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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. Solar
    3. Bot LabBot Labdone 0:42 · 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 · 34 steps
    1. TickTick ×2
    2. Mex
    3. Construction BotCon bot
    4. PawnPawn ×2
    5. LazarusLazarus
    6. PawnPawn
    7. Mex
    8. PawnPawn
    9. Construction BotCon bot
    10. MaceMace ×3
    11. TickTick ×2for Geo
    12. Mex
    13. TickTick
    14. MaceMace ×2
    15. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    16. Mex
    17. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    18. SentrySentry
    19. Construction BotCon bot
    20. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    21. BeamerBeamer
    22. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    23. Con turret
    24. RocketeerRocketeer
    25. LazarusLazarus
    26. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    27. Construction BotCon bot
    28. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    29. RocketeerRocketeer ×3
    30. Energy storage
    31. RocketeerRocketeer
    32. Wind ×2
    33. Construction BotCon bot
    34. GauntletGauntletdone 6:20 · 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 · 243 steps
    1. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    2. Wind
    3. RocketeerRocketeer
    4. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    5. Wind
    6. RocketeerRocketeer
    7. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    8. LazarusLazarus
    9. Wind
    10. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    11. Construction BotCon bot
    12. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    13. Wind
    14. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    15. RocketeerRocketeer
    16. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    17. RocketeerRocketeer
    18. Sneaky PeteSneaky Pete
    19. Wind
    20. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    21. Wind ×2
    22. RocketeerRocketeer
    23. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 8:44 · typical 8:58
    24. Wind
    25. RocketeerRocketeer
    26. Wind
    27. RocketeerRocketeer
    28. Wind ×2
    29. RocketeerRocketeer
    30. Wind ×2
    31. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    32. Wind ×2
    33. LazarusLazarus
    34. Wind ×2
    35. Construction BotCon bot
    36. Wind ×2
    37. RocketeerRocketeer
    38. PawnPawn
    39. Wind ×2
    40. PawnPawn
    41. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    42. Wind ×2
    43. PawnPawn
    44. Wind
    45. Con turret
    46. Wind
    47. PawnPawn
    48. Con turret
    49. Wind ×2
    50. Con turret
    51. PawnPawn
    52. Con turret ×2
    53. Wind ×2
    54. Metal storage
    55. PawnPawn
    56. Wind ×2
    57. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    58. PawnPawn
    59. Wind ×2
    60. Construction BotCon bot
    61. Wind
    62. BeamerBeamer
    63. Construction BotCon bot
    64. Wind ×2
    65. Construction BotCon bot
    66. Wind
    67. Construction BotCon bot
    68. Wind
    69. Construction BotCon bot
    70. Wind
    71. PawnPawn
    72. Wind
    73. PawnPawn
    74. BeamerBeamer
    75. Wind
    76. PawnPawn
    77. Wind
    78. PawnPawn
    79. Wind
    80. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    81. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    82. PawnPawn
    83. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    84. Wind
    85. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    86. PawnPawn
    87. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    88. Wind
    89. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    90. PawnPawn
    91. Wind
    92. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    93. Construction BotCon bot
    94. Wind
    95. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    96. Construction BotCon bot
    97. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    98. Con turret
    99. PawnPawn
    100. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    101. PawnPawn
    102. BeholderBeholder
    103. Converter
    104. PawnPawn
    105. Wind
    106. NettleNettle
    107. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    108. PawnPawn ×3
    109. Advanced solar
    110. LazarusLazarus
    111. Converter
    112. Construction BotCon bot
    113. Con turret
    114. PawnPawn ×2
    115. Advanced solar
    116. PawnPawn ×2
    117. Converter
    118. PawnPawn
    119. Construction BotCon bot
    120. Energy storage
    121. Wind
    122. Construction BotCon bot
    123. Wind
    124. Advanced solar
    125. Converter
    126. Wind
    127. PawnPawn
    128. Wind
    129. PawnPawn
    130. Wind
    131. PawnPawn
    132. Wind
    133. Advanced solar
    134. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    135. PawnPawn
    136. Wind
    137. Converter
    138. PawnPawn
    139. Wind
    140. PawnPawn
    141. RattlesnakeRattlesnakedone 13:23
    142. Wind ×2
    143. PawnPawn
    144. Advanced solar
    145. Wind
    146. Converter
    147. PawnPawn
    148. Wind
    149. PawnPawn
    150. Converter
    151. Wind
    152. PawnPawn
    153. Con turret
    154. LazarusLazarus
    155. Wind
    156. Advanced solar
    157. Converter
    158. Construction BotCon bot
    159. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    160. Wind
    161. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    162. Converter
    163. PawnPawn
    164. Wind
    165. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    166. Wind
    167. Converter
    168. PawnPawn
    169. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    170. PawnPawn
    171. Con turret
    172. Wind
    173. PawnPawn
    174. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    175. Wind
    176. PawnPawn
    177. Converter
    178. Wind
    179. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    180. Con turret
    181. PawnPawn
    182. Wind
    183. Converter
    184. Advanced solar
    185. PawnPawn
    186. Wind
    187. Advanced Radar TowerAdvanced Radar Tower
    188. PawnPawn
    189. Wind
    190. PawnPawn
    191. Wind
    192. PawnPawn
    193. Advanced solar
    194. Wind
    195. Converter
    196. Wind
    197. PawnPawn
    198. Converter
    199. Wind
    200. PawnPawn
    201. Bot LabBot Labdone 13:54
    202. Wind
    203. Advanced solar
    204. PawnPawn
    205. Wind
    206. PawnPawn
    207. Wind
    208. PawnPawn
    209. Converter ×2
    210. Energy storage
    211. LazarusLazarus
    212. Construction BotCon bot
    213. LazarusLazarus
    214. Advanced solar
    215. PawnPawn ×7
    216. Converter
    217. PawnPawn ×2
    218. Advanced solar
    219. PawnPawn
    220. Converter
    221. PawnPawn ×4
    222. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    223. PawnPawn ×6
    224. Advanced solar
    225. PawnPawn ×3
    226. Converter
    227. PawnPawn ×3
    228. Converter
    229. PawnPawn ×3
    230. Advanced solar
    231. PawnPawn ×5
    232. Con turret
    233. LazarusLazarus
    234. PawnPawn
    235. LazarusLazarus
    236. Converter
    237. Construction BotCon bot
    238. PawnPawn
    239. Converter
    240. PawnPawn
    241. Advanced solar
    242. PawnPawn ×2
    243. Con turret

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is TheGeneraI's (33 OS, 05/10/2026); 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 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

TheGeneraI

32.6 OS · 05/10/2026

Open source match ↗

6 received units · includes a constructor
1120 metal received · 59396 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