    75. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    76. RoverScout
    77. Wind
    78. RoverScout ×2
    79. Wind
    80. RoverScout ×2
    81. Wind
    82. Con turret
    83. RoverScout ×4
    84. BeamerBeamer
    85. RoverScout ×3
    86. Wind
    87. PersecutorPersecutor
    88. RoverScout
    89. Converter
    90. RoverScout
    91. Converter
    92. RoverScout
    93. Converter
    94. RoverScout
    95. Wind
    96. RoverScout
    97. Converter
    98. RoverScout ×2
    99. PersecutorPersecutor
    100. RoverScout
    101. Converter
    102. RoverScout
    103. BeamerBeamer
    104. RoverScout ×3
    105. Con turret
    106. RoverScout ×4
    107. BeamerBeamer
    108. RoverScout ×2
    109. Wind
    110. RoverScout
    111. SentrySentry
    112. Wind
    113. RoverScout ×2
    114. Wind
    115. Converter
    116. RoverScout
    117. Wind
    118. RoverScout
    119. Wind ×2
    120. RoverScout ×2
    121. Wind
    122. RoverScout
    123. Wind
    124. RoverScout ×2
    125. Wind
    126. RoverScout ×4
    127. Wind
    128. RoverScout ×2
    129. Wind
    130. Converter
    131. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 14:02
    132. BlitzBlitz ×4
    133. Converter
    134. Con turret
    135. BlitzBlitz ×3
    136. Con turret
    137. BlitzBlitz ×6

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is AinzIsHere's (42 OS, 13/10/2026); 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 71% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Geo or Techfirst at 7:18 · 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
3:001627161813013595108
4:0027232700402522294333
5:00389038477471128597787
6:00514850351327192811431428
7:00634462501898272017362303
8:00761875352751354624693173
9:00907089733662433031764071
10:0010860105424220501139254810
11:0013159123754690554045815548
12:0015780145285394599858406409
13:0018135168596033647066367001
14:0021314192176637718680457827
15:0024597218497448787089048694
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

AinzIsHere

42.3 OS · 13/10/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
2379 metal received · 55543 energy received

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

Typical milestones

Bot Lab0:44Middle 50%: 0:33–0:51 · n=124
Vehicle Plant0:49Middle 50%: 0:44–8:12 · n=94
Gauntlet6:24Middle 50%: 5:46–6:54 · n=134
Advanced Metal Extractor9:00Middle 50%: 8:14–9:48 · n=126

Played most by

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