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Suicide front / Armada / Factory first / OBSERVED BUILD

Gauntlet defence

Bot Lab first but committing to a Gauntlet by 4:10, much earlier than usual, to anchor the middle with area artillery before the standard timing.

#artillery #defence · 101 distinct matches · 37 players · 5% of Armada Suicide front games · team won 47% of 106 · Recently observed

THE CATCH, AND WHAT COMES WITH IT
  • GauntletEarly defence from 4:10 · 8% of role by thenOnly 8% of Suicide front games have it by then; others who build it get it around 9:13

Where those units first fight, in 101 games with kill data: in the middle 100%.

Those units destroy a typical 1,274 metal of enemy units by 15:00.

Then transitions into rocketeer (17% of army), Rattlesnake (11% of army).

HOW TO PLAY IT

Key timing: Gauntlet by 4:08

  1. Open Bot Lab then grab mexes and wind, get sentries out for early raid.
  2. Keep making sentries and hold middle, denying leaks with cheap bots.
  3. Commit to a Gauntlet to anchor the line with area artillery.
  4. Mix in Rocketeer and Rattlesnake to hold middle rather than push in.
  5. Transition to T2 constructor once the line is stable.

Phase by phase

TYPICAL OF ITS 101 GAMES · AGAINST STANDARD SUICIDE FRONT
  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
PLAY THE OPENING

Follow the example game's first 6:00 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

    Bot Lab first

    Order
    1. Bot LabBot Lab done ~0:20, middle half 0:20–0:33

    Some games also: mex (42%)

  2. 2

    Bot Lab to Early defence

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor5Mex
    • Wind Turbine4Wind
    Order
    1. GauntletEarly defence after 5 mex, 4 winddone ~5:29, middle half 4:42–5:56
    Builders
    • Construction Bot3 Con bot
    • Lazarus2 Lazarus
    Army
    • Sentry3 Sentry
    • Beamer1 Beamer
    • Rocketeer9 Rocketeer −4 vs standard
    • Tick1 Tick
    • Centurion1 Centurion
    Other
    • Radar Tower1 Radar Tower

    Some games also: con turret (35%) · Dragon's Teeth (34%)

    By 4:09 in all: 5 mex · 4 wind

    The example game in this phase · 29 steps
    1. Construction BotCon bot
    2. Wind
    3. Construction BotCon bot
    4. Wind
    5. Construction BotCon bot
    6. CenturionCenturion
    7. Mex
    8. SentrySentry
    9. LazarusLazarus
    10. Wind ×2
    11. RocketeerRocketeer
    12. SentrySentry
    13. Wind
    14. Mex
    15. Wind
    16. RocketeerRocketeer
    17. SentrySentry
    18. Wind
    19. RocketeerRocketeer
    20. BeamerBeamer
    21. Wind
    22. RocketeerRocketeer
    23. BeamerBeamer
    24. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    25. Energy storage
    26. RocketeerRocketeer
    27. OverwatchOverwatch
    28. Wind
    29. GauntletGauntletdone 4:33 · typical 5:29
  3. 3

    Early defence to 10:00

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor1Mex
    • Wind Turbine16Wind
    • Energy Storage1Energy storage
    Builders
    • Construction Turret3 Con turret
    • Lazarus1 Lazarus
    Army
    • Rocketeer3 Rocketeer −10 vs standard
    Other
    • Dragon's Teeth5 Dragon's Teeth +5 vs standard
    • Radar Tower1 Radar Tower

    Some games also: Sentry (50%) · Beamer (49%) · con bot (48%) · tick (41%) · Gauntlet (41%)

    The standard build makes here, this one skips: 2 con bot · 2 Sentry

    By 10:00 in all: 6 mex · 23 wind · 1 energy storage · 4 con turret

    The example game in this phase · 161 steps
    1. Wind ×3
    2. Con turret
    3. Wind
    4. OverwatchOverwatch
    5. Wind ×3
    6. Con turret
    7. Wind
    8. Con turret
    9. Wind
    10. Con turret ×2
    11. AnemoneAnemone
    12. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:07 · typical 9:41
    13. AnemoneAnemone
    14. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    15. Con turret
    16. AnemoneAnemone
    17. Con turret
    18. Hovercraft PlatformHovercraft Platformdone 7:47
    19. Con turret
    20. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    21. CrocodileCrocodile ×6
    22. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    23. CrocodileCrocodile ×4
    24. Wind
    25. CrocodileCrocodile
    26. Wind
    27. ShipyardShipyarddone 9:36
    28. CrocodileCrocodile
    29. Wind
    30. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    31. CrocodileCrocodile
    32. EelSubmarinedone 9:59
    33. Wind
    34. CrocodileCrocodile
    35. Wind
    36. Grim ReaperGrim Reaper
    37. Wind
    38. CrocodileCrocodile
    39. Wind
    40. CrocodileCrocodile
    41. Wind
    42. EelSubmarine
    43. CrocodileCrocodile
    44. Wind ×3
    45. EelSubmarine
    46. Wind
    47. CrocodileCrocodile
    48. Con turret ×2
    49. Wind
    50. EelSubmarine
    51. Wind
    52. EelSubmarine
    53. Wind
    54. EelSubmarine
    55. CrocodileCrocodile
    56. Wind
    57. EelSubmarine
    58. CrocodileCrocodile
    59. Wind
    60. CrocodileCrocodile
    61. Con turret
    62. Wind
    63. Con turret
    64. Wind
    65. CrocodileCrocodile
    66. Wind ×2
    67. CrocodileCrocodile
    68. Wind ×2
    69. CrocodileCrocodile
    70. Wind ×3
    71. CrocodileCrocodile
    72. Wind ×2
    73. CrocodileCrocodile
    74. Wind ×2
    75. CrocodileCrocodile ×2
    76. Wind
    77. CrocodileCrocodile
    78. Wind ×2
    79. CrocodileCrocodile
    80. Wind
    81. CrocodileCrocodile ×2
    82. Wind
    83. CrocodileCrocodile
    84. Wind ×2
    85. CrocodileCrocodile ×2
    86. Wind
    87. CrocodileCrocodile
    88. Con turret
    89. Wind
    90. Con turret
    91. Wind
    92. CrocodileCrocodile
    93. Wind
    94. Con turret
    95. CrocodileCrocodile
    96. Wind ×2
    97. CrocodileCrocodile
    98. Con turret
    99. Wind ×2
    100. CrocodileCrocodile
    101. Wind ×2
    102. Con turret
    103. CrocodileCrocodile
    104. Wind ×3
    105. CrocodileCrocodile
    106. Wind
    107. CrocodileCrocodile
    108. Con turret
    109. Wind ×2
    110. Con turret ×2
    111. CrocodileCrocodile
    112. ShipyardShipyarddone 13:03
    113. Con turret
    114. CrocodileCrocodile
    115. Wind
    116. CrocodileCrocodile ×2
    117. Con turret
    118. EelSubmarine
    119. Con turret ×2
    120. EelSubmarine
    121. Wind
    122. Con turret
    123. Wind ×2
    124. Construction ShipCon ship
    125. Con turret
    126. Wind
    127. EelSubmarine
    128. Wind
    129. EelSubmarine
    130. Wind ×2
    131. Con turret
    132. Mex
    133. Wind
    134. EelSubmarine
    135. Wind ×2
    136. EelSubmarine
    137. Wind ×2
    138. EelSubmarine
    139. Wind
    140. EelSubmarine
    141. Wind ×3
    142. EelSubmarine
    143. Wind ×3
    144. EelSubmarine
    145. Wind ×4
    146. EelSubmarine
    147. Wind ×3
    148. Mex
    149. Wind ×2
    150. EelSubmarine
    151. Wind ×2
    152. EelSubmarine
    153. Wind ×2
    154. T2 converter
    155. Wind ×4
    156. EelSubmarine
    157. Wind
    158. Mex
    159. Wind ×5
    160. EelSubmarine
    161. Wind ×2

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Dad_The_Speedrunner's (37 OS, 18/09/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

Nothing regular.

You get

  • Tidal Generator4 Tidal from Pondfirst at 0:11 · in 73% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Geo or Techfirst at 7:47 · in 68% of games

How it plays out

Typical game of this build against the role’s standard build, running totals by minute

  • This build
  • Standard suicide 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

106 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildMetal produced: Standard suicide frontEnemy metal destroyed: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: Standard suicide frontOwn metal lost: This buildOwn metal lost: Standard suicide front
1:002302260000
2:008848890000
3:002002205613517299106
4:0031883161475660335486
5:004375423688714138501020
6:00549554301332232713091785
7:00661266612197317921762732
8:00782679102835403527573631
9:00915692983644481631844516
10:0010897106884408542640755336
11:0012430122414807589850866080
12:0014297140245797651758286842
13:0016519160426680701369187523
14:0018776179696968768076848336
15:0020948202977865830288359228
WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY

Won less often than the standard build and destroyed less enemy metal despite similar production, a defensive line that trades tempo for metal saved.

  • + Own metal lost by 15:00 lower (8980 vs 9208)
  • + Metal produced by 15:00 slightly ahead (20254 vs 19882)
  • − Team win rate well below standard (46% vs 58%)
  • − Enemy metal destroyed by 15:00 much lower (7767 vs 8172)
THE EXAMPLE YOU ARE READING

Dad_The_Speedrunner

36.5 OS · 18/09/2026

Open source match ↗

11 received units · includes a constructor
614 metal received · 32368 energy received

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

Typical milestones

Bot Lab0:20Middle 50%: 0:20–0:33 · n=106
Gauntlet5:29Middle 50%: 4:42–5:56 · n=96
Advanced Metal Extractor9:41Middle 50%: 8:46–10:57 · n=80

Played most by

_X_26games of this buildImmort7games of this buildManBearPig_7games of this buildTrapCaT7games of this buildSoliloqueur6games of this build