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Rattlesnake defence

Pond builds pop-up artillery (Gauntlet/Rattlesnake/Agitator) from around 6:17, receiving a light transport from an ally early, to reinforce the front's defensive line.

#defence #artillery · 22 distinct matches · 9 players · 3% of Armada Pond games · team won 36% of 22 · Recently observed

THE CATCH, AND WHAT COMES WITH IT
  • GauntletEarly defence from 6:17 · 2% of role by thenOnly 2% of Pond games have it by then; others who build it get it around 11:30
  • HerculesLight transport from an ally in 59%9% of all Pond games by then

Started with Gauntlet (45%), Rattlesnake (36%), Agitator (14%), Persecutor (5%).

Where those units first fight, in 22 games with kill data: in the middle 91%, on their own side 9%.

Those units destroy a typical 1,042 metal of enemy units by 15:00.

Then transitions into Rattlesnake (23% of army).

HOW TO PLAY IT

Key timing: Gauntlet by 6:17

  1. Open tidals and mex, then wind, skipping extra eco for boost duty.
  2. Drop a bot lab and start pumping units toward front.
  3. Place first Gauntlet to start the static plasma line.
  4. Layer Rattlesnake and Agitator behind Gauntlet to turtle middle.
  5. Add advanced mex and keep receiving light transport from air for support.

Phase by phase

TYPICAL OF ITS 22 GAMES · AGAINST STANDARD POND
  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
PLAY THE OPENING

Follow the example game's first 7:18 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 Early defence

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor4Mex
    • Wind Turbine8Wind−7 vs standard
    • Tidal Generator8Tidalfor allies
    • Tidal Generator1Tidal
    • Energy Storage1Energy storage
    Order
    1. GauntletEarly defence after 4 mex, 8 wind, 2 con turret
    Builders
    • Construction Turret2 Con turret +2 vs standard

    Some games also: converter (36%) · con bot (32%)

    The standard build makes here, this one skips: 2 converter

    By 6:00 in all: 4 mex · 8 wind (standard 15) · 1 tidal · 1 energy storage · 2 con turret (standard 0)

    The example game in this phase · 20 steps
    1. Tidal ×8for Suicide front
    2. Wind ×2
    3. Mex ×3
    4. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    5. Mex
    6. Wind ×2
    7. Energy storage
    8. Wind ×3
    9. LazarusLazarus
    10. Construction BotCon bot
    11. Con turret
    12. Construction BotCon bot
    13. Converter
    14. Wind ×5
    15. Converter ×3
    16. Con turret
    17. Wind ×4
    18. Sneaky PeteSneaky Pete
    19. Wind ×3
    20. RattlesnakeRattlesnakedone 8:31
  2. 2

    Early defence to Bot Lab

    Order
    1. Bot LabBot Lab after 4 mex, 8 wind, 1 tidaldone ~7:19, middle half 4:06–10:04

    Some games also: wind (41%) · con turret (36%)

    The standard build makes here, this one skips: 2 wind

    By 7:00 in all: 4 mex · 17 wind · 1 tidal · 1 energy storage · 2 con turret (standard 0)

    The example game in this phase · 1 step
    1. Bot LabBot Labdone 3:50 · typical 7:19
  3. 3

    Bot Lab to 10:00

    Economy
    • Wind Turbine1Wind−11 vs standard

    Some games also: con turret (41%) · Dragon's Teeth (32%)

    By 10:00 in all: 4 mex · 19 wind (standard 31) · 1 tidal · 2 converter (standard 4) · 1 energy storage · 3 con turret

    The example game in this phase · 82 steps
    1. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    2. Wind
    3. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    4. Wind
    5. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    6. Converter
    7. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    8. Energy storage
    9. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    10. Wind ×3
    11. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    12. Wind ×2
    13. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 9:27 · typical 9:01
    14. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×14
    15. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    16. Con turret
    17. Converter
    18. Con turret
    19. Converter ×2
    20. Wind
    21. Solar
    22. Wind
    23. Converter
    24. Wind
    25. Converter
    26. Wind ×2
    27. Con turret
    28. Bot LabBot Labdone 11:24
    29. Wind ×2
    30. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    31. Wind
    32. Con turret
    33. Energy storage
    34. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    35. LazarusLazarus
    36. Converter
    37. LazarusLazarus
    38. Wind
    39. Converter
    40. Wind
    41. LazarusLazarus
    42. Converter
    43. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    44. NettleNettle
    45. Wind
    46. LazarusLazarus
    47. Wind
    48. Converter
    49. Wind
    50. LazarusLazarus
    51. Wind
    52. Con turret
    53. Wind ×3
    54. Con turret
    55. Wind
    56. CenturionCenturion
    57. Wind ×2
    58. CenturionCenturion
    59. Wind ×2
    60. CenturionCenturion
    61. Wind
    62. CenturionCenturion
    63. Wind
    64. CenturionCenturion ×2
    65. Wind
    66. Sneaky PeteSneaky Pete
    67. Wind
    68. CenturionCenturion
    69. Energy storage
    70. Wind ×4
    71. Con turret
    72. Wind ×7
    73. CenturionCenturion
    74. Wind ×2
    75. CenturionCenturion
    76. Wind
    77. Sneaky PeteSneaky Pete
    78. Wind
    79. CenturionCenturion
    80. Wind
    81. Advanced Fusion ReactorAdvanced Fusion Reactornot finished by 15:00
    82. Wind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is zeus_on_god's (38 OS, 19/09/2026); 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 95% of games

You get

  • Construction Bot1 Con bot from Geo or Front or Suicide frontfirst at 2:20 · in 36% of games
  • Hercules1 Light transport from Airfirst at 2:52 · in 64% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Techfirst at 6:43 · in 86% of games
  • Butler2 Butler from Techfirst at 9:29 · in 32% 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

010k20k
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

22 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
2:002922730000
3:008708170000
4:00153115100000
5:00229622310000
6:003317298527000
7:004122384123648000
8:00530747423011276217148
9:00667756938382025217379
10:00877568729352865697720
11:001017983342065331723641188
12:0012243102902489368424201616
13:0013942125932624426229901966
14:0016092149143497478048022454
15:0019181174564307532448023030
WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY

Team won less than the standard build and this turtle destroyed far less enemy metal by 15:00 despite similar income.

  • + Metal production ahead of standard by 10:00 (8547 vs 6855).
  • + Gets Hercules transport support far earlier than role norm (57% by 2:50 vs 9%).
  • − Own metal lost by 15:00 is much higher than standard (4678 vs 3041).
  • − Enemy metal destroyed by 15:00 far below standard (4208 vs 5316).
THE EXAMPLE YOU ARE READING

zeus_on_god

37.7 OS · 19/09/2026

Open source match ↗

3 received units · includes a constructor
1202 metal received · 40016 energy received

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

Typical milestones

Bot Lab7:19Middle 50%: 4:06–10:04 · n=15
Advanced Metal Extractor9:01Middle 50%: 7:48–10:25 · n=20

Played most by

UsurpeR10games of this build_X_3games of this buildDad_The_Speedrunner2games of this buildHandicapping_mySelf2games of this build[Cookie]Baby_Evis1game of this build