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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 · 2 steps
    1. Mex ×2
    2. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 0:36 · 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 · 39 steps
    1. RoverScout
    2. Wind ×2
    3. RoverScout ×4
    4. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    5. Mex
    6. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    7. Mex
    8. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    9. Mex
    10. JanusJanus ×2
    11. Mex
    12. WhistlerMissile truck
    13. SentrySentry
    14. WhistlerMissile truck
    15. Wind
    16. SentrySentry
    17. WhistlerMissile truck
    18. SentrySentry ×2
    19. Wind
    20. Con turret
    21. WhistlerMissile truck
    22. SentrySentry
    23. WhistlerMissile truck
    24. BeamerBeamer
    25. Wind
    26. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    27. Wind
    28. OverwatchOverwatch
    29. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    30. Wind
    31. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    32. Wind ×2
    33. Con turret
    34. Wind ×3
    35. Con turret
    36. Wind
    37. Energy storage
    38. Wind ×2
    39. GauntletGauntletdone 6:16 · 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 · 129 steps
    1. Wind
    2. Converter
    3. Wind ×3
    4. Converter
    5. Wind
    6. Mex
    7. Wind ×2
    8. Converter
    9. Wind ×3
    10. Converter
    11. Wind
    12. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    13. Wind
    14. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    15. Converter
    16. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    17. Wind
    18. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    19. Wind
    20. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    21. NettleNettle
    22. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    23. Converter
    24. Wind ×2
    25. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    26. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 6:54
    27. Wind
    28. Converter
    29. Wind
    30. BlitzBlitz
    31. Con turret
    32. Wind
    33. Converter
    34. Wind
    35. BlitzBlitz
    36. Wind
    37. Mex
    38. Con turret
    39. Wind ×2
    40. BlitzBlitz
    41. SentrySentry
    42. Wind
    43. BlitzBlitz
    44. Con turret
    45. Wind
    46. Converter
    47. Wind ×2
    48. SentrySentry
    49. BlitzBlitz
    50. Converter
    51. Wind
    52. BlitzBlitz
    53. Wind
    54. BlitzBlitz
    55. Wind
    56. BlitzBlitz
    57. Converter
    58. BlitzBlitz
    59. Wind ×2
    60. BlitzBlitz ×2
    61. AnemoneAnemone
    62. Wind
    63. BlitzBlitz
    64. Converter
    65. Wind
    66. BlitzBlitz ×2
    67. AnemoneAnemone
    68. Converter
    69. Wind
    70. BlitzBlitz
    71. Wind
    72. AnemoneAnemone
    73. Converter
    74. Wind ×3
    75. Converter
    76. Wind ×4
    77. Converter
    78. Mex
    79. Wind
    80. StoutStout
    81. Wind
    82. SentrySentry
    83. StoutStout
    84. Converter
    85. Wind ×2
    86. StoutStout
    87. Wind
    88. SentrySentry
    89. Wind
    90. StoutStout
    91. Wind
    92. StoutStout
    93. Converter
    94. StoutStout
    95. SentrySentry
    96. Wind ×2
    97. StoutStout
    98. Advanced solar
    99. Wind
    100. Converter
    101. StoutStout
    102. Wind ×2
    103. Advanced solar
    104. Converter
    105. Wind
    106. StoutStout
    107. Wind ×2
    108. SentrySentry
    109. Wind
    110. Advanced solar
    111. StoutStout
    112. SentrySentry
    113. Converter
    114. Wind ×2
    115. SentrySentry
    116. Wind
    117. Converter
    118. Advanced solar
    119. StoutStout
    120. NettleNettle
    121. Wind ×2
    122. Mex
    123. StoutStout
    124. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexnot finished by 15:00
    125. Wind ×2
    126. Advanced solar
    127. StoutStout
    128. Converter
    129. Wind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Lexosis's (36 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

Lexosis

36.5 OS · 26/09/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
126 metal received · 25493 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