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Gauntlet defence

Front builds a Gauntlet by around 5:30, well before the norm, to anchor a defensive line at middle while the economy develops, backing it later with Rattlesnake and more Gauntlets.

#defence #artillery · 84 distinct matches · 44 players · 6% of Armada Front games · team won 56% of 86 · Recently observed

THE CATCH, AND WHAT COMES WITH IT
  • GauntletEarly defence from 5:31 · 8% of role by thenOnly 8% of Front games have it by then; others who build it get it around 11:14

Where those units first fight, in 72 games with kill data: in the middle 100%.

Those units destroy a typical 620 metal of enemy units by 15:00.

Then transitions into rocketeer (12% of army), blitz (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 84 GAMES · AGAINST STANDARD FRONT
  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
PLAY THE OPENING

Follow the example game's first 6:32 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 0:39–0:55

    Some games also: Vehicle Plant (41%)

    By 0:28 in all: 2 mex · 1 wind

    The example game in this phase · 3 steps
    1. Mex
    2. Wind
    3. Bot LabBot Labdone 0:33 · 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 ~6:37, middle half 6:07–7:10
    Builders
    • Construction Bot2 Con bot +2 vs standard
    Army
    • Sentry2 Sentry
    • Rocketeer3 Rocketeer +3 vs standard

    Some games also: tick (49%) · con turret (48%) · Lazarus (45%) · centurion (42%) · Radar Tower (36%)

    The standard build makes here, this one skips: 2 con vehicle · 3 janus

    By 5:31 in all: 6 mex · 8 wind · 1 con turret

    The example game in this phase · 33 steps
    1. Wind
    2. TickTick ×2
    3. Mex
    4. Construction BotCon bot
    5. Wind
    6. Construction BotCon bot
    7. Mex
    8. CenturionCenturion
    9. Mex
    10. RocketeerRocketeer ×3
    11. Mex
    12. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    13. SentrySentry
    14. Construction BotCon bot
    15. Mex
    16. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    17. SentrySentry
    18. LazarusLazarus
    19. RocketeerRocketeer
    20. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    21. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    22. Mex
    23. RocketeerRocketeer ×5
    24. TickTick
    25. LazarusLazarus
    26. BlitzBlitz
    27. Construction BotCon bot
    28. RocketeerRocketeer
    29. Mex
    30. RocketeerRocketeer
    31. SentrySentry
    32. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    33. GauntletGauntletdone 6:21 · typical 6:37
  3. 3

    Early defence to 10:00

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor1Mex
    • Wind Turbine17Wind
    Builders
    • Construction Turret2 Con turret

    Some games also: energy storage (50%) · Dragon's Teeth (47%) · Beamer (45%) · converter (40%) · Sentry (38%)

    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 · 202 steps
    1. RocketeerRocketeer ×3
    2. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×4
    3. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    4. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    5. RocketeerRocketeer
    6. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×4
    7. TickTick
    8. SentrySentry
    9. LazarusLazarus
    10. Construction BotCon bot
    11. SentrySentry
    12. CenturionCenturion
    13. NettleNettle
    14. CenturionCenturion
    15. BeamerBeamer
    16. NettleNettle
    17. Wind
    18. CenturionCenturion
    19. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:49 · typical 9:10
    20. Wind
    21. Construction BotCon bot
    22. Wind
    23. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×4
    24. NettleNettle
    25. Wind
    26. Construction BotCon bot
    27. Mex
    28. Wind
    29. Construction BotCon bot
    30. BeamerBeamer
    31. Wind
    32. Mex
    33. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    34. TickTick ×2
    35. Wind
    36. TickTick ×2
    37. Wind
    38. TickTick
    39. Wind
    40. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    41. TickTick
    42. Wind ×2
    43. TickTick
    44. Wind
    45. TickTick
    46. Wind
    47. TickTick
    48. Wind
    49. Energy storage
    50. TickTick ×2
    51. Wind
    52. TickTick ×2
    53. Mex
    54. Wind
    55. TickTick ×2
    56. Wind
    57. TickTick
    58. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    59. Wind
    60. TickTick
    61. Con turret
    62. TickTick
    63. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    64. TickTick
    65. Wind
    66. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    67. TickTick
    68. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    69. Con turret
    70. TickTick
    71. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    72. Wind
    73. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    74. LazarusLazarus
    75. Con turret
    76. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    77. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    78. Con turret
    79. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    80. LazarusLazarus
    81. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    82. Wind
    83. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    84. LazarusLazarus
    85. Wind
    86. Con turret
    87. Solar ×2
    88. Wind
    89. TickTick
    90. RattlesnakeRattlesnakedone 13:02
    91. Wind
    92. TickTick
    93. Wind
    94. TickTick
    95. Solar
    96. TickTick
    97. Solar
    98. LazarusLazarus
    99. Wind ×2
    100. Con turret ×3
    101. LazarusLazarus
    102. Wind
    103. LazarusLazarus
    104. Wind
    105. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    106. Wind
    107. TickTick
    108. Wind ×3
    109. TickTick
    110. Wind ×3
    111. TickTick
    112. Wind ×3
    113. Con turret
    114. TickTick
    115. Wind ×3
    116. TickTick
    117. Wind ×2
    118. Con turret
    119. Wind
    120. Con turret
    121. Wind
    122. LazarusLazarus
    123. Wind
    124. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 13:17
    125. Wind ×3
    126. Con turret
    127. Wind ×5
    128. Converter
    129. TickTick
    130. Wind
    131. Converter
    132. LazarusLazarus
    133. Converter
    134. Wind
    135. StorkLight transport
    136. Con turret
    137. Wind
    138. Converter ×2
    139. Wind
    140. Converter
    141. Wind
    142. TickTick
    143. Wind
    144. Converter
    145. StorkLight transport
    146. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    147. ShipyardShipyarddone 14:02
    148. Wind ×2
    149. TickTick
    150. Wind ×2
    151. Converter
    152. TickTick ×2
    153. Converter
    154. Wind ×2
    155. TickTick
    156. BlinkScout plane
    157. Wind ×2
    158. Converter ×2
    159. Wind
    160. BlinkScout plane
    161. Converter
    162. Wind ×2
    163. BlinkScout plane
    164. Wind
    165. Converter
    166. Wind ×2
    167. Converter
    168. Wind
    169. BlinkScout plane
    170. Wind
    171. BeamerBeamer
    172. Wind ×3
    173. Construction ShipCon ship
    174. Wind ×3
    175. Con turret
    176. BlinkScout plane
    177. BeamerBeamer
    178. Wind ×3
    179. NettleNettle
    180. BlinkScout plane
    181. Wind ×2
    182. NettleNettle
    183. Wind
    184. Converter
    185. NettleNettle ×2
    186. BeamerBeamer
    187. Wind
    188. BlinkScout plane
    189. Wind
    190. NettleNettle
    191. Construction ShipCon ship
    192. Wind
    193. NettleNettle ×2
    194. Wind ×3
    195. Converter
    196. BlinkScout plane
    197. Wind
    198. NettleNettle
    199. BlinkScout plane
    200. Wind ×4
    201. BlinkScout plane
    202. Wind ×3

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is watermeloans's (59 OS, 02/09/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

Nothing regular.

You get

  • Tidal Generator4 Tidal from Pondfirst at 0:19 · in 79% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Geo or Techfirst at 7:23 · in 63% 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

86 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
2:0086284629213131
3:0016571624127140109105
4:0027052712435540302333
5:00387938688501188593813
6:00509650761444209910881526
7:00633763141987298417222459
8:00762976622705387122953365
9:00906090873544463228574312
10:0010927106663958530833545060
11:0013153126084497581943315701
12:0015864148155115631355116521
13:0018984174405686698165067256
14:0022200201836548758475798093
15:0025798226307050839486268939
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

watermeloans

58.8 OS · 02/09/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
261 metal received · 29175 energy received

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

Typical milestones

Bot Lab0:45Middle 50%: 0:39–0:55 · n=57
Vehicle Plant0:47Middle 50%: 0:41–1:00 · n=54
Gauntlet6:37Middle 50%: 6:07–7:10 · n=72
Advanced Metal Extractor9:10Middle 50%: 8:15–10:41 · n=69

Played most by

Leohvm12games of this buildDRM7games of this buildCentientWaffle4games of this buildGodmother134games of this buildarmjanus3games of this build