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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 · 35 steps
    1. TickTick ×2
    2. Construction BotCon bot
    3. Wind
    4. LazarusLazarus
    5. Mex
    6. LazarusLazarus
    7. PawnPawn ×2
    8. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    9. SentrySentry
    10. RocketeerRocketeer
    11. SentrySentry
    12. RocketeerRocketeer
    13. Wind
    14. Mex
    15. RocketeerRocketeer
    16. Mex
    17. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    18. RocketeerRocketeer
    19. Wind
    20. RocketeerRocketeer
    21. SentrySentry
    22. RocketeerRocketeer
    23. Energy storage
    24. RocketeerRocketeer
    25. Mex
    26. RocketeerRocketeer ×4
    27. Con turret
    28. RocketeerRocketeer ×7
    29. Wind
    30. RocketeerRocketeer
    31. Wind
    32. RocketeerRocketeer
    33. Wind
    34. RocketeerRocketeer
    35. GauntletGauntletdone 6:23 · 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 · 104 steps
    1. Wind
    2. RocketeerRocketeer
    3. Wind ×2
    4. RocketeerRocketeer ×4
    5. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    6. BeamerBeamer
    7. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×4
    8. BeamerBeamer
    9. TickTick ×4
    10. Con turret
    11. TickTick
    12. BeamerBeamer
    13. TickTick
    14. Sneaky PeteSneaky Pete
    15. TickTick ×5
    16. Wind
    17. TickTick
    18. Wind
    19. TickTick
    20. Wind
    21. TickTick
    22. Wind
    23. TickTick ×2
    24. Wind
    25. TickTick
    26. Wind
    27. TickTick ×2
    28. Wind
    29. TickTick ×2
    30. Wind
    31. TickTick ×3
    32. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    33. TickTick
    34. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    35. TickTick
    36. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    37. TickTick
    38. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    39. TickTick
    40. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    41. TickTick
    42. Con turret
    43. TickTick ×2
    44. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    45. TickTick
    46. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    47. TickTick ×20
    48. Con turret
    49. TickTick ×8
    50. BeamerBeamer
    51. TickTick ×3
    52. PawnPawn ×12
    53. Wind
    54. PawnPawn
    55. Wind
    56. PawnPawn
    57. Wind
    58. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 10:44 · typical 8:58
    59. PawnPawn ×3
    60. Wind
    61. PawnPawn
    62. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    63. TickTick
    64. Wind
    65. TickTick ×6
    66. Wind
    67. TickTick
    68. Wind
    69. TickTick
    70. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    71. Wind
    72. TickTick ×2
    73. Wind
    74. TickTick ×2
    75. Wind
    76. TickTick
    77. Con turret
    78. TickTick ×3
    79. Advanced solar
    80. TickTick ×5
    81. Advanced solar
    82. TickTick ×2
    83. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    84. TickTick ×3
    85. Advanced solar
    86. TickTick ×2
    87. Energy storage
    88. TickTick ×2
    89. Advanced solar
    90. TickTick
    91. Energy storage
    92. TickTick ×5
    93. Con turret
    94. TickTick ×7
    95. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    96. TickTick ×8
    97. Con turret
    98. TickTick ×3
    99. Con turret
    100. TickTick
    101. Con turret
    102. TickTick
    103. ChainsawChainsaw
    104. TickTick ×16

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is optimusprime3000's (31 OS, 10/10/2026); 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

optimusprime3000

31.4 OS · 10/10/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
1536 metal received · 40554 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