Strategy:Magic Monkeys Only

Magic Monkeys Only features the same rules as Hard Mode, but only Magic towers and the Hero can be used. The limited tower selections increase the difficulty of gameplay, but the ability to use the hero and the variety of good Magic towers make this game not excruciatingly difficult.

For purposes of clarity, the following definitions will be made for this article:

Early-game = Rounds 3-40
Mid-game = Rounds 41-60
Late-game = Rounds 61-80

General tips

Preparation

• Monkey Knowledge greatly simplifies this game mode, so it is recommended to get a good amount of Monkey Knowledge upgrades before attempting Magic Monkeys Only.
• Defeating Hard Standard on many maps before playing Magic Monkeys Only is optimal to get both the experience of playing 80 rounds and obtain Monkey Knowledge efficiently.
• Watch out for difficult rounds in Magic Monkeys Only, which are listed here.

The most challenging rounds in Magic Monkeys Only

Round #	Bloons spawned	Reasoning
40	MOAB ×1	The MOAB necessitates a well-prepared setup with good single-target and grouped popping power. The hero must be utilized here as well, and if not, the MOAB may necessitate many sell-and-rebuys that hurt the rest of the game.
63	Lead ×75 Ceramic ×122	The 3 tight Ceramic waves with 40, 40, and 42 Ceramics respectively pose a tall task. If placed towers perform poorly against grouped Bloons, many sell-and-rebuys may need to be performed. Doing so may create a dead-end with Round 64's rush of MOABs (including Fortified).
75	Lead ×14 Fortified Lead ×14 Fortified MOAB ×3 BFB ×6	The 6 BFBs in 3 separate packs (especially the last dense pack of 3 BFBs), fortified MOABs, and Leads (which block projectiles) require a very well-rounded defense suited for blimps and Bloon clumps. Total ability usage can make defeating Round 76's Regrow Ceramics impossible.
78	Rainbow ×150 Ceramic ×75 BFB ×1 Purple ×80 Camo Ceramic ×72	Without a solid Camo popping power or reliable decamo, the densely packed Camo Ceramics will easily break through the defense, with each Ceramic wave being even denser than those of Rounds 63 and 76.

Gameplay

• Berserker Brew and Stronger Stimulant should be used in nearly all cases for the most powerful tower on the screen, starting in the late early game.
• The hero must be utilized for the best chances of success, as the selection of towers is more limited.
• Due to most income towers being banned (leading to a greater shortage of cash), attempt to minimize selling by placing down towers that can upgraded into towers useful later on.

Towers & heroes suited for most maps

Name	Portrait	Reasoning & how to use
Geraldo		If Geraldo is purchased before Round 10, Rare Quincy Action Figure can make greater than $23,000 by Round 60, allowing for the early purchase of towers that greatly simplify the rest of the game, such as Spirit of the Forest. In addition, See Invisibility Potion simplifies Camos by allowing one tower to pop all Camos on Rounds 33-58 if used on Rounds 33, 42, 47, and 53, Sharpening Stone and Gerry's Fire work well with Bloonjitsu + Shinobi army and Poplust army, Tube of Amaz-o-Glue simplifies rounds such as 63, and Genie Bottle breezes through the most difficult rounds, such as 75, 76, and 78.
Obyn		Obyn's buffs to Magic towers, especially Druids, are very useful in Magic Monkey Only. Wall of Trees is also a powerful asset, as it can tank many Bloons or several blimps and explodes to make much-needed extra money. Brambles can also take out early Camos (albeit needing some luck on multi-lane maps) and do good single-target damage, and Nature's ward totem provides good support by slowing down Bloons and blimps.
Bloojitsu		Bloonjitsu + Berserker Brew performs well in the early game and early mid-game, popping all Bloon types, with Double Shot being a decent stepping stone. When going for the setup, purchase Berserker Brew for Double Shot before upgrading the latter to Bloonjitsu. Later on, Bloonjitsu can be given a 20x Shinobi army with other Bloonjitsus also being buffed, making for a powerful late-game strategy.
Druid of the Storm, Ball Lightning		Druid of the Storm is a powerful supporting tower for its cost in the mid-game and late-game, especially when given Obyn's buffs. Ball Lightning further improves the support role of Druid of the Storm while also being a solid clean-up tower in its own right, easily catching nearly all Bloon leaks. 3/4-0-2 is the optimal crosspath.
Symphonic Resonance		Symphonic Resonance is an extremely potent supporting tower in the late 60s and 70s, catching MOABs and BFBs into its melody, allowing many more towers to reach them and giving the towers more time to take them down.
Dragon's Breath, Summon Phoenix		0-3-2 Dragon's Breath is a very solid mid-game tower, reliably popping all Bloons (except hyperclumped ones and Purples) that touch is fire and dealing decent MOAB damage with its flames. Its power is further amplified by a 3-2-0 Berserker Brew. Upgrading to Summon Phoenix grants a powerful ability and an extra flame, with the ability to keep one Phoenix up at all times with two Summon Phoenixes.
Lead to Gold, Rubber to Gold		Lead to Gold and Rubber to Gold are among the only remaining money-making options in Magic Monkeys Only, and they perform well for their roles. Lead to Gold converts large amounts of early-game and mid-game Leads into cash, especially on rounds such as 37, 38, and 63. Rubber to Gold improves on that by applying gold to all Bloons, making large amounts of cash and easing the difficulty of the late-game.
Robo Monkey		Robo Monkey is a solid all-around tower for the mid-game and late-game, dealing solid damage to both blimps and Bloons. Either of its crosspaths can be used, with 2-3-0 dealing significantly more damage and 0-3-2 performing good support with Knockback and having innate Camo detection.
Spirit of the Forest		Spirit of the Forest guarantees victory up to Round 80 on many maps, easily cleaning up all Bloons and blue MOABs while doing decent damage to BFBs and the ZOMG with its vines and thorns. It also makes $1,000 at the end of every round, allowing for the easy affording of the assistance it needs against higher-tier blimps on difficult maps.

Early game (rounds 3-40)

• The core objective of Rounds 3-10 is to either immediately obtain or save up for selected hero.
  • The two recommended heroes, Geraldo and Obyn, can be afforded with More Cash, with Obyn also being affordable with just Hero Favors. If using a cheap hero such as Sauda, obtain them at the start.
  • If the hero cannot be obtained at the start, obtain a base Druid to start. Upgrade the Druid to 0-1-0 if on a single-lane map, and get another base druid to cover the other lanes on multi-lane maps. Then, stop there and save up for the hero (unless playing with Captain Churchill.
  • Some maps favor a start with a base Ninja, such as Spillway supporting a Ninja start into 1-0-0 and 1-0-1.
• After obtaining the hero (or immediately before obtaining Captain Churchill), obtain a solid early-game tower.
  • Wall of Fire reliably pops all non-Purples that its fire sees. 0-2-2 gives it Camo detection and is optimal for a future Dragon's Breath, but 1-2-0 is more powerful due to increased reliability.
  • Druid of the Jungle is exceptionally strong on maps with one lane per round, taking out all non-Camo Bloons in the early-game. It falls off on maps with multiple simultaneous lanes.
  • Double Shot is a fairly reliable popping power for the early-game, but is not particularly strong without Berserker Brew.
• Rounds 31-40 feature preparation for the MOAB and the obtaining of mid-game towers.
  • Giving Berserker Brew to Double Shot and then upgrading it into Bloonjitsu is a relatively smooth progression into a solid mid-game tower.
  • Dragon's Breath reliably pops all non-MOABs that it passes through its wall of fire, excluding Purples, remaining powerful through the mid-game.
  • Save the hero's abilities/inventory properly for the MOAB to use properly. Also, make sure to have solid single-target and grouped popping powers in advance for the MOAB.

Mid-game (rounds 41-60)

• As they level up, the hero becomes crucial during the mid-game. Use their abilities/inventories when needed, and they become worth upwards of ten thousand in the mid-game.
• Berserker Brew/Stronger Stimulant should be given to the strongest tower(s) on the screen in nearly all cases. The damage, attack speed, range, and pierce buffs greatly enhance the power of almost all mid-game and late-game towers.
• The mid-game necessitates the solidifying of the mid-game defense and the purchase of some late-game towers.
  • Druid of the Storm and Ball Lightning both perform good support, with the latter also cleaning up reliably, especially with Obyn.
  • Summon Phoenix is a well-rounded tower that does well against Bloons and blimps. Two of them allow for one Phoenix to be active at all times.
  • Arcane Spike does very well against MOABs, in addition to cleaning up Bloons decently.
  • Robo Monkey performs relatively well throughout the rest of the game.
  • If Geraldo was purchased before Round 10 and Rare Quincy Action Figure has been bought, Spirit of the Forest can be purchased in the 50s by selling most other towers.