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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 ×3
    2. Wind
    3. Bot LabBot Labdone 0:54 · 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 · 39 steps
    1. TickTick ×2
    2. LazarusLazarus
    3. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    4. CenturionCenturion
    5. Construction BotCon bot
    6. Mex
    7. CenturionCenturion
    8. LazarusLazarus
    9. RocketeerRocketeer
    10. SentrySentry
    11. Mex
    12. RocketeerRocketeer ×3
    13. Construction BotCon bot
    14. SentrySentry
    15. Wind
    16. RocketeerRocketeer
    17. Mex
    18. RocketeerRocketeer
    19. Wind
    20. RocketeerRocketeer ×3
    21. Wind
    22. BeamerBeamer
    23. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    24. LazarusLazarus
    25. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    26. BeamerBeamer
    27. RocketeerRocketeer
    28. Wind
    29. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    30. Wind
    31. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    32. LazarusLazarus
    33. Con turret
    34. Wind
    35. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    36. Con turret
    37. RocketeerRocketeer
    38. Mex
    39. GauntletGauntletdone 6:36 · 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 · 76 steps
    1. RocketeerRocketeer
    2. Wind
    3. Construction BotCon bot
    4. Wind ×2
    5. Construction BotCon bot
    6. Wind ×2
    7. Mex
    8. Construction BotCon bot
    9. Wind
    10. Con turret
    11. Construction BotCon bot
    12. Wind ×4
    13. LazarusLazarus
    14. Energy storage
    15. Wind
    16. LazarusLazarus
    17. Con turret
    18. LazarusLazarus
    19. Construction BotCon bot
    20. Wind ×2
    21. Construction BotCon bot
    22. Wind
    23. Construction BotCon bot
    24. Wind
    25. Con turret
    26. Wind
    27. Construction BotCon bot
    28. Metal storage
    29. Wind
    30. Construction BotCon bot
    31. Wind ×2
    32. Construction BotCon bot
    33. Wind
    34. Con turret
    35. Construction BotCon bot
    36. Converter
    37. Wind
    38. Construction BotCon bot
    39. Converter
    40. Wind
    41. Construction BotCon bot
    42. Converter ×2
    43. Wind
    44. Construction BotCon bot
    45. Converter
    46. Wind ×2
    47. Converter
    48. Construction BotCon bot
    49. Wind
    50. Construction BotCon bot
    51. Con turret
    52. Wind
    53. Construction BotCon bot
    54. Wind
    55. Construction BotCon bot
    56. Wind
    57. Con turret
    58. Construction BotCon bot
    59. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 10:11
    60. Wind
    61. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexnot finished by 15:00 · typical 9:10
    62. Wind
    63. Con turret
    64. Mex
    65. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    66. Con turret
    67. Wind ×3
    68. Con turret
    69. Mex
    70. Wind
    71. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    72. Wind
    73. Mex
    74. Wind
    75. Con turret
    76. Wind ×7

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is MrCoolPotato's (43 OS, 18/09/2026); 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

MrCoolPotato

43.0 OS · 18/09/2026

Open source match ↗

8 received units · includes a constructor
67 metal received · 6151 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