• Can lay mine fields

• Effective against helicopters

• Has good speed

• High rate of fire makes it good vs armored vehicles

• Good HP and armor levels

• Slightly lower production time than their counterpart hammers

• Does a fair amount of damage vs infantry

• Has a CP cost of 3, while their counterpart has a CP of 2

• Overall slower speed than hammers

• Slower kill rate than hammers due to having to shoot 4 projectiles instead of 1

• Significantly less accurate than hammers on the move, causing them to be susceptible and lose in clashes vs hammers on the move

• Can't kill maxed out bunkers

Armadillos are used as a counter to fortress rushes. Their autocannon combined with their good HP and armor makes it easy for them to deal with fortresses. They are most effective when kept on the move, out of the flamethrower range of fortresses. When combined with coyotes against fortresses and infantry, their effectiveness increases due to the coyotes breaking the formation of escorting infantry. Since armadillos can outrun fortresses, it makes for a rather easy means to counter fortresses when rushed. However, early scouting is a necessity to avoid being outnumbered.

Mines are a major use of the armadillo. Minefields deal serious damage to enemy units for very cheap mine costs. Given the 3 types of mines, the multi purpose mines, anti-infantry mines and anti-vehicle mines, mines deal with all ground threats very effectively. It is advised to scout in advance what type of enemy force is preparing to attack with so as to pick the right mine combination. It is possible to even survive an attack with minimal units when there are mines, so even a single armadillo is capable of protecting a base, although in practice don't try this.

Armadillos are also anti-cyclone units. Since they can shoot helicopters, armadillos are able to deal with cyclones effectively. Armadillos have higher HP and armor than cyclones, and the autocannon is more effective vs armored units compared to the machine gun of the cyclone. In some situations, the armadillos may be vulnerable due to cyclones having a 1 cell range advantage, so ensure your armadillos are controlled properly.

Due to being an effective anti-armor unit, the armadillo is effective in rush attacks. Many support units can be used with armadillos, such as riflemen or grenadiers. Due to their good maneuverability, they can flank enemy units and get into the unprotected rear and sides of the base. Their HP and armor allows them to withstand a decent amount of fire while punching back. They however, must only be used to tackle rocket towers when they are in large numbers, as the extreme damage and splash of rocket towers can kill them quickly. An arrival of armadillos at an unprepared enemy base gives the opportunity of dealing a crushing blow.

Don't try to attack bunkers if you notice your armadillos are taking a long time. It is better to focus on other buildings with lower armor instead. It is also advisable to ignore the bunkers and drive into the back of the enemy base. If new buildings pop up, have your armadillos target those immediately. Once finished, the armor of constructed buildings reduce the damage that armadillos can do. And in case of new bunkers, a mere tenth of the original damage is very common.

The armadillo can lay 3 types of mines :

1. Scorpion mine (multi-purpose)

2. Frog mine (anti-infantry)

3. Lizard mine (anti-vehicle)

Scorpion mine

This is an all purpose mine, which deals moderate damage to all units. They are cheap and have the shortest laying time. When combined with other mines, they act as a "finisher" to destroy what's left of enemy units. For example, a layer of frog mines followed by scorpion mines ensures that the infantry that survived the frog mines are destroyed, without losing out on laying time and damage. The same applies with layering 1 scorpion mine layer followed by 1 lizard mine layer and vice versa. The scorpion mine does not have high splash damage, and it is not recommended to use them as the main type of mine, but as insulation for the other two mine types.

Frog mine

This is an anti-infantry mine which deals extreme damage to all infantry, with massive splash damage. They only trigger against infantry units, and do not harm vehicles (unless they're right next to an infantry unit that set it off). 1 frog mine can easily critically injure any infantry unit. Due to the massive splash, 2 mines detonating next to each other simultaneously guarantee a kill on the unlucky infantry units, with a good damage dealt as well to the surrounding infantry.

Lizard mine

This is an anti-vehicle mine which deals extreme damage to all armored vehicles. 1 lizard mine can critically damage any land vehicle, except the zeus tank, which requires 2 mines for critical damage. The lizard mine has a rather small explosion radius, so you might not inflict the most damage to nearby vehicles. They do not detonate on infantry, but can injure them if they're too close to a vehicle. Mass lizard mines offers protection against vehicle attacks.

Armadillos are all-around units, so it's up to the player on how to use them first.

Primarily attack unit:
The following upgrades, all, take priority: Armored Hull, Metal Alloy Armor, Autogun, Hardened Core Round and Optical Targeting System. The order doesn't matter on these. Have the levels of the upgrades equal for smooth growth. Of course, max out the remaining levels for the most optimal effect.

Primarily Minelayer:
You should begin with the Frog Mine, since you probably want to make sure that no infantryman gets in. Nor that infantry like mass assaults will be taking flags.
The Lizard mine comes in second for the later tiers. You simply want to keep those hammers off of your flags and outside your base, right?
As a third upgrade, the Minelayer would be best. Lay strong mines, and as fast as possible.
The Scorpion Mine is an all-around mine. It's really only strong at low tiers. It's not recommended to have at higher tiers, unless you are unsure of what the enemy is building, but a mix of the other two mines are preferred.
To make sure you can retreat your armadillos from laying mines, have the Armored Hull and Metal Alloy Armor upgraded as well.

Tertiary:
Repair Kit.
If you decided to have them primarily lay mines, having them retreat and heal up is a valid option. Then this Repair Kit is one of the better options out there for healing up.