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Gauntlet defence

Economy-first start that leads with a Gauntlet from 5:30 to anchor the middle with area-control artillery well before it's normal for the role, fighting purely forward in the middle before transitioning into a broader army.

#defence #artillery · 92 distinct matches · 48 players · 6% of Armada Front games · team won 57% of 95 · Recently observed

THE CATCH, AND WHAT COMES WITH IT
  • GauntletEarly defence from 5:30 · 8% of role by thenOnly 8% of Front games have it by then; others who build it get it around 11:13

Where those units first fight, in 81 games with kill data: in the middle 100%.

Those units destroy a typical 600 metal of enemy units by 15:00.

Then transitions into blitz (12% of army), rocketeer (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 92 GAMES · AGAINST STANDARD FRONT
  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
PLAY THE OPENING

Follow the example game's first 6:30 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 0:39–6:40

    Some games also: Vehicle Plant (42%)

    By 0:28 in all: 2 mex · 1 wind

    The example game in this phase · 4 steps
    1. Mex ×2
    2. Solar
    3. Wind
    4. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 0:45 · 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 ~6:32, middle half 6:06–7:03
    Builders
    • Construction Bot2 Con bot +2 vs standard
    Army
    • Sentry1 Sentry
    • Rocketeer5 Rocketeer +5 vs standard

    Some games also: tick (48%) · Lazarus (46%) · con turret (45%) · centurion (39%) · Radar Tower (36%)

    The standard build makes here, this one skips: 2 con vehicle · 3 janus

    By 5:30 in all: 6 mex · 8 wind (standard 6) · 1 con turret

    The example game in this phase · 29 steps
    1. RoverScout ×4
    2. BlitzBlitz
    3. Mex
    4. BlitzBlitz
    5. Wind
    6. BlitzBlitz
    7. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    8. JanusJanus
    9. Mex
    10. Construction VehicleCon vehiclefor Suicide front
    11. Mex
    12. JanusJanus
    13. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    14. Mex
    15. JanusJanus
    16. Wind
    17. BlitzBlitz
    18. Wind
    19. BlitzBlitz
    20. SentrySentry
    21. JanusJanus
    22. Wind
    23. NettleNettle
    24. SentrySentry
    25. JanusJanus
    26. Wind
    27. OverwatchOverwatch
    28. Wind
    29. GauntletGauntletdone 6:11 · typical 6:32
  3. 3

    Early defence to 10:00

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor1Mex
    • Wind Turbine17Wind
    Builders
    • Construction Turret2 Con turret

    Some games also: Beamer (47%) · Dragon's Teeth (46%) · energy storage (45%) · Sentry (40%) · converter (39%)

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

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Leohvm's (52 OS, 26/09/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

Nothing regular.

You get

  • Tidal Generator4 Tidal from Pondfirst at 0:18 · in 75% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Geo or Techfirst at 7:27 · in 65% 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

95 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
2:0086484631213131
3:0016611625130141106105
4:0027252716435541323333
5:00390538688551199614818
6:00516950781464211210951522
7:00638763302102298617222420
8:00767976622854387123213347
9:00911490883649467928674310
10:0010984106954045532333955055
11:0013268126234568582145415711
12:0016136148465244638556956524
13:0019023174505721701065817236
14:0022403201836552762378048103
15:0025904227236984837486098946
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

Leohvm

51.9 OS · 26/09/2026

Open source match ↗

7 received units · includes a constructor
1249 metal received · 30173 energy received

Allied construction assistance is unknown. Timings are observations, not a promise of solo reproducibility.

Typical milestones

Bot Lab0:45Middle 50%: 0:39–6:40 · n=66
Vehicle Plant0:47Middle 50%: 0:42–0:55 · n=58
Gauntlet6:32Middle 50%: 6:06–7:03 · n=79
Advanced Metal Extractor9:10Middle 50%: 8:15–10:32 · n=78

Played most by

Leohvm14games of this buildDRM7games of this buildGodmother134games of this buildImmort4games of this build[MooDeng]NongJohn3games of this build