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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. Wind ×2
    3. Bot LabBot Labdone 0:45 · 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 · 46 steps
    1. TickTick ×3
    2. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    3. Con turret
    4. CenturionCenturion
    5. Mex
    6. Wind
    7. RocketeerRocketeer
    8. Wind
    9. RocketeerRocketeer
    10. Wind
    11. Mex ×2
    12. Wind
    13. RocketeerRocketeer
    14. Mex
    15. Wind
    16. RocketeerRocketeer
    17. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    18. RocketeerRocketeer
    19. Wind
    20. Energy storage
    21. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    22. SentrySentry ×2
    23. Wind
    24. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    25. BeamerBeamer
    26. RocketeerRocketeer
    27. Wind ×2
    28. RocketeerRocketeer
    29. Wind
    30. BeamerBeamer
    31. RocketeerRocketeer
    32. Wind
    33. RocketeerRocketeer
    34. Wind
    35. RocketeerRocketeer
    36. Wind
    37. Energy storage
    38. RocketeerRocketeer
    39. OverwatchOverwatch
    40. LazarusLazarus
    41. Wind
    42. Con turret
    43. JunoJuno
    44. Con turret
    45. LazarusLazarus
    46. GauntletGauntletdone 6:54 · 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 · 190 steps
    1. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:51 · typical 8:58
    2. Sneaky PeteSneaky Pete
    3. SentrySentry
    4. TickTick
    5. SentrySentry
    6. TickTick ×3
    7. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    8. TickTick ×2
    9. SentrySentry
    10. TickTick ×2
    11. Con turret
    12. Construction BotCon bot
    13. TickTick
    14. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    15. TickTick ×4
    16. Wind
    17. Construction BotCon bot
    18. Wind
    19. Construction BotCon bot
    20. Wind
    21. TickTick
    22. Con turret
    23. Wind ×2
    24. TickTick ×3
    25. Wind ×2
    26. TickTick ×2
    27. Wind ×2
    28. TickTick ×2
    29. Wind
    30. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    31. TickTick ×2
    32. Wind
    33. TickTick
    34. Con turret
    35. TickTick
    36. Con turret
    37. TickTick
    38. Wind
    39. TickTick
    40. Wind ×2
    41. TickTick
    42. Con turret
    43. TickTick
    44. Wind
    45. Con turret
    46. TickTick
    47. Wind ×3
    48. TickTick
    49. Wind
    50. TickTick
    51. Wind ×2
    52. TickTick
    53. Wind ×2
    54. TickTick
    55. Wind
    56. TickTick
    57. Wind
    58. TickTick
    59. Wind ×3
    60. TickTick ×2
    61. Wind
    62. TickTick ×2
    63. Wind
    64. TickTick
    65. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    66. TickTick
    67. Wind
    68. TickTick ×3
    69. Wind
    70. TickTick
    71. Wind
    72. TickTick ×2
    73. Wind
    74. TickTick
    75. Wind
    76. TickTick ×2
    77. Wind
    78. TickTick
    79. Bot LabBot Labdone 11:49
    80. TickTick
    81. Wind
    82. TickTick
    83. Con turret
    84. Wind
    85. TickTick
    86. Con turret
    87. TickTick
    88. Con turret
    89. Converter
    90. TickTick
    91. Wind
    92. TickTick
    93. Wind
    94. Converter
    95. TickTick ×2
    96. Wind
    97. TickTick
    98. Wind
    99. TickTick
    100. Converter
    101. TickTick ×3
    102. Wind
    103. TickTick ×4
    104. Converter
    105. TickTick ×5
    106. Wind
    107. TickTick ×7
    108. Converter
    109. TickTick ×9
    110. Wind
    111. TickTick ×5
    112. Converter
    113. TickTick
    114. Con turret
    115. TickTick ×3
    116. Wind
    117. TickTick ×5
    118. Wind
    119. TickTick ×5
    120. Wind
    121. TickTick
    122. Wind
    123. TickTick ×4
    124. Wind
    125. TickTick ×3
    126. Wind
    127. Con turret
    128. TickTick ×2
    129. Wind
    130. Con turret
    131. TickTick ×4
    132. Wind
    133. TickTick
    134. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 13:17 · typical 0:49
    135. TickTick ×5
    136. Wind
    137. TickTick
    138. Wind
    139. TickTick ×4
    140. Wind ×2
    141. TickTick ×4
    142. Wind
    143. TickTick
    144. Wind
    145. TickTick
    146. Wind
    147. TickTick ×4
    148. Pit BullPit Bull
    149. Wind
    150. TickTick ×6
    151. Wind ×2
    152. TickTick ×9
    153. Wind
    154. TickTick ×3
    155. Wind
    156. TickTick ×5
    157. Wind ×2
    158. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    159. TickTick ×3
    160. Wind
    161. TickTick ×4
    162. Wind
    163. TickTick ×4
    164. Wind
    165. TickTick ×2
    166. Wind
    167. TickTick ×4
    168. Con turret
    169. Wind
    170. TickTick ×4
    171. Wind
    172. Con turret
    173. TickTick ×9
    174. Wind
    175. TickTick ×8
    176. Wind
    177. TickTick
    178. Wind
    179. TickTick ×2
    180. RattlesnakeRattlesnakenot finished by 15:00
    181. TickTick ×7
    182. Wind
    183. Con turret
    184. TickTick ×6
    185. Wind
    186. TickTick ×2
    187. Wind
    188. TickTick ×5
    189. Wind
    190. TickTick ×4

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is malleking's (33 OS, 08/10/2026); 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

malleking

32.5 OS · 08/10/2026

Open source match ↗

8 received units · includes a constructor
77 metal received · 89490 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