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

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is armjanus's (43 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

armjanus

43.4 OS · 02/09/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
789 metal received · 10583 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