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Gauntlet defence

Armada Front build order · Supreme Isthmus

Economy-first start that commits early to a Gauntlet around 5:30 for static area-control defence at the front, well ahead of the usual time, holding the middle while eco continues behind it.

#defence #artillery · 114 distinct matches · 54 players · 6% of Armada Front games · team won 54% of 117 · Recently observed

THE CATCH, AND WHAT COMES WITH IT
  • GauntletEarly defence from 5:27 · 9% of role by thenOnly 9% of Front games have it by then; others who build it get it around 11:11

Where those units first fight, in 102 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 (13% of army), rocketeer (11% of army), Rattlesnake (8% of army).

HOW TO PLAY IT

Key timing: Gauntlet by 5:30

  1. Open 3 mex into wind and a vehicle plant, economy first as usual.
  2. Add radar and early defence (Sentry, Beamer) toward the coast gap.
  3. Commit to a Gauntlet well ahead of schedule to anchor a forward line.
  4. Reinforce the line with Blitz and Rocketeer around the Gauntlet.
  5. Upgrade mex to advanced and transition into the normal t1 mix.

Phase by phase

TYPICAL OF ITS 114 GAMES · AGAINST STANDARD FRONT
  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
PLAY THE OPENING

Follow the example game's first 6:27 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 0:39–8:37

    Some games also: Vehicle Plant (39%)

    By 0:28 in all: 2 mex · 1 wind

    The example game in this phase · 2 steps
    1. Mex ×2
    2. Wind ×2
  2. 2

    Bot Lab to Early defence

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor4Mex
    • Wind Turbine4Wind−2 vs standard
    Order
    1. GauntletEarly defence after 6 mex, 6 wind, 1 con turretdone ~6:30, middle half 6:00–7:03
    Builders
    • Construction Bot2 Con bot +2 vs standard
    Army
    • Sentry1 Sentry

    Some games also: rocketeer (49%) · tick (47%) · Lazarus (44%) · con turret (44%) · Radar Tower (41%)

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

    By 5:27 in all: 6 mex · 7 wind · 1 con turret

    The example game in this phase · 19 steps
    1. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 0:50 · typical 0:47
    2. RoverScout
    3. Wind
    4. RoverScout ×2
    5. Construction VehicleCon vehicle ×3
    6. Mex ×2
    7. BlitzBlitz
    8. JanusJanus
    9. Mex
    10. JanusJanus ×2
    11. SentrySentry
    12. Mex ×2
    13. JanusJanus
    14. SentrySentry ×2
    15. JanusJanus
    16. BeamerBeamer
    17. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    18. ShellshockerArty ×4
    19. GauntletGauntletdone 5:31 · typical 6:30
  3. 3

    Early defence to 10:00

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor1Mex
    • Wind Turbine16Wind
    Builders
    • Construction Turret2 Con turret

    Some games also: Dragon's Teeth (46%) · energy storage (45%) · Beamer (45%) · Sentry (39%) · converter (36%) · eat Vehicle Plant (32%)

    The standard build makes here, this one skips: 2 blitz

    By 10:00 in all: 7 mex · 26 wind · 1 energy storage · 4 con turret

    The example game in this phase · 125 steps
    1. ShellshockerArty
    2. BlitzBlitz ×6
    3. Con turret
    4. BlitzBlitz ×2
    5. Sneaky PeteSneaky Pete
    6. BlitzBlitz
    7. Energy storage
    8. BlitzBlitz ×5
    9. Con turret
    10. BlitzBlitz
    11. Wind
    12. SentrySentry
    13. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 10:27 · typical 8:58
    14. BlitzBlitz ×2
    15. Wind ×5
    16. SentrySentry
    17. Wind
    18. BlitzBlitz
    19. Wind
    20. SentrySentry
    21. Wind ×4
    22. BlitzBlitz
    23. Wind
    24. SentrySentry ×2
    25. BlitzBlitz
    26. SentrySentry
    27. Wind ×2
    28. BlitzBlitz
    29. Mex
    30. SentrySentry
    31. Wind
    32. SentrySentry
    33. Wind
    34. BlitzBlitz
    35. Wind
    36. SentrySentry
    37. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    38. BlitzBlitz
    39. RoverScout
    40. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    41. Wind
    42. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    43. SentrySentry
    44. RoverScout
    45. Wind
    46. RoverScout
    47. Converter
    48. Wind
    49. RoverScout ×3
    50. Converter
    51. RoverScout
    52. Wind
    53. RoverScout
    54. Wind
    55. Converter
    56. RoverScout
    57. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    58. SentrySentry
    59. RoverScout
    60. Wind
    61. RoverScout
    62. Wind
    63. RoverScout
    64. Mex
    65. Wind
    66. RoverScout
    67. Wind
    68. RoverScout
    69. Converter
    70. RoverScout
    71. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    72. RoverScout ×5
    73. Con turret
    74. RoverScout
    75. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 13:12
    76. RoverScout
    77. Con turret
    78. RoverScout ×2
    79. SentrySentry
    80. RoverScout
    81. Wind
    82. RoverScout
    83. SentrySentry
    84. Wind ×2
    85. RoverScout
    86. Wind
    87. RoverScout
    88. StoutStout
    89. Wind
    90. RoverScout
    91. SentrySentry
    92. StoutStout
    93. RoverScout
    94. Wind ×2
    95. StoutStout
    96. RoverScout
    97. Wind
    98. RoverScout
    99. Wind
    100. SentrySentry
    101. RoverScout
    102. StoutStout
    103. RoverScout
    104. Wind ×2
    105. RoverScout
    106. StoutStout
    107. RoverScout
    108. StoutStout
    109. RoverScout
    110. Wind ×2
    111. RoverScout
    112. StoutStout
    113. RoverScout
    114. Wind
    115. RoverScout
    116. StoutStout
    117. Wind
    118. RoverScout
    119. StoutStout
    120. RoverScout
    121. Wind
    122. StoutStout ×5
    123. Wind
    124. StoutStout
    125. BlitzBlitz ×2

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is IcouldbeToxic's (37 OS, 11/10/2026); 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 73% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Geo or Techfirst at 7:13 · in 66% 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

117 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
2:0086084426213131
3:0016531621129143106105
4:0027252709409545312333
5:00391138558361200614813
6:00518550601453208011131512
7:00634962991998294118572450
8:00763476242719378025513332
9:00906290603589460931554251
10:0010919106614045524339754952
11:0013268125914574574647745677
12:0015966147745287630557256491
13:0018610173765781690666507192
14:0022005200896594756378328079
15:0025153226567101829589338940
WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY

Won less often than the standard build, with lower kills despite better own metal production.

  • + Metal production by 15:00 ahead of standard (25351 vs 22714).
  • + Own metal lost by 15:00 close to standard despite early defensive commitment (8868 vs 8944).
  • − Team win rate only 58% vs 63% for standard build.
  • − Enemy metal destroyed by 15:00 clearly lower (7050 vs 8365).
THE EXAMPLE YOU ARE READING

IcouldbeToxic

37.0 OS · 11/10/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
425 metal received · 15294 energy received

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

Typical milestones

Bot Lab0:45Middle 50%: 0:39–8:37 · n=80
Vehicle Plant0:47Middle 50%: 0:42–0:53 · n=71
Gauntlet6:30Middle 50%: 6:00–7:03 · n=97
Advanced Metal Extractor8:58Middle 50%: 8:12–10:14 · n=94

Played most by

Leohvm14games of this buildDRM8games of this buildGodmother135games of this buildJustSomeGuy5games of this buildIcouldbeToxic4games of this build
Gauntlet defence · Armada Front build order · BAR Build Atlas