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Front / Armada / Economy first / OBSERVED BUILD

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. Solar
  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 · 22 steps
    1. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 0:47 · typical 0:47
    2. RoverScout
    3. Wind
    4. RoverScout ×2
    5. Construction VehicleCon vehicle ×3
    6. Mex
    7. JanusJanus
    8. Mex
    9. JanusJanus ×2
    10. Mex
    11. SentrySentry
    12. Mex
    13. SentrySentry
    14. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    15. ShellshockerArty
    16. SentrySentry
    17. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    18. ShellshockerArty
    19. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    20. Wind
    21. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    22. GauntletGauntletdone 4:44 · 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 · 127 steps
    1. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    2. ShellshockerArty
    3. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    4. Wind
    5. SentrySentry
    6. ShellshockerArty
    7. SentrySentry
    8. Wind
    9. ShellshockerArty
    10. Wind
    11. JanusJanus
    12. Wind
    13. ShellshockerArty ×2
    14. Wind
    15. ShellshockerArty
    16. JanusJanus
    17. BeamerBeamer
    18. JanusJanus
    19. Wind
    20. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:48 · typical 8:58
    21. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    22. ShellshockerArty
    23. SentrySentry
    24. Wind
    25. BeamerBeamer
    26. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    27. Wind
    28. BeamerBeamer
    29. Wind
    30. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    31. Wind
    32. Energy storage
    33. Wind
    34. SentrySentry
    35. Wind
    36. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    37. Wind
    38. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    39. SentrySentry
    40. Wind
    41. Con turret
    42. Wind
    43. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    44. Wind
    45. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    46. Con turret
    47. Wind
    48. Sneaky PeteSneaky Pete
    49. Wind ×4
    50. Con turret
    51. Wind ×2
    52. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    53. RoverScout
    54. BeamerBeamer
    55. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    56. RoverScout
    57. Wind
    58. RoverScout
    59. Wind
    60. RoverScout
    61. PersecutorPersecutordone 11:34
    62. RoverScout ×2
    63. Wind
    64. RoverScout
    65. Wind
    66. RoverScout ×2
    67. Wind
    68. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    69. RoverScout
    70. Wind
    71. RoverScout
    72. Con turret
    73. RoverScout
    74. Wind
    75. Con turret
    76. RoverScout
    77. Wind
    78. RoverScout
    79. Wind
    80. SentrySentry
    81. RoverScout ×2
    82. ShroudShroud
    83. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 12:44
    84. RoverScout
    85. Wind
    86. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    87. NettleNettle
    88. Wind
    89. RoverScout
    90. NettleNettle
    91. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 14:00
    92. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 14:08
    93. Wind
    94. NettleNettle
    95. RoverScout
    96. Wind
    97. RoverScout ×2
    98. Con turret
    99. RoverScout ×4
    100. Con turret
    101. BlitzBlitz ×3
    102. RoverScout
    103. BlitzBlitz ×2
    104. RoverScout
    105. BlitzBlitz ×2
    106. Con turret
    107. RoverScout
    108. BlitzBlitz ×2
    109. RattlesnakeRattlesnakenot finished by 15:00
    110. RoverScout
    111. BlitzBlitz ×3
    112. Con turret
    113. NettleNettle
    114. BlitzBlitz ×2
    115. Converter
    116. NettleNettle
    117. BlitzBlitz
    118. RoverScout
    119. Converter ×2
    120. BlitzBlitz
    121. Converter ×2
    122. BlitzBlitz ×2
    123. Converter
    124. BlitzBlitz ×2
    125. Converter
    126. RoverScout
    127. NettleNettle

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is IcouldbeToxic's (36 OS, 08/10/2026); 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

36.1 OS · 08/10/2026

Open source match ↗

6 received units · includes a constructor
953 metal received · 29057 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