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Rattlesnake defence

Armada Pond build order · Supreme Isthmus

Pond builds early turret-like artillery (Gauntlet, Rattlesnake) from 6:26 to defend the middle instead of its usual boosting.

#defence #artillery · 39 distinct matches · 23 players · 2% of Armada Pond games · team won 38% of 39 · Recently observed

THE CATCH, AND WHAT COMES WITH IT
  • GauntletEarly defence from 6:26 · 2% of role by thenOnly 2% of Pond games have it by then; others who build it get it around 11:46
  • HerculesLight transport from an ally in 49%9% of all Pond games by then

Started with Gauntlet (49%), Rattlesnake (38%), Agitator (10%), Persecutor (3%).

Where those units first fight, in 36 games with kill data: in the middle 92%, on their own side 8%.

Those units destroy a typical 826 metal of enemy units by 15:00.

Then transitions into Rattlesnake (21% of army), pawn (10% of army).

HOW TO PLAY IT

Key timing: Gauntlet/Rattlesnake defence by 5:43

  1. Open tidal and mex as usual, boosting front early.
  2. Build Bot Lab on a normal Pond timing.
  3. Add early Gauntlet for defensive arty near middle.
  4. Fight in the middle with Gauntlet and Rattlesnake together.
  5. Upgrade mex and shift to mixed arty/army composition.

Phase by phase

TYPICAL OF ITS 39 GAMES · AGAINST STANDARD POND
  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
PLAY THE OPENING

Follow the example game's first 7:26 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 Extractor4Mex
    • Tidal Generator8Tidalfor allies
    • Wind Turbine4Wind
    • Tidal Generator1Tidal
    • Energy Storage1Energy storage
    Order
    1. Bot LabBot Lab after 4 mex, 4 wind, 1 tidaldone ~3:50, middle half 3:07–7:23

    Some games also: con turret (31%)

    By 3:39 in all: 4 mex · 4 wind · 1 tidal · 1 energy storage

    The example game in this phase · 7 steps
    1. Tidal ×8for Suicide front
    2. Wind
    3. Mex
    4. SentrySentry
    5. Mex ×2
    6. Wind ×2
    7. Bot LabBot Labdone 2:44 · typical 3:50
  2. 2

    Bot Lab to Early defence

    Economy
    • Wind Turbine7Wind−4 vs standard
    Order
    1. GauntletEarly defence after 4 mex, 15 wind, 2 con turret
    Builders
    • Construction Turret1 Con turret
    • Construction Bot2 Con bot

    Some games also: converter (44%)

    The standard build makes here, this one skips: 3 converter

    By 6:26 in all: 4 mex · 16 wind · 1 tidal · 1 converter (standard 4) · 1 energy storage · 2 con turret

    The example game in this phase · 52 steps
    1. PawnPawn
    2. Construction BotCon bot
    3. Wind ×2
    4. Construction BotCon bot
    5. Wind ×2
    6. Mex
    7. Wind
    8. Construction BotCon bot
    9. Wind ×2
    10. Construction BotCon bot
    11. Wind
    12. PawnPawn
    13. Wind
    14. TickTick ×2
    15. Converter
    16. TickTick
    17. Wind
    18. Construction BotCon bot
    19. Wind ×2
    20. TickTick
    21. SentrySentry
    22. TickTick
    23. SentrySentry
    24. TickTick
    25. Wind
    26. TickTick ×2
    27. SentrySentry
    28. TickTick
    29. Wind
    30. TickTick
    31. SentrySentry
    32. TickTick ×2
    33. Wind
    34. TickTick
    35. BeamerBeamer
    36. TickTick
    37. PawnPawn
    38. Wind
    39. TickTick ×2
    40. Wind
    41. BeamerBeamer
    42. PawnPawn
    43. Converter
    44. Wind
    45. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    46. Wind
    47. BeamerBeamer
    48. TickTick
    49. Wind
    50. TickTick
    51. Converter
    52. GauntletGauntletdone 8:08
  3. 3

    Early defence to 10:00

    Economy
    • Wind Turbine4Wind−17 vs standard
    Order
    1. Bot LabEat Bot Lab in 56% of games

    Some games also: con turret (46%) · converter (38%) · Dragon's Teeth (31%)

    The standard build makes here, this one skips: 4 converter

    By 10:00 in all: 4 mex · 28 wind (standard 38) · 1 tidal · 4 converter (standard 9) · 1 energy storage · 3 con turret

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

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Spongeb0b's (33 OS, 03/08/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

  • Tidal Generator8 Tidal to Suicide front or Frontfirst at 0:10 · in 92% of games

You get

  • Hercules1 Light transport from Airfirst at 3:23 · in 49% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Techfirst at 6:30 · in 82% of games

How it plays out

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

  • This build
  • Standard pond

Metal produced

010k20k30k
0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

Enemy metal destroyed

02k4k6k
0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

Own metal lost

02k4k6k
0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

39 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildMetal produced: Standard pondEnemy metal destroyed: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: Standard pondOwn metal lost: This buildOwn metal lost: Standard pond
1:001151150000
2:002812680000
3:008447990000
4:00150714730000
5:00227021850000
6:00317829950000
7:004129391021021210
8:0054004948300170232117
9:0066806223844379455316
10:00868277051164611773552
11:0010376964517908421998855
12:0012622120522012116922081289
13:0015291145382174155331721876
14:0017953174272621213449252535
15:0020531201884170259958873249
WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY

Won less often than the standard build despite higher metal production, trading extra losses for more enemy metal destroyed.

  • + Enemy metal destroyed by 15:00 nearly doubles standard (5525 vs 2982).
  • + Metal production ahead of standard by 15:00 (23551 vs 20997).
  • − Own metal lost nearly doubles standard by 15:00 (6224 vs 3531).
  • − Team win rate below standard (41% vs 45%).
THE EXAMPLE YOU ARE READING

Spongeb0b

33.3 OS · 03/08/2026

Open source match ↗

1 received units · includes a constructor
114 metal received · 6769 energy received

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

Typical milestones

Bot Lab3:50Middle 50%: 3:07–7:23 · n=31
Advanced Metal Extractor8:26Middle 50%: 7:29–9:54 · n=32

Played most by

YogaBoy15849711games of this build_X_3games of this buildAlphacure2games of this buildDad_The_Speedrunner2games of this buildGraceful2games of this build