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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 · 27 steps
    1. Tidal ×9for Suicide front
    2. Tidal ×3
    3. Mex
    4. Converter
    5. Mex ×3
    6. Con turret
    7. Wind ×7
    8. Energy storage
    9. Wind ×11
    10. Converter
    11. Wind
    12. Converter
    13. Wind
    14. Converter
    15. Wind
    16. Converter
    17. Wind
    18. Converter ×2
    19. Wind ×2
    20. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 5:54 · typical 8:26
    21. Wind ×6
    22. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    23. Wind ×2
    24. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    25. Con turret
    26. Wind ×3
    27. Bot LabBot Labdone 7:23 · 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 · 78 steps
    1. Con turret
    2. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    3. Con turret
    4. Wind
    5. TickTick
    6. Wind
    7. TickTick
    8. Wind
    9. TickTick ×2
    10. Wind
    11. TickTick ×2
    12. Wind
    13. TickTick ×2
    14. Wind
    15. TickTick
    16. Wind
    17. Construction BotCon bot
    18. Wind
    19. Construction BotCon bot
    20. Wind
    21. Con turret
    22. TickTick
    23. Construction BotCon bot
    24. Wind
    25. Con turret
    26. TickTick ×3
    27. Bot LabBot Labdone 8:25
    28. TickTick
    29. Wind
    30. TickTick ×3
    31. Wind
    32. TickTick
    33. Con turret
    34. TickTick ×5
    35. Wind
    36. Converter
    37. TickTick ×2
    38. Wind
    39. TickTick ×3
    40. Converter
    41. TickTick ×2
    42. Con turret
    43. TickTick ×6
    44. Converter
    45. TickTick ×5
    46. Wind
    47. TickTick ×2
    48. Wind
    49. TickTick ×2
    50. Wind
    51. TickTick
    52. Converter
    53. TickTick ×2
    54. Wind
    55. TickTick ×3
    56. Wind
    57. TickTick ×3
    58. Wind
    59. TickTick
    60. Converter
    61. TickTick ×2
    62. Wind
    63. TickTick ×4
    64. Wind ×2
    65. TickTick ×4
    66. Converter
    67. Wind
    68. TickTick ×3
    69. Wind
    70. TickTick ×5
    71. Wind
    72. TickTick
    73. Converter
    74. TickTick ×5
    75. Wind
    76. TickTick ×2
    77. Wind
    78. RattlesnakeRattlesnakedone 10:36
  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 · 184 steps
    1. TickTick
    2. Converter
    3. TickTick ×3
    4. Wind
    5. TickTick ×6
    6. Converter
    7. TickTick
    8. Wind
    9. TickTick ×6
    10. Wind
    11. TickTick
    12. Converter
    13. Wind
    14. TickTick ×10
    15. Converter
    16. TickTick ×4
    17. Wind
    18. TickTick ×2
    19. ChainsawChainsaw
    20. TickTick ×4
    21. Wind
    22. ChainsawChainsaw
    23. Wind
    24. TickTick ×3
    25. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    26. Wind
    27. TickTick ×2
    28. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    29. TickTick
    30. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    31. TickTick
    32. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    33. TickTick
    34. Wind
    35. TickTick
    36. Wind
    37. ChainsawChainsaw
    38. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    39. TickTick
    40. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    41. TickTick ×2
    42. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    43. TickTick
    44. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    45. TickTick
    46. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    47. TickTick
    48. NettleNettle
    49. Fortification WallFortification Wall ×2
    50. TickTick
    51. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    52. Wind
    53. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    54. Converter
    55. TickTick ×4
    56. NettleNettle
    57. TickTick ×6
    58. Converter
    59. TickTick ×5
    60. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    61. TickTick ×3
    62. Wind
    63. TickTick ×2
    64. Converter
    65. TickTick ×2
    66. Con turret
    67. TickTick ×7
    68. Converter
    69. TickTick ×5
    70. PulsarPulsarnot finished by 15:00
    71. TickTick ×4
    72. Wind
    73. TickTick
    74. Converter
    75. TickTick ×6
    76. Converter
    77. TickTick ×5
    78. Converter
    79. TickTick ×5
    80. Converter
    81. TickTick ×4
    82. Converter ×2
    83. TickTick ×3
    84. Hovercraft PlatformHovercraft Platformdone 12:30
    85. TickTick
    86. Converter
    87. TickTick
    88. Wind
    89. TickTick
    90. Converter
    91. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    92. TickTick
    93. Wind
    94. TickTick ×2
    95. Converter
    96. Construction HovercraftCon hovercraft
    97. Converter
    98. Wind
    99. TickTick
    100. Wind
    101. TickTick
    102. Construction HovercraftCon hovercraft
    103. Wind
    104. TickTick
    105. Wind
    106. TickTick
    107. Converter ×2
    108. TickTick
    109. Converter
    110. Hovercraft PlatformEat Hovercraft Platformreclaimed for its metal
    111. Seaplane PlatformSeaplane Platformdone 13:53
    112. TickTick
    113. Wind
    114. TickTick
    115. Wind
    116. TickTick
    117. Wind
    118. Converter
    119. TickTick
    120. Wind
    121. TickTick
    122. Converter
    123. TickTick ×2
    124. Wind
    125. TickTick
    126. Converter
    127. TickTick
    128. Wind
    129. TickTick
    130. Converter
    131. TickTick
    132. Converter
    133. Wind
    134. TickTick ×2
    135. Converter
    136. TickTick ×3
    137. Wind
    138. TickTick ×4
    139. Converter
    140. TickTick ×6
    141. Wind
    142. TickTick
    143. Wind
    144. TickTick ×2
    145. Converter
    146. Wind
    147. TickTick ×2
    148. Wind
    149. SentrySentry
    150. TickTick ×2
    151. Wind
    152. TickTick ×2
    153. Converter
    154. Wind
    155. TickTick
    156. SentrySentry
    157. TickTick ×4
    158. TsunamiTsunami
    159. TickTick
    160. Wind
    161. TickTick
    162. Converter
    163. Naval Construction Turret
    164. TickTick ×2
    165. SentrySentry
    166. TickTick ×5
    167. Converter
    168. NettleNettle
    169. TickTick ×4
    170. NettleNettle
    171. TickTick ×2
    172. Converter
    173. TickTick ×5
    174. TsunamiTsunami
    175. LazarusLazarus
    176. TickTick ×2
    177. Tidal
    178. LazarusLazarus
    179. NettleNettle
    180. Converter
    181. LazarusLazarus ×3
    182. Converter
    183. TsunamiTsunami
    184. LazarusLazarus

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Alphacure's (36 OS, 26/09/2026); 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 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

Alphacure

35.8 OS · 26/09/2026

Open source match ↗

3 received units · includes a constructor
1294 metal received · 124764 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