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

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is krtf's (45 OS, 25/09/2026); 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

krtf

44.9 OS · 25/09/2026

Open source match ↗

15 received units · includes a constructor
265 metal received · 32893 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