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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 · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind
    3. Bot LabBot Labdone 0:50 · 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 · 43 steps
    1. Wind
    2. TickTick ×3
    3. Construction BotCon bot ×3
    4. Mex
    5. CenturionCenturion
    6. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    7. Mex
    8. RocketeerRocketeer
    9. Wind
    10. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    11. Wind
    12. TickTick
    13. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    14. SentrySentry
    15. Construction BotCon bot
    16. Wind
    17. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    18. Wind
    19. LazarusLazarus
    20. Mex
    21. RocketeerRocketeer
    22. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    23. RocketeerRocketeer
    24. Wind
    25. RocketeerRocketeer
    26. TickTick
    27. RocketeerRocketeer
    28. Wind
    29. TickTick
    30. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    31. SentrySentry
    32. CenturionCenturion
    33. Wind
    34. RocketeerRocketeer
    35. Wind
    36. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    37. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    38. LazarusLazarus
    39. Wind
    40. SentrySentry
    41. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    42. Wind
    43. GauntletGauntletdone 6:25 · 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 · 104 steps
    1. RocketeerRocketeer
    2. Construction BotCon bot
    3. Energy storage ×2
    4. Wind
    5. Con turret
    6. Bot LabBot Labdone 7:09
    7. Wind
    8. PawnPawn ×2
    9. Construction BotCon bot
    10. Wind
    11. PawnPawn
    12. Wind
    13. CrossbowCrossbow
    14. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 8:15 · typical 9:10
    15. CrossbowCrossbow
    16. Wind
    17. CrossbowCrossbow
    18. PawnPawn
    19. Mex
    20. PawnPawn
    21. Con turret
    22. Wind
    23. PawnPawn ×3
    24. Wind
    25. PawnPawn
    26. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    27. PawnPawn
    28. Wind
    29. PawnPawn ×4
    30. Mex
    31. PawnPawn
    32. Wind
    33. PawnPawn ×5
    34. Wind
    35. PawnPawn ×3
    36. Wind
    37. PawnPawn ×5
    38. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    39. PawnPawn
    40. Wind
    41. PawnPawn
    42. BeamerBeamer
    43. PawnPawn ×5
    44. Wind
    45. PawnPawn ×6
    46. Con turret
    47. Wind
    48. PawnPawn
    49. Wind
    50. Con turret
    51. PawnPawn ×4
    52. Wind
    53. PawnPawn ×3
    54. Wind
    55. PawnPawn ×2
    56. Wind
    57. PawnPawn
    58. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    59. Wind
    60. PawnPawn
    61. NettleNettle
    62. PawnPawn ×6
    63. Wind
    64. PawnPawn ×2
    65. Wind
    66. PawnPawn
    67. Wind
    68. NettleNettle
    69. PawnPawn ×3
    70. Wind
    71. PawnPawn
    72. CrossbowCrossbow
    73. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    74. PawnPawn ×2
    75. Con turret
    76. PawnPawn
    77. CrossbowCrossbow
    78. NettleNettle
    79. Construction BotCon bot
    80. PawnPawn
    81. Con turret
    82. PawnPawn ×2
    83. Con turret
    84. CrossbowCrossbow
    85. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 12:34 · typical 0:47
    86. Advanced solar
    87. Con turret
    88. PawnPawn
    89. Advanced solar
    90. Sneaky PeteSneaky Pete
    91. PawnPawn
    92. CrossbowCrossbow
    93. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    94. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    95. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    96. Energy storage
    97. Advanced solar ×4
    98. RattlesnakeRattlesnakedone 13:45
    99. Advanced solar ×3
    100. Sneaky PeteSneaky Pete
    101. BeamerBeamer
    102. Con turret
    103. Bot LabBot Labdone 14:42
    104. Con turret

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Naigel's (47 OS, 16/09/2026); 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

Naigel

47.5 OS · 16/09/2026

Open source match ↗

10 received units · includes a constructor
672 metal received · 15271 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