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Shellshocker artillery

Front rushes Shellshocker artillery from the Vehicle Plant by 3:09, well earlier than the norm, using it with Janus to shell the middle before transitioning into the usual Blitz-led army.

Usually 2 mex, then lab (69%)

#artillery #rush · 16 distinct matches · 9 players · 1% of Armada Front games · team won 63% of 16 · Recently observed

THE CATCH, AND WHAT COMES WITH IT
  • ShellshockerT1 vehicle artillery from 3:09 · 10% of role by thenFrom the Vehicle Plant. Only 10% of Front games have it by then; others who build it get it around 3:33
  • ShellshockerArty in 56%4% of all Front games by then
  • JanusJanus in 50%9% of all Front games by then

Where those units first fight, in 16 games with kill data: in the middle 100%.

Those units destroy a typical 1,143 metal of enemy units by 15:00.

Then transitions into blitz (30% of army), janus (12% of army), Rattlesnake (12% of army).

HOW TO PLAY IT

Key timing: Shellshocker out by 3:16

  1. Open into Vehicle Plant immediately instead of the bot-based norm.
  2. Field Shellshocker light arty ahead of schedule to soften middle.
  3. Add Janus rocket support alongside the arty line.
  4. Bring Advanced Metal Extractor online to sustain the push.
  5. Transition the army toward Blitz as the main force.

Phase by phase

TYPICAL OF ITS 16 GAMES · AGAINST STANDARD FRONT
  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
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

    Up to the Vehicle Plant

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor2Mex
    Order
    1. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plant after 2 mexdone ~0:42, middle half 0:40–0:43

    Some games also: wind (44%)

    By 0:23 in all: 2 mex

    The example game in this phase · 2 steps
    1. Mex ×2
    2. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 0:41 · typical 0:42
  2. 2

    Vehicle Plant to T1 vehicle artillery

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor3Mex
    • Wind Turbine2Wind
    Order
    1. ShellshockerT1 vehicle artillery after 6 mex, 2 wind
    Builders
    • Construction Vehicle3 Con vehicle
    Army
    • Rover4 Scout +3 vs standard
    • Janus3 Janus

    Some games also: Sentry (31%)

    By 3:02 in all: 6 mex · 2 wind

    The example game in this phase · 10 steps
    1. Wind
    2. BlitzBlitz
    3. Wind
    4. BlitzBlitz ×2
    5. Construction VehicleCon vehicle ×2
    6. Mex
    7. Construction VehicleCon vehiclefor Beach sea
    8. Mex
    9. JanusJanus
    10. ShellshockerArtydone 2:31
  3. 3

    T1 vehicle artillery to 5:00

    Army
    • Sentry1 Sentry
    • Shellshocker8 Arty +8 vs standard
    Other
    • Dragon's Teeth1 Dragon's Teeth

    Some games also: mex (50%) · wind (38%) · con vehicle (38%) · janus (31%)

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

    By 5:00 in all: 6 mex · 4 wind

    The example game in this phase · 23 steps
    1. Wind
    2. Mex
    3. ShellshockerArty
    4. Wind
    5. ShellshockerArty
    6. Mex
    7. JanusJanus
    8. SentrySentry
    9. Wind
    10. SentrySentry
    11. ShellshockerArty
    12. Wind
    13. ShellshockerArty ×2
    14. Converter
    15. JanusJanus
    16. SentrySentry
    17. ShellshockerArty
    18. Wind
    19. ShellshockerArty ×2
    20. Wind
    21. JanusJanus
    22. ShellshockerArty
    23. Wind
  4. 4

    5:00 to 10:00

    Economy
    • Wind Turbine22Wind
    Builders
    • Construction Turret2 Con turret
    • Construction Vehicle2 Con vehicle +2 vs standard
    Army
    • Sentry2 Sentry
    • Blitz14 Blitz +10 vs standard
    • Shellshocker6 Arty +6 vs standard
    • Janus1 Janus

    Some games also: energy storage (44%) · mex (38%) · Radar Tower (31%) · Dragon's Teeth (31%)

    By 10:00 in all: 7 mex · 29 wind · 2 con turret

    The example game in this phase · 132 steps
    1. ShellshockerArty
    2. Wind
    3. ShellshockerArty
    4. SentrySentry ×2
    5. Converter
    6. JanusJanus
    7. ShellshockerArty ×2
    8. Wind
    9. ShellshockerArty
    10. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    11. Wind
    12. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    13. Wind
    14. JanusJanus
    15. ShellshockerArty
    16. Wind ×2
    17. Converter
    18. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    19. Wind ×3
    20. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    21. Wind ×3
    22. BlitzBlitz
    23. Converter
    24. BlitzBlitz
    25. Wind
    26. BlitzBlitz
    27. Wind
    28. Converter
    29. BlitzBlitz
    30. Con turret
    31. BlitzBlitz
    32. Wind ×3
    33. BlitzBlitz
    34. Wind
    35. Con turret
    36. Wind ×2
    37. BlitzBlitz
    38. Bot LabBot Labdone 9:11
    39. Converter
    40. BlitzBlitz
    41. Wind
    42. Converter
    43. Wind
    44. LazarusLazarus ×2
    45. Wind
    46. LazarusLazarus
    47. Wind ×2
    48. PawnPawn
    49. LazarusLazarus
    50. Wind
    51. PawnPawn
    52. Wind
    53. PawnPawn
    54. Wind
    55. PawnPawn ×2
    56. Converter
    57. Wind
    58. PawnPawn
    59. Converter
    60. PawnPawn ×2
    61. Wind
    62. PawnPawn
    63. Wind
    64. PawnPawn
    65. Wind
    66. PawnPawn
    67. Wind
    68. PawnPawn ×2
    69. Wind
    70. PawnPawn
    71. LazarusLazarus
    72. Wind
    73. LazarusLazarus
    74. Wind
    75. LazarusLazarus
    76. Wind
    77. Converter
    78. PawnPawn ×2
    79. Converter
    80. PawnPawn
    81. Wind
    82. PawnPawn ×3
    83. Wind
    84. PawnPawn
    85. Wind
    86. PawnPawn ×2
    87. Wind
    88. PawnPawn ×2
    89. Wind ×2
    90. PawnPawn ×2
    91. Converter
    92. Wind
    93. PawnPawn ×3
    94. Wind
    95. PawnPawn ×2
    96. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 11:56
    97. PawnPawn
    98. Converter
    99. RattlesnakeRattlesnakedone 11:43
    100. Wind
    101. PawnPawn
    102. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    103. PawnPawn
    104. Wind
    105. PawnPawn
    106. Wind ×2
    107. PawnPawn ×2
    108. Converter
    109. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    110. PawnPawn ×2
    111. Wind
    112. PawnPawn
    113. LazarusLazarus
    114. Wind
    115. LazarusLazarus
    116. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    117. LazarusLazarus
    118. Wind
    119. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    120. Wind
    121. PawnPawn ×3
    122. Converter
    123. PawnPawn ×2
    124. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    125. PawnPawn ×3
    126. Wind
    127. PawnPawn ×9
    128. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    129. PawnPawn ×8
    130. Metal storage
    131. Fusion ReactorFusionnot finished by 15:00
    132. PawnPawn

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Optimusprimenutt's (39 OS, 05/08/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

Nothing regular.

You get

  • Tidal Generator4 Tidal from Pondfirst at 0:19 · in 75% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Geo or Techfirst at 7:39 · in 75% 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

16 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
1:003263330000
2:008058460213131
3:001568162414414093105
4:0026722712417540259333
5:00384138689861188734813
6:0050685076154320999901526
7:00596563141914298419412459
8:00689976622775387131073365
9:00824390873626463239074312
10:009939106664578530846955060
11:0011814126085382581958615701
12:0013358148155571631367856521
13:0015462174406267698176217256
14:0017853201836976758484578093
15:0020908226307944839494418939
WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY

Won slightly more often than the standard build while losing a bit less metal across all checkpoints shown.

  • + Won 67% vs 61% for the standard build.
  • + Lost less own metal at every checkpoint (e.g. 8803 vs 8949 by 15:00).
  • − Destroyed slightly less enemy metal than standard by 15:00 (7830 vs 8347).
THE EXAMPLE YOU ARE READING

Optimusprimenutt

39.4 OS · 05/08/2026

Open source match ↗

7 received units · includes a constructor
102 metal received · 4834 energy received

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

Typical milestones

Vehicle Plant0:42Middle 50%: 0:40–0:43 · n=16
Advanced Metal Extractor9:14Middle 50%: 7:57–9:54 · n=12

Played most by

Optimusprimenutt5games of this buildPRO_Rerory3games of this build[BS]Hellzie2games of this buildAcqua1game of this buildDRM1game of this build