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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 · 98 steps
    1. Mex
    2. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 0:30 · typical 0:49
    3. RoverScout
    4. Solar
    5. RoverScout
    6. Mex
    7. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    8. Mex
    9. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    10. BlitzBlitz ×2
    11. JanusJanus
    12. Mex
    13. JanusJanus
    14. WhistlerMissile truck
    15. SentrySentry
    16. WhistlerMissile truck
    17. Mex
    18. WhistlerMissile truck
    19. Mex
    20. JanusJanus ×3
    21. BeamerBeamer
    22. JanusJanus ×3
    23. Solar
    24. BlitzBlitz
    25. Con turret
    26. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    27. Con turret
    28. BlitzBlitz ×2
    29. Mex
    30. BlitzBlitz ×2
    31. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantnot finished by 15:00
    32. BlitzBlitz
    33. Solar
    34. Mex
    35. BlitzBlitz
    36. Solar
    37. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    38. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 8:35
    39. Solar
    40. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×2done 8:45 · typical 8:58
    41. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    42. Solar
    43. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    44. Solar
    45. BlitzBlitz
    46. Solar
    47. BlitzBlitz ×2
    48. Solar
    49. BlitzBlitz ×2
    50. Solar
    51. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    52. BlitzBlitz ×4
    53. Solar
    54. BlitzBlitz
    55. Solar
    56. NettleNettle
    57. BlitzBlitz ×2
    58. Solar
    59. BlitzBlitz ×2
    60. Solar
    61. BlitzBlitz
    62. Solar
    63. BlitzBlitz
    64. NettleNettle
    65. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    66. BlitzBlitz ×2
    67. Solar
    68. BlitzBlitz
    69. Solar
    70. BlitzBlitz ×4
    71. Solar
    72. BlitzBlitz ×4
    73. StoutStout
    74. Energy storage
    75. StoutStout
    76. BeamerBeamer
    77. StoutStout ×2
    78. Advanced solar
    79. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    80. StoutStout
    81. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    82. StoutStout
    83. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    84. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    85. StoutStout
    86. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×4
    87. StoutStout ×2
    88. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    89. Advanced solar
    90. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    91. StoutStout
    92. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    93. StoutStout
    94. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    95. StoutStout ×2
    96. Mex
    97. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    98. Bot LabBot Labdone 12:22 · 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 · 1 step
    1. GauntletGauntletdone 9:58 · 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 · 22 steps
    1. StoutStout ×3
    2. LazarusLazarus ×2
    3. StoutStout ×2
    4. LazarusLazarus
    5. StoutStout ×2
    6. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    7. StoutStout ×5
    8. PawnPawn
    9. StoutStout
    10. Con turret
    11. StoutStout ×2
    12. Con turret
    13. StoutStout ×2
    14. Con turret
    15. StoutStout
    16. RattlesnakeRattlesnakedone 14:43
    17. Advanced solar
    18. StoutStout ×2
    19. Con turret
    20. StoutStout
    21. Advanced solar ×2
    22. Advanced Vehicle PlantAdvanced Vehicle Plantnot finished by 15:00

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is [MADO]MyDude's (33 OS, 01/10/2026); 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 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

[MADO]MyDude

32.6 OS · 01/10/2026

Open source match ↗

17 received units · includes a constructor
194 metal received · 46406 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