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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 · 2 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Bot LabBot Labdone 0:46 · 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 · 43 steps
    1. Wind
    2. LazarusLazarus
    3. Wind
    4. PawnPawn ×4
    5. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    6. Con turret
    7. CenturionCenturion
    8. Wind
    9. Mex
    10. RocketeerRocketeer
    11. Wind
    12. RocketeerRocketeer
    13. Wind
    14. RocketeerRocketeer
    15. Mex
    16. Wind
    17. RocketeerRocketeer
    18. Wind
    19. RocketeerRocketeer
    20. Wind
    21. LazarusLazarus
    22. Wind
    23. Construction BotCon bot
    24. BeamerBeamer ×2
    25. CenturionCenturion
    26. Wind
    27. BeamerBeamer
    28. Wind
    29. RocketeerRocketeer
    30. Wind
    31. BeamerBeamer
    32. RocketeerRocketeer
    33. Wind
    34. Converter
    35. BeamerBeamer
    36. Wind
    37. Mex
    38. RocketeerRocketeer
    39. Converter
    40. Con turret
    41. RocketeerRocketeer
    42. Wind ×2
    43. GauntletGauntletnot finished by 15:00 · 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 · 93 steps
    1. RocketeerRocketeer
    2. Solar
    3. Wind
    4. CenturionCenturion
    5. Wind ×2
    6. RocketeerRocketeer
    7. Wind ×2
    8. BeamerBeamer
    9. RocketeerRocketeer
    10. Wind
    11. RocketeerRocketeer
    12. OverwatchOverwatch
    13. Wind ×2
    14. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    15. Wind ×2
    16. RocketeerRocketeer
    17. Wind
    18. LazarusLazarus
    19. Converter
    20. Construction BotCon bot
    21. SentrySentry
    22. Converter
    23. CenturionCenturion
    24. Con turret
    25. Wind ×2
    26. RocketeerRocketeer
    27. Wind
    28. RocketeerRocketeer
    29. Wind
    30. RocketeerRocketeer
    31. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    32. Wind ×2
    33. GauntletGauntlet
    34. Wind ×2
    35. Energy storage
    36. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 9:26 · typical 8:58
    37. Wind ×2
    38. Mex
    39. RocketeerRocketeer
    40. Wind
    41. RocketeerRocketeer
    42. Energy storage
    43. CenturionCenturion
    44. Wind
    45. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    46. Mex
    47. RocketeerRocketeer
    48. Wind
    49. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    50. Converter
    51. CenturionCenturion
    52. Converter
    53. CenturionCenturion
    54. Dragon's ClawDragon's Claw
    55. Converter
    56. Con turret
    57. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    58. CenturionCenturion
    59. Converter
    60. Dragon's ClawDragon's Claw
    61. CenturionCenturion
    62. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    63. Bot LabBot Labdone 11:27
    64. Dragon's ClawDragon's Claw
    65. TickTick
    66. CenturionCenturion
    67. TickTick ×2
    68. Sneaky PeteSneaky Pete
    69. TickTick
    70. Dragon's ClawDragon's Claw
    71. CenturionCenturion
    72. TickTick ×4
    73. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    74. TickTick
    75. CenturionCenturion
    76. TickTick ×2
    77. Dragon's ClawDragon's Claw
    78. TickTick ×3
    79. CenturionCenturion
    80. TickTick ×5
    81. Dragon's ClawDragon's Claw
    82. TickTick ×4
    83. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    84. TickTick ×2
    85. RattlesnakeRattlesnakedone 13:39
    86. TickTick ×25
    87. VeilVeil
    88. TickTick ×16
    89. Pit BullPit Bull
    90. Construction BotCon bot
    91. TickTick ×7
    92. Advanced Bot LabAdvanced Bot Labnot finished by 15:00
    93. TickTick ×7

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is iUzername's (31 OS, 12/08/2026); 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

iUzername

30.8 OS · 12/08/2026

Open source match ↗

6 received units · includes a constructor
191 metal received · 20312 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