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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 · 161 distinct matches · 77 players · 6% of Armada Front games · team won 51% of 164 · Recently observed

THE CATCH, AND WHAT COMES WITH IT
  • GauntletEarly defence from 5:09 · 8% of role by thenOnly 8% of Front games have it by then; others who build it get it around 11:01

Where those units first fight, in 146 games with kill data: in the middle 100%.

Those units destroy a typical 655 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 161 GAMES · AGAINST STANDARD FRONT
  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
PLAY THE OPENING

Follow the example game's first 6:09 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 0:33–0:51

    Some games also: wind (46%)

    By 0:27 in all: 2 mex

    The example game in this phase · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×2
    2. Wind
    3. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 0:41 · typical 0:49
  2. 2

    Bot Lab to Early defence

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor4Mex
    • Wind Turbine3Wind
    Order
    1. GauntletEarly defence after 6 mex, 5 winddone ~6:21, middle half 5:41–6:51
    Builders
    • Construction Bot3 Con bot +2 vs standard
    • Lazarus1 Lazarus
    Army
    • Sentry1 Sentry
    • Rocketeer8 Rocketeer +2 vs standard
    • Tick1 Tick

    Some games also: con turret (40%) · Beamer (38%) · centurion (37%) · Radar Tower (37%) · pawn (34%)

    By 5:08 in all: 6 mex · 6 wind · 1 con turret

    The example game in this phase · 28 steps
    1. RoverScout
    2. Mex
    3. RoverScout ×2
    4. Construction VehicleCon vehicle ×3
    5. JanusJanus
    6. Mex
    7. JanusJanus
    8. Mex
    9. BlitzBlitz
    10. JanusJanus
    11. Mex
    12. BeamerBeamer
    13. ShellshockerArty
    14. BeamerBeamer
    15. ShellshockerArty
    16. SentrySentry
    17. BeholderBeholder
    18. ShellshockerArty
    19. SentrySentry
    20. JanusJanus
    21. SentrySentry
    22. OverwatchOverwatchfor Geo
    23. JanusJanus
    24. Con turret
    25. JanusJanus
    26. BeamerBeamer
    27. BlitzBlitz ×6
    28. GauntletGauntletdone 6:32 · typical 6:21
  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 (45%) · Beamer (45%) · rocketeer (44%) · Sentry (43%) · eat Vehicle Plant (30%)

    By 10:00 in all: 7 mex · 24 wind · 1 energy storage · 4 con turret (standard 2)

    The example game in this phase · 115 steps
    1. BlitzBlitz ×5
    2. Wind
    3. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    4. Wind ×2
    5. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    6. Wind
    7. BlitzBlitz
    8. Wind
    9. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    10. BlitzBlitz
    11. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    12. Wind
    13. BlitzBlitz
    14. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    15. Wind
    16. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    17. BlitzBlitz
    18. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    19. Wind
    20. BlitzBlitz
    21. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    22. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:41 · typical 8:59
    23. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    24. GauntletGauntlet
    25. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    26. BlitzBlitz
    27. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    28. Wind
    29. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    30. Mex
    31. Wind
    32. SentrySentry
    33. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    34. Energy storage
    35. SentrySentry
    36. Vehicle PlantEat Vehicle Plantreclaimed for its metal
    37. Converter
    38. Energy storage
    39. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    40. Converter
    41. Wind
    42. Converter
    43. NettleNettle
    44. Wind
    45. Con turret
    46. Converter
    47. NettleNettle
    48. Wind
    49. NettleNettle
    50. Wind
    51. Converter
    52. Wind
    53. Con turret
    54. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    55. Wind
    56. Converter
    57. Wind
    58. Con turret
    59. Converter
    60. Wind
    61. Con turret
    62. Wind
    63. Sneaky PeteSneaky Pete
    64. Wind ×6
    65. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    66. Wind ×14
    67. Con turret
    68. Wind
    69. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    70. Wind
    71. Con turret
    72. Wind
    73. Con turret
    74. Cloakable Fusion ReactorCloakable Fusion Reactordone 13:04
    75. Con turret ×2
    76. PulsarPulsardone 14:02
    77. Con turret
    78. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 14:10
    79. Fortification WallFortification Wall ×3
    80. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    81. Fortification WallFortification Wall ×2
    82. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    83. Fortification WallFortification Wall ×3
    84. BlinkScout plane
    85. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    86. Fortification WallFortification Wall ×2
    87. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    88. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    89. BlinkScout plane
    90. Wind
    91. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    92. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    93. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    94. Wind
    95. BlinkScout plane
    96. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    97. Wind
    98. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    99. BlinkScout plane
    100. Wind
    101. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    102. BlinkScout plane
    103. Wind
    104. BlinkScout plane
    105. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    106. Converter
    107. RattlesnakeRattlesnakenot finished by 15:00
    108. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    109. BlinkScout plane
    110. Wind
    111. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    112. BlinkScout plane
    113. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    114. Wind
    115. BlinkScout plane

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Godmother13's (39 OS, 12/10/2026); 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 7:25 · 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

164 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
2:0085284021213131
3:001626161913013595110
4:0027212700402522282333
5:00388438477381128597782
6:00513250341299193411581425
7:00632662541884272417362301
8:00761875382705354724693173
9:00908489813600433031764071
10:0010855105534081501337994808
11:0013057123884560553845615547
12:0015734145405383597657106401
13:0018135168985987647766146999
14:0021314192756592720579397829
15:0024691218927526787087608701
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

Godmother13

39.1 OS · 12/10/2026

Open source match ↗

6 received units · includes a constructor
1509 metal received · 98266 energy received

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

Typical milestones

Bot Lab0:43Middle 50%: 0:33–0:51 · n=124
Vehicle Plant0:49Middle 50%: 0:44–7:11 · n=95
Gauntlet6:21Middle 50%: 5:41–6:51 · n=134
Advanced Metal Extractor8:59Middle 50%: 8:14–10:02 · n=127

Played most by

Leohvm14games of this buildTheGeneraI11games of this buildDRM9games of this buildGodmother136games of this build[crd]sisa4games of this build
Gauntlet defence · Armada Front build order · BAR Build Atlas