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Front / Armada / Economy first / OBSERVED BUILD

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 · 2 steps
    1. Mex ×2
    2. Bot LabBot Labdone 0:39 · 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 · 34 steps
    1. Wind ×2
    2. TickTick ×5
    3. PawnPawn
    4. Wind
    5. PawnPawn ×4
    6. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    7. RocketeerRocketeer ×5
    8. Mex
    9. Construction BotCon bot
    10. Mex
    11. RocketeerRocketeer
    12. Mex
    13. RocketeerRocketeer ×4
    14. Mex
    15. RocketeerRocketeer ×5
    16. Wind
    17. PawnPawn
    18. Construction BotCon bot
    19. Wind
    20. Con turret
    21. Construction BotCon bot
    22. Wind
    23. PawnPawn ×2
    24. BeamerBeamer
    25. PawnPawn ×2
    26. Wind
    27. PawnPawn
    28. BeamerBeamer
    29. PawnPawn ×2
    30. OverwatchOverwatch
    31. PawnPawn
    32. Wind
    33. PawnPawn ×3
    34. GauntletGauntletdone 6:42 · 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 · 136 steps
    1. Wind
    2. PawnPawn ×3
    3. Wind
    4. PawnPawn
    5. Wind
    6. PawnPawn
    7. Wind
    8. Energy storage
    9. PawnPawn
    10. Wind
    11. Energy storage
    12. Wind
    13. GauntletGauntlet
    14. Wind ×6
    15. Construction BotCon bot
    16. Wind ×3
    17. Sneaky PeteSneaky Pete
    18. Wind
    19. Construction BotCon bot
    20. Wind ×5
    21. Converter
    22. Wind ×4
    23. Converter
    24. Wind ×2
    25. Converter
    26. Wind ×2
    27. Construction BotCon bot
    28. Wind
    29. Converter
    30. Wind
    31. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    32. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 10:36 · typical 9:10
    33. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    34. Wind
    35. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    36. Wind
    37. Construction BotCon bot
    38. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    39. Converter
    40. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    41. Wind
    42. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    43. Wind
    44. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×4
    45. Construction BotCon bot
    46. Wind
    47. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    48. Converter
    49. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    50. Wind
    51. Con turret
    52. Wind ×2
    53. Construction BotCon bot
    54. Converter
    55. Con turret
    56. Wind
    57. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    58. Wind
    59. Con turret
    60. Wind
    61. Converter
    62. Wind
    63. Con turret
    64. Wind
    65. Converter
    66. Wind ×3
    67. Converter
    68. Wind ×2
    69. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    70. Converter
    71. Wind ×4
    72. Converter
    73. Wind ×3
    74. Converter
    75. Wind
    76. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    77. Wind
    78. Construction BotCon bot
    79. Wind
    80. Bot LabBot Labdone 12:45
    81. Converter
    82. Con turret
    83. Wind
    84. Con turret
    85. PawnPawn ×2
    86. Wind
    87. PawnPawn
    88. Wind
    89. PawnPawn
    90. Construction BotCon bot
    91. Converter
    92. PawnPawn ×3
    93. Wind
    94. PawnPawn ×2
    95. Wind
    96. PawnPawn ×2
    97. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    98. PawnPawn ×2
    99. Wind
    100. PawnPawn
    101. Converter
    102. PawnPawn
    103. Wind
    104. PawnPawn ×4
    105. Wind
    106. PawnPawn
    107. Converter
    108. PawnPawn
    109. Wind
    110. PawnPawn ×3
    111. Wind
    112. PawnPawn ×2
    113. Converter
    114. PawnPawn ×4
    115. Wind
    116. Con turret
    117. PawnPawn
    118. Con turret
    119. PawnPawn
    120. Wind
    121. Con turret
    122. Converter
    123. PawnPawn
    124. Wind
    125. Con turret
    126. PawnPawn ×5
    127. Wind ×2
    128. PawnPawn
    129. Converter
    130. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    131. PawnPawn
    132. Wind ×2
    133. Cloakable Fusion ReactorCloakable Fusion Reactornot finished by 15:00
    134. Wind ×2
    135. ChainsawChainsaw
    136. Wind ×4

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is derkarl's (38 OS, 23/09/2026); 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

derkarl

38.5 OS · 23/09/2026

Open source match ↗

12 received units · includes a constructor
2057 metal received · 107074 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