Boss Rush

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{{cleanup|Reword Boss information into a coherent, neater format, and fact-check the information}}

{{research|What is its maximum Heat? Does maximum Heat scale per tier? How exactly do the Fireballs scale with tiers?}}

<section begin="Blastapopoulos"/>Blastapopoulos's heat meter increases by 1.5% each time it pops. During Overheat, it stuns all towers for 4 seconds and increases ability cooldowns by 10 seconds (unaffected by number of pops). Every 10 pops, it activates ~~Fireballs and~~ Pyroclastic Rocks and gains 15% of its heat meter.<section end="Blastapopoulos" />

<section begin="Blastapopoulos"/>Blastapopoulos's heat meter increases by 1.5% each time it pops. Fireballs are released after reaching 25%, 50%, and 75% Heat. During Overheat, it stuns all towers for 4 seconds and increases ability cooldowns by 10 seconds (unaffected by number of pops), and Blastapopoulos cools down after 7 seconds before being heatable again. Every 10 pops, it activates Pyroclastic Rocks and gains 15% of its heat meter.<section end="Blastapopoulos" />

====Diamondback====

{{cleanup|Reword Boss information into a coherent, neater format, and fact-check the information}}

{{Research|Find out the specific amounts when the Boss does certain summon thresholds (esp diamonds)}}

<section begin="Diamondback"/>Diamondback always begins with 7 segments, and has similar Rattle Tail mechanics. ~~Its~~ segments break off when ~~those parts get~~ damaged enough~~, breaking one segment, starting from the 4th pop~~. Every time Diamondback pops, it produces spawns of Bloons. Every 10 pops, Diamondback regenerates ~~all of its~~ Rattle Tail and produces stronger spawns, including [[Diamond Bloon]]s after a certain pop amount.<section end="Diamondback" />

<section begin="Diamondback"/>Diamondback always begins with 7 segments, and has similar Rattle Tail mechanics. Starting from the 4th pop, each of its segments break off when that individual segment gets damaged enough. Every time Diamondback pops, it produces spawns of Bloons. Every 10 pops, Diamondback regenerates the Rattle Tail Shield, fully regrows all missing body segments, and produces stronger spawns, including [[Diamond Bloon]]s after a certain pop amount.<section end="Diamondback" />

===Scoring===

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==Strategy==

{{~~Strategy needed~~|~~Move~~ the ~~extensive stuff to the [[Strategy:~~Boss Rush~~]] article (also, not very fleshed out~~ strategy.~~..), also pretty sure this~~ section ~~isn't really proofchecked by anyone other than Qwertyxp2000~~}}

{{cleanup|Needs proof-checking, and move any specific strategizations into the Boss Rush strategy page}}

Quickly popping the Boss is the best way to make income that will allow popping of more tiers of the Boss. During early stages, use an efficient cheap tower with good single-target damage, or the Hero if brought for that purpose. Towards the late-game, afford defenses designed with the current Boss in mind. Like with [[Boss Bloon Event]]s and [[Contested Territory (BTD6)|Contested Territory]]'s Regular Tiles, always max out in [[Monkey Knowledge (BTD6)|Monkey Knowledge]], and add Monkey Knowledge that focuses on maximizing single-target damage.

Quickly popping the Boss is the best way to make income that will allow popping of more tiers of the Boss. During early stages, use an efficient cheap tower with good single-target damage, or the Hero if brought for that purpose. Towards the late-game, afford defenses designed with the current Boss in mind. Like with [[Boss Bloon Event]]s and [[Contested Territory (BTD6)|Contested Territory]]'s Regular Tiles, always max out in [[Monkey Knowledge (BTD6)|Monkey Knowledge]], and add Monkey Knowledge that focuses on maximizing single-target damage. If building into [[Paragon]]s, it may help to disable {{BTD6 mk|Big Bloon Sabotage}}.

Keep a note of the type of Boss with the current loadout and relic(s) available on the current island; for instance, use [[Fighter Plane (BTD6)|Fighter Plane]] and [[Operation: Dart Storm (BTD6)|Operation: Dart Storm]] if [[Monkey Ace (BTD6)|Monkey Ace]] is available, and if Alchemist Touch is available then dealing with natural Leads and unshielded Dreadbloon will be less of a hassle.

For Heroes, the most easy-to-use hero is [[Sauda (BTD6)|Sauda]], who is an excellent early-game Hero for damaging the first stages of Bosses, especially Phayze and Blastapopoulos. Just set her on Strong (or First if it's Dreadbloon, avoiding [[Dreadrock Bloon]]s) and spam her Leaping Sword ability. However, some Heroes are better when seeking for late-game, though most of them should be placed after several Boss pops are beaten with other towers. [[Adora (BTD6)|Adora]], [[Benjamin (BTD6)|Benjamin]], [[Admiral Brickell (BTD6)|Admiral Brickell]], ~~and~~ [[Ezili (BTD6)|Ezili]] become more useful going later in a boss.

For Heroes, the most easy-to-use hero is [[Sauda (BTD6)|Sauda]], who is an excellent early-game Hero for damaging the first stages of Bosses, especially Phayze and Blastapopoulos. Just set her on Strong (or First if it's Dreadbloon, avoiding [[Dreadrock Bloon]]s) and spam her Leaping Sword ability. However, some Heroes are better when seeking for late-game, though most of them should be placed after several Boss pops are beaten with other towers. [[Adora (BTD6)|Adora]], [[Benjamin (BTD6)|Benjamin]], [[Admiral Brickell (BTD6)|Admiral Brickell]], [[Ezili (BTD6)|Ezili]], and [[Dan D'Monke (BTD6)|Dan D'Monke]] (if Heli is not available or versus Blastapopoulos) become more useful going later in a boss.

An easy-to-use strategy that reliably gets at least 60 score on most Boss islands:

<ol>

<li value="1"> Buy [[Sauda (BTD6)|Sauda]], set her on Strong (First if against Dreadbloon).</li>

<li value="1">Buy [[Sauda (BTD6)|Sauda]], set her on Strong (First if against Dreadbloon).</li>

<li value="2">Place an early-game defense. If {{BTD6 mk|Bonus Monkey!}} is enabled, add the free Dart Monkey if not using a Primary Monkey to start.</li>

:*2-0-3 Tack Shooter: Place below the location where the Boss spawns. Buy another 2-0-3 [[Tack Sprayer (BTD6)|Tack Sprayer]]. Sell other Tack Sprayers, and upgrade the next one to [[Overdrive (BTD6)|Overdrive]].

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:*0-0-2 Spike Factory: Set on Close near the track near (but not at) the spawning location of the Boss. With Sauda, upgrade to 0-1-2, then 0-2-2, then 0-3-2. Switch targeting to Smart once the Boss passes the Spike Factory.

:*1-3-0 Monkey Buccaneer: [[Cannon Ship (BTD6)|Cannon Ship]]s can work as a decent starting tower on maps with little land space.

:*0-3-x Bomb Shooter: [[MOAB Mauler (BTD6)|MOAB Mauler]]s can be spammed early on, with the advantage of having more range than the above, as well as not heating Blastapopoulos as much. It is viable as a starting option against Blastapopoulos, Lych, and Diamondback.

<li value="3"> Approaching about 10 pops, get a support tower, if available. Otherwise, just buy more single-target damage.</li>

:*4-x-x Ice Monkey: Place near the Boss, and [[Embrittlement (BTD6)|Embrittlement]] lets other towers do more damage, and also does some grouped damage itself.

:*2-4-0 Glue Gunner: Time [[Glue Strike (BTD6)|Glue Strike]] ability when lots of projectiles attack the Boss. Avoid if it's Blastapopoulos.

:*0-4-1 Glue Gunner: Time [[Glue Strike (BTD6)|Glue Strike]] ability when lots of projectiles attack the Boss. Avoid if it's Blastapopoulos.

:*2-x-x Village: If multiple strong towers are nearby, [[Jungle Drums (BTD6)|Jungle Drums]]'s extra attack speed is very helpful.

:*3-x-x Alchemist: On a single tower, [[Berserker Brew (BTD6)|Berserker Brew]] can greatly increase total damage it can do.

<li value="4"> Use a cleanup tower if natural Bloons or ~~Bloonarius~~'s rushes start to become a problem.

<li value="4"> Use a cleanup tower if natural Bloons or a Boss's rushes start to become a problem.

:*3-0-2 and 4-0-2 Boomerang Monkey: [[Glaive Ricochet (BTD6)|Glaive Ricochet]] can be used for small volume rushes, and [[M.O.A.R Glaives (BTD6)|M.O.A.R Glaives]] for dealing with large rushes.</li>

:*3-0-2 and 4-0-2 Boomerang Monkey: [[Glaive Ricochet (BTD6)|Glaive Ricochet]] can be used for small volume rushes, and [[M.O.A.R Glaives (BTD6)|M.O.A.R Glaives]] for dealing with large rushes. Use 4-2-0 when specifically handling [[Diamond Bloon]]s.</li>

:*x-3-x Druid: [[Druid of the Jungle (BTD6)|Druid of the Jungle]] on First deals with natural waves in the early stages. Use 1-3-0 versus Leads.

:*x-3-x and x-4-x Druid: [[Druid of the Jungle (BTD6)|Druid of the Jungle]] on First deals with natural waves in the early stages. Use 1-3-0 versus Leads. [[Jungle's Bounty (BTD6)|Jungle's Bounty]], aside from income, is a higher-scale cleanup option that can be considered if the Boss pops too quickly.

:*2-0-4 Bomb: Sharpsplosion can make a [[Recursive Cluster (BTD6)|Recursive Cluster]] clear all Bloons on a lane or two.

:*4-2-0 Tack: In the event that most other towers aren't available, [[Ring of Fire (BTD6)|Ring of Fire]] can ~~offer cleanup~~.

:*4-2-0 Tack: In the event that most other towers aren't available, [[Ring of Fire (BTD6)|Ring of Fire]]'s high pierce makes it viable for cleanup.

<li value="5"> Buy ~~some strong~~ T4 ~~towers~~.</li>

:*3-x-x and 4-x-x Mermonkey: [[Abyss Dweller]] and [[Abyssal Warrior]] around a tight bend can clear out large-health spawns.

<li value="5"> Buy another higher-damage Boss damage tower that scales from the starter options. Most of these are T4's or specialised T3's.</li>

:*0-4-2 Boomerang Monkey: [[Turbo Charge (BTD6)|Turbo Charge]] ability with [[Red Hot Rangs (BTD6)|Red Hot Rangs]] does plenty of single-target damage, and can damage Dreadbloon without Primary immunity.

:*2-0-4 Tack Shooter: [[Overdrive (BTD6)|Overdrive]] does high single-target damage when given buffs. Place below the Boss. Sell them once they get out of Boss range and buy them ahead of the Boss.

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:*4-x-x Monkey Ace: [[Operation: Dart Storm (BTD6)|Operation: Dart Storm]] is fairly cheap and does decent single-target damage accurately. Use 4-2-0 for Phayze.

:*1/2-0-4 Heli Pilot: [[Comanche Defense (BTD6)|Comanche Defense]] can fly anywhere and does lots of damage with many mini-Comanches present. Only use when the Boss is getting far (about 50% or more along the track).

<li value="6"> Go for a powerful T5 that excels at single-target damage starting from about 30 pops.</li>

<li value="6"> Go for a powerful T5 that excels at single-target damage starting from about 30 pops. Some of these are cheap T5's that help transition into another more expensive T5.</li>

:*x-5-x Bomb Shooter: [[MOAB Eliminator (BTD6)|MOAB Eliminator]] is extremely cheap but relies on its ability to deal most of its damage.

:*x-5-x Dartling Gunner: [[M.A.D (BTD6)|M.A.D]] and its ability do lots of Boss damage if pointing towards the Boss.

:*x-5-x Dartling Gunner: [[M.A.D (BTD6)|M.A.D]] and its ability do lots of Boss damage if pointing towards the Boss. Sometimes, buying multiple x-4-x and alternating buy-and-sell to use new abilities will help burst down faster, but has a heavy investment requirement.

:*5-x-x Monkey Ace: [[Sky Shredder (BTD6)|Sky Shredder]] is accurate and not too expensive for single-target damage, and has decent synergy with buffs.

:*5-x-~~x Beast Handler~~: [[~~Megalodon~~]] is ~~extremely powerful against Bosses for its cost~~, ~~but has low~~ range. ~~Set on Strong and reposition~~ the ~~beast once~~ the Boss ~~gets past its range~~.

:*5-2-0 Desperado: [[The Blazing Sun]] is a cheap T5 that does significant damage and transitions well from other cheap Tier 4's, and should be paired with [[Bounty Hunter]] to debuff the Boss and give more range if the Boss moves out of range. [[Bullseye (BTD6)|Bullseye]] is important because the crit damage is more useful than the conditional attack speed bonuses.

:*2-5-0 Desperado: [[Golden Justice]] transitions well from a [[Bounty Hunter]] focused support as well as via Blazing Sun. 2-5-0 is important especially when the Boss is separated from natural spawns.

<li value="7">If possible, buy some expensive supports</li>

:*2-4-0 and 2-5-0 Village: [[Call to Arms (BTD6)|Call to Arms]] and [[Homeland Defense (BTD6)|Homeland Defense]] multiply attack speed and pierce, which is essential if Village is enabled, unless it's Blastapopoulos. Choose 2-x-x crosspath for long-term Villages, or 0-5-0 if selling and re-buying for ability.

:*5-0-1 Alchemist: [[Permanent Brew (BTD6)|Permanent Brew]] greatly assists high-projectile, high rate towers by offering equivalent to +2 damage, plus extra attack speed and more. Use [[Faster Throwing (BTD6) (Alchemist)|Faster Throwing]], as this is a time-sensitive event.

<li value="8"> If over $150,000 is available, it's possible to buy very expensive T5's (e.g. [[Super Mines (BTD6)|Super Mines]]), and cheap Paragons (e.g. [[Apex Plasma Master]]). Support [[Sun Temple (BTD6)|Temple]] is also viable.</li>

:*Support Temple: [[Sun Temple (BTD6)|Sun Temple]] with Support Sacrifices can discount and buff towers. It's very expensive support, at a cost about the amount of a cheap Paragon, but can leeway towards improving pre-existing non-Paragons before getting future Paragons.

<li value="8">If over $150,000 is available, it's possible to buy very expensive T5's (e.g. [[Super Mines (BTD6)|Super Mines]]), and cheap Paragons (e.g. [[Apex Plasma Master]]). Support [[Sun Temple (BTD6)|Temple]] is also viable.</li>

</ol>

~~Optionally, add some income-~~generating ~~towers~~. Buccaneer's Merchantman, Alchemist's Lead to Gold and Rubber to Gold, and ~~Engineer's~~ 2-0-4 Bloon Trap ~~are some examples~~ of ~~viable picks~~. ~~Also~~ Spirit of the Forest ~~for~~ both income and large scale cleanup.

Income generating options should be placed after making a stable rate of Boss damage. These include:

*Monkey Buccaneer: [[Merchantman (BTD6)|Merchantman]] provides guaranteed cash, and [[Favored Trades (BTD6)|Favored Trades]] improves effectiveness of selling expensive defenses around it. [[Trade Empire (BTD6)|Trade Empire]] can be considered once enough Merchantmen are placed and are constantly making income.

*Alchemist: [[Lead to Gold (BTD6)|Lead to Gold]] and [[Rubber to Gold (BTD6)|Rubber to Gold]] should be placed near the start to catch Leads and make more money from natural Bloons.

*Engineer Monkey: Place near the start to catch natural Bloons, defending against rushes and gain income. Their income is only affected by cash-per-pop penalties in later rounds.

**2-0-4 [[Bloon Trap (BTD6)|Bloon Trap]] should be placed early on at about 20 Pops once there's a large rush of natural Bloons. Use 0-1-4 versus Phayze or there's otherwise poor spots for traps.

**2-0-5 [[XXXL Trap (BTD6)|XXXL Trap]] can be bought after natural MOABs come out, which should be at about 50 Pops. Use 0-2-5 versus Phayze or there's otherwise poor spots for traps.

*x-5-x Druid: [[Spirit of the Forest (BTD6)|Spirit of the Forest]] provides both income and large scale cleanup, but avoid it with Alchemists and Bloon Traps unless there's XXXL Trap.

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===Specific Boss strategy===

*[[Bloonarius (BTD6)|Bloonarius]]: Reliable cleanup is important alongside high single-target damage.

*[[Dreadbloon (BTD6)|Dreadbloon]]: Always have at least two tower categories available to attack the Boss at a time, avoid setting on Strong, and watch out for Dreadrock ~~Bloons~~.

*[[Dreadbloon (BTD6)|Dreadbloon]]: Always have at least two tower categories available to attack the Boss at a time, avoid setting on Strong, and watch out for [[Dreadrock Bloon]]s.

*[[Phayze]]: Favor innate camo detection. Only a few towers have cheap anti-Boss camo detection, such as 0-x-2 [[Spike Factory (BTD6)|Spike Factory]], x-2-0 [[Monkey Ace (BTD6)|Monkey Ace]], and 0-1-2 [[Monkey Buccaneer (BTD6)|Monkey Buccaneer]]. Towards the late-game, watch out for the portal's natural bloons.

*[[Blastapopoulos (BTD6)|Blastapopoulos]]: Tower spam of weak individual towers are favorable. Have several cheap towers for meteor fodder. Account for the tower limit. If [[~~Beast Handler~~ (BTD6)|~~Beast Handler~~]] is enabled, [[~~Megalodon~~]] ~~carries the late boss pops~~ of ~~this Boss~~ and ~~easily exceeds 70 score for about 90 score at best~~. If there's enough track length and income generation, an [[Apex Plasma Master]] is the only helpful Paragon for this, ~~as it excels~~ against the rocks.

*[[Blastapopoulos (BTD6)|Blastapopoulos]]: Tower spam of weak individual towers are favorable. Have several cheap towers for meteor fodder. Account for the tower limit. If [[Ice Monkey (BTD6)|Ice Monkey]] is enabled, cooling the Boss is worth it. Otherwise, account for when the Boss will reach specific heat thresholds (to account for meteors) or hit Overheat. Avoid relying on non-Hero abilities when the Heat bar is nearly full. [[Dan D'Monke (BTD6)|Dan D'Monke]] can be considered instead of other Heroes, but only if he can reach levels 7 and 10 on time. If there's enough track length and income generation, an [[Apex Plasma Master]] is the only helpful Paragon for this, excelling against the rocks and being the cheapest Paragon.

*[[Lych (BTD6)|Lych]]: Nerfed sellback makes it important to keep the towers on screen, and Paragons are not recommended due to the need to sell much defense to afford it. Early on, have towers that consistently hit the tombstones so that the Zombie MOABs don't leak and lose all lives.

*[[Diamondback]]: For cleanup, use towers that do many individual hits and have sufficient pierce, to ensure [[Diamond Bloon]]s and Fortified Ceramics don't overwhelm the defense. The Fortified tail is weak enough that the double damage is actually significant at popping the Boss faster before the tail heals again.

===Time management during Boss Rush===

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 {{cleanup|Reword Boss information into a coherent, neater format, and fact-check the information}}
 {{research|What is its maximum Heat? Does maximum Heat scale per tier? How exactly do the Fireballs scale with tiers?}}
-<section begin="Blastapopoulos"/>Blastapopoulos's heat meter increases by 1.5% each time it pops. During Overheat, it stuns all towers for 4 seconds and increases ability cooldowns by 10 seconds (unaffected by number of pops). Every 10 pops, it activates Fireballs and Pyroclastic Rocks and gains 15% of its heat meter.<section end="Blastapopoulos" />
+<section begin="Blastapopoulos"/>Blastapopoulos's heat meter increases by 1.5% each time it pops. Fireballs are released after reaching 25%, 50%, and 75% Heat. During Overheat, it stuns all towers for 4 seconds and increases ability cooldowns by 10 seconds (unaffected by number of pops), and Blastapopoulos cools down after 7 seconds before being heatable again. Every 10 pops, it activates Pyroclastic Rocks and gains 15% of its heat meter.<section end="Blastapopoulos" />
 ====Diamondback====
 {{cleanup|Reword Boss information into a coherent, neater format, and fact-check the information}}
 {{Research|Find out the specific amounts when the Boss does certain summon thresholds (esp diamonds)}}
-<section begin="Diamondback"/>Diamondback always begins with 7 segments, and has similar Rattle Tail mechanics. Its segments break off when those parts get damaged enough, breaking one segment, starting from the 4th pop. Every time Diamondback pops, it produces spawns of Bloons. Every 10 pops, Diamondback regenerates all of its Rattle Tail and produces stronger spawns, including [[Diamond Bloon]]s after a certain pop amount.<section end="Diamondback" />
+<section begin="Diamondback"/>Diamondback always begins with 7 segments, and has similar Rattle Tail mechanics. Starting from the 4th pop, each of its segments break off when that individual segment gets damaged enough. Every time Diamondback pops, it produces spawns of Bloons. Every 10 pops, Diamondback regenerates the Rattle Tail Shield, fully regrows all missing body segments, and produces stronger spawns, including [[Diamond Bloon]]s after a certain pop amount.<section end="Diamondback" />
 ===Scoring===
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 ==Strategy==
 {{Main|Strategy:Boss Rush}}
-{{Strategy needed|Move the extensive stuff to the [[Strategy:Boss Rush]] article (also, not very fleshed out strategy...), also pretty sure this section isn't really proofchecked by anyone other than Qwertyxp2000}}
+{{cleanup|Needs proof-checking, and move any specific strategizations into the Boss Rush strategy page}}
-Quickly popping the Boss is the best way to make income that will allow popping of more tiers of the Boss. During early stages, use an efficient cheap tower with good single-target damage, or the Hero if brought for that purpose. Towards the late-game, afford defenses designed with the current Boss in mind. Like with [[Boss Bloon Event]]s and [[Contested Territory (BTD6)|Contested Territory]]'s Regular Tiles, always max out in [[Monkey Knowledge (BTD6)|Monkey Knowledge]], and add Monkey Knowledge that focuses on maximizing single-target damage.
+{{BTD6 last updated|55.2|section=y}}
+Quickly popping the Boss is the best way to make income that will allow popping of more tiers of the Boss. During early stages, use an efficient cheap tower with good single-target damage, or the Hero if brought for that purpose. Towards the late-game, afford defenses designed with the current Boss in mind. Like with [[Boss Bloon Event]]s and [[Contested Territory (BTD6)|Contested Territory]]'s Regular Tiles, always max out in [[Monkey Knowledge (BTD6)|Monkey Knowledge]], and add Monkey Knowledge that focuses on maximizing single-target damage. If building into [[Paragon]]s, it may help to disable {{BTD6 mk|Big Bloon Sabotage}}.
 Keep a note of the type of Boss with the current loadout and relic(s) available on the current island; for instance, use [[Fighter Plane (BTD6)|Fighter Plane]] and [[Operation: Dart Storm (BTD6)|Operation: Dart Storm]] if [[Monkey Ace (BTD6)|Monkey Ace]]<!--find some microfree solutions as an example--> is available, and if Alchemist Touch<!--an example of a relic that has useful strategy changes--> is available then dealing with natural Leads and unshielded Dreadbloon will be less of a hassle.
-For Heroes, the most easy-to-use hero is [[Sauda (BTD6)|Sauda]], who is an excellent early-game Hero for damaging the first stages of Bosses, especially Phayze and Blastapopoulos. Just set her on Strong (or First if it's Dreadbloon, avoiding [[Dreadrock Bloon]]s) and spam her Leaping Sword ability. However, some Heroes are better when seeking for late-game, though most of them should be placed after several Boss pops are beaten with other towers. [[Adora (BTD6)|Adora]], [[Benjamin (BTD6)|Benjamin]], [[Admiral Brickell (BTD6)|Admiral Brickell]], and [[Ezili (BTD6)|Ezili]] become more useful going later in a boss.
+For Heroes, the most easy-to-use hero is [[Sauda (BTD6)|Sauda]], who is an excellent early-game Hero for damaging the first stages of Bosses, especially Phayze and Blastapopoulos. Just set her on Strong (or First if it's Dreadbloon, avoiding [[Dreadrock Bloon]]s) and spam her Leaping Sword ability. However, some Heroes are better when seeking for late-game, though most of them should be placed after several Boss pops are beaten with other towers. [[Adora (BTD6)|Adora]], [[Benjamin (BTD6)|Benjamin]], [[Admiral Brickell (BTD6)|Admiral Brickell]], [[Ezili (BTD6)|Ezili]], and [[Dan D'Monke (BTD6)|Dan D'Monke]] (if Heli is not available or versus Blastapopoulos) become more useful going later in a boss.
 An easy-to-use strategy that reliably gets at least 60 score on most Boss islands:
 <ol>
-<li value="1"> Buy [[Sauda (BTD6)|Sauda]], set her on Strong (First if against Dreadbloon).</li>
+<li value="1">Buy [[Sauda (BTD6)|Sauda]], set her on Strong (First if against Dreadbloon).</li>
 <li value="2">Place an early-game defense. If {{BTD6 mk|Bonus Monkey!}} is enabled, add the free Dart Monkey if not using a Primary Monkey to start.</li>
 :*2-0-3 Tack Shooter: Place below the location where the Boss spawns. Buy another 2-0-3 [[Tack Sprayer (BTD6)|Tack Sprayer]]. Sell other Tack Sprayers, and upgrade the next one to [[Overdrive (BTD6)|Overdrive]].
@@ Line 206: / Line 207: @@
 :*0-0-2 Spike Factory: Set on Close near the track near (but not at) the spawning location of the Boss. With Sauda, upgrade to 0-1-2, then 0-2-2, then 0-3-2. Switch targeting to Smart once the Boss passes the Spike Factory.
 :*1-3-0 Monkey Buccaneer: [[Cannon Ship (BTD6)|Cannon Ship]]s can work as a decent starting tower on maps with little land space.
+:*0-3-x Bomb Shooter: [[MOAB Mauler (BTD6)|MOAB Mauler]]s can be spammed early on, with the advantage of having more range than the above, as well as not heating Blastapopoulos as much. It is viable as a starting option against Blastapopoulos, Lych, and Diamondback.
 <li value="3"> Approaching about 10 pops, get a support tower, if available. Otherwise, just buy more single-target damage.</li>
 :*4-x-x Ice Monkey: Place near the Boss, and [[Embrittlement (BTD6)|Embrittlement]] lets other towers do more damage, and also does some grouped damage itself.
-:*2-4-0 Glue Gunner: Time [[Glue Strike (BTD6)|Glue Strike]] ability when lots of projectiles attack the Boss. Avoid if it's Blastapopoulos.
+:*0-4-1 Glue Gunner: Time [[Glue Strike (BTD6)|Glue Strike]] ability when lots of projectiles attack the Boss. Avoid if it's Blastapopoulos.
 :*2-x-x Village: If multiple strong towers are nearby, [[Jungle Drums (BTD6)|Jungle Drums]]'s extra attack speed is very helpful.
 :*3-x-x Alchemist: On a single tower, [[Berserker Brew (BTD6)|Berserker Brew]] can greatly increase total damage it can do.
-<li value="4"> Use a cleanup tower if natural Bloons or Bloonarius's rushes start to become a problem.
+<li value="4"> Use a cleanup tower if natural Bloons or a Boss's rushes start to become a problem.
-:*3-0-2 and 4-0-2 Boomerang Monkey: [[Glaive Ricochet (BTD6)|Glaive Ricochet]] can be used for small volume rushes, and [[M.O.A.R Glaives (BTD6)|M.O.A.R Glaives]] for dealing with large rushes.</li>
+:*3-0-2 and 4-0-2 Boomerang Monkey: [[Glaive Ricochet (BTD6)|Glaive Ricochet]] can be used for small volume rushes, and [[M.O.A.R Glaives (BTD6)|M.O.A.R Glaives]] for dealing with large rushes. Use 4-2-0 when specifically handling [[Diamond Bloon]]s.</li>
-:*x-3-x Druid: [[Druid of the Jungle (BTD6)|Druid of the Jungle]] on First deals with natural waves in the early stages. Use 1-3-0 versus Leads.
+:*x-3-x and x-4-x Druid: [[Druid of the Jungle (BTD6)|Druid of the Jungle]] on First deals with natural waves in the early stages. Use 1-3-0 versus Leads. [[Jungle's Bounty (BTD6)|Jungle's Bounty]], aside from income, is a higher-scale cleanup option that can be considered if the Boss pops too quickly.
 :*2-0-4 Bomb: Sharpsplosion can make a [[Recursive Cluster (BTD6)|Recursive Cluster]] clear all Bloons on a lane or two.
-:*4-2-0 Tack: In the event that most other towers aren't available, [[Ring of Fire (BTD6)|Ring of Fire]] can offer cleanup.
+:*4-2-0 Tack: In the event that most other towers aren't available, [[Ring of Fire (BTD6)|Ring of Fire]]'s high pierce makes it viable for cleanup.
-<li value="5"> Buy some strong T4 towers.</li>
+:*3-x-x and 4-x-x Mermonkey: [[Abyss Dweller]] and [[Abyssal Warrior]] around a tight bend can clear out large-health spawns.
+<li value="5"> Buy another higher-damage Boss damage tower that scales from the starter options. Most of these are T4's or specialised T3's.</li>
 :*0-4-2 Boomerang Monkey: [[Turbo Charge (BTD6)|Turbo Charge]] ability with [[Red Hot Rangs (BTD6)|Red Hot Rangs]] does plenty of single-target damage, and can damage Dreadbloon without Primary immunity.
 :*2-0-4 Tack Shooter: [[Overdrive (BTD6)|Overdrive]] does high single-target damage when given buffs. Place below the Boss. Sell them once they get out of Boss range and buy them ahead of the Boss.
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 :*4-x-x Monkey Ace: [[Operation: Dart Storm (BTD6)|Operation: Dart Storm]] is fairly cheap and does decent single-target damage accurately. Use 4-2-0 for Phayze.
 :*1/2-0-4 Heli Pilot: [[Comanche Defense (BTD6)|Comanche Defense]] can fly anywhere and does lots of damage with many mini-Comanches present. Only use when the Boss is getting far (about 50% or more along the track).
-<li value="6"> Go for a powerful T5 that excels at single-target damage starting from about 30 pops.</li>
+<li value="6"> Go for a powerful T5 that excels at single-target damage starting from about 30 pops. Some of these are cheap T5's that help transition into another more expensive T5.</li>
 :*x-5-x Bomb Shooter: [[MOAB Eliminator (BTD6)|MOAB Eliminator]] is extremely cheap but relies on its ability to deal most of its damage.
-:*x-5-x Dartling Gunner: [[M.A.D (BTD6)|M.A.D]] and its ability do lots of Boss damage if pointing towards the Boss.
+:*x-5-x Dartling Gunner: [[M.A.D (BTD6)|M.A.D]] and its ability do lots of Boss damage if pointing towards the Boss. Sometimes, buying multiple x-4-x and alternating buy-and-sell to use new abilities will help burst down faster, but has a heavy investment requirement.
 :*5-x-x Monkey Ace: [[Sky Shredder (BTD6)|Sky Shredder]] is accurate and not too expensive for single-target damage, and has decent synergy with buffs.<!--what about 5-x-x ace? it's newbie-friendly--><!--btw what about 015 aow with poplusts-->
-:*5-x-x Beast Handler: [[Megalodon]] is extremely powerful against Bosses for its cost, but has low range. Set on Strong and reposition the beast once the Boss gets past its range.
+:*5-2-0 Desperado: [[The Blazing Sun]] is a cheap T5 that does significant damage and transitions well from other cheap Tier 4's, and should be paired with [[Bounty Hunter]] to debuff the Boss and give more range if the Boss moves out of range. [[Bullseye (BTD6)|Bullseye]] is important because the crit damage is more useful than the conditional attack speed bonuses.
+:*2-5-0 Desperado: [[Golden Justice]] transitions well from a [[Bounty Hunter]] focused support as well as via Blazing Sun. 2-5-0 is important especially when the Boss is separated from natural spawns.
 <li value="7">If possible, buy some expensive supports</li>
 :*2-4-0 and 2-5-0 Village: [[Call to Arms (BTD6)|Call to Arms]] and [[Homeland Defense (BTD6)|Homeland Defense]] multiply attack speed and pierce, which is essential if Village is enabled, unless it's Blastapopoulos. Choose 2-x-x crosspath for long-term Villages, or 0-5-0 if selling and re-buying for ability.
 :*5-0-1 Alchemist: [[Permanent Brew (BTD6)|Permanent Brew]] greatly assists high-projectile, high rate towers by offering equivalent to +2 damage, plus extra attack speed and more. Use [[Faster Throwing (BTD6) (Alchemist)|Faster Throwing]], as this is a time-sensitive event.
-<li value="8"> If over $150,000 is available, it's possible to buy very expensive T5's (e.g. [[Super Mines (BTD6)|Super Mines]]), and cheap Paragons (e.g. [[Apex Plasma Master]]). Support [[Sun Temple (BTD6)|Temple]] is also viable.</li>
+:*Support Temple: [[Sun Temple (BTD6)|Sun Temple]] with Support Sacrifices can discount and buff towers. It's very expensive support, at a cost about the amount of a cheap Paragon, but can leeway towards improving pre-existing non-Paragons before getting future Paragons.
+<li value="8">If over $150,000 is available, it's possible to buy very expensive T5's (e.g. [[Super Mines (BTD6)|Super Mines]]), and cheap Paragons (e.g. [[Apex Plasma Master]]). Support [[Sun Temple (BTD6)|Temple]] is also viable.</li>
 </ol>
-Optionally, add some income-generating towers. Buccaneer's Merchantman, Alchemist's Lead to Gold and Rubber to Gold, and Engineer's 2-0-4 Bloon Trap are some examples of viable picks. Also Spirit of the Forest for both income and large scale cleanup.
+Income generating options should be placed after making a stable rate of Boss damage. These include:
+*Monkey Buccaneer: [[Merchantman (BTD6)|Merchantman]] provides guaranteed cash, and [[Favored Trades (BTD6)|Favored Trades]] improves effectiveness of selling expensive defenses around it. [[Trade Empire (BTD6)|Trade Empire]] can be considered once enough Merchantmen are placed and are constantly making income.
+*Alchemist: [[Lead to Gold (BTD6)|Lead to Gold]] and [[Rubber to Gold (BTD6)|Rubber to Gold]] should be placed near the start to catch Leads and make more money from natural Bloons.
+*Engineer Monkey: Place near the start to catch natural Bloons, defending against rushes and gain income. Their income is only affected by cash-per-pop penalties in later rounds.
+**2-0-4 [[Bloon Trap (BTD6)|Bloon Trap]] should be placed early on at about 20 Pops once there's a large rush of natural Bloons. Use 0-1-4 versus Phayze or there's otherwise poor spots for traps.
+**2-0-5 [[XXXL Trap (BTD6)|XXXL Trap]] can be bought after natural MOABs come out, which should be at about 50 Pops. Use 0-2-5 versus Phayze or there's otherwise poor spots for traps.
+*x-5-x Druid: [[Spirit of the Forest (BTD6)|Spirit of the Forest]] provides both income and large scale cleanup, but avoid it with Alchemists and Bloon Traps unless there's XXXL Trap.
 <!--Yes, Powers are a strategy here, to an extent, but let's not dive too deep to it-->
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 ===Specific Boss strategy===
 *[[Bloonarius (BTD6)|Bloonarius]]: Reliable cleanup is important alongside high single-target damage.
-*[[Dreadbloon (BTD6)|Dreadbloon]]: Always have at least two tower categories available to attack the Boss at a time, avoid setting on Strong, and watch out for Dreadrock Bloons.
+*[[Dreadbloon (BTD6)|Dreadbloon]]: Always have at least two tower categories available to attack the Boss at a time, avoid setting on Strong, and watch out for [[Dreadrock Bloon]]s.
 *[[Phayze]]: Favor innate camo detection. Only a few towers have cheap anti-Boss camo detection, such as 0-x-2 [[Spike Factory (BTD6)|Spike Factory]], x-2-0 [[Monkey Ace (BTD6)|Monkey Ace]], and 0-1-2 [[Monkey Buccaneer (BTD6)|Monkey Buccaneer]]. Towards the late-game, watch out for the portal's natural bloons.
-*[[Blastapopoulos (BTD6)|Blastapopoulos]]: Tower spam of weak individual towers are favorable. Have several cheap towers for meteor fodder. Account for the tower limit. If [[Beast Handler (BTD6)|Beast Handler]] is enabled, [[Megalodon]] carries the late boss pops of this Boss and easily exceeds 70 score for about 90 score at best. If there's enough track length and income generation, an [[Apex Plasma Master]] is the only helpful Paragon for this, as it excels against the rocks.
+*[[Blastapopoulos (BTD6)|Blastapopoulos]]: Tower spam of weak individual towers are favorable. Have several cheap towers for meteor fodder. Account for the tower limit. If [[Ice Monkey (BTD6)|Ice Monkey]] is enabled, cooling the Boss is worth it. Otherwise, account for when the Boss will reach specific heat thresholds (to account for meteors) or hit Overheat. Avoid relying on non-Hero abilities when the Heat bar is nearly full. [[Dan D'Monke (BTD6)|Dan D'Monke]] can be considered instead of other Heroes, but only if he can reach levels 7 and 10 on time. If there's enough track length and income generation, an [[Apex Plasma Master]] is the only helpful Paragon for this, excelling against the rocks and being the cheapest Paragon.
 *[[Lych (BTD6)|Lych]]: Nerfed sellback makes it important to keep the towers on screen, and Paragons are not recommended due to the need to sell much defense to afford it. Early on, have towers that consistently hit the tombstones so that the Zombie MOABs don't leak and lose all lives.
+*[[Diamondback]]: For cleanup, use towers that do many individual hits and have sufficient pierce, to ensure [[Diamond Bloon]]s and Fortified Ceramics don't overwhelm the defense. The Fortified tail is weak enough that the double damage is actually significant at popping the Boss faster before the tail heals again.
 ===Time management during Boss Rush===

Boss Rush: Difference between revisions