Strategy:Half Cash
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Half Cash is widely seen as the 2nd most difficult game mode, only after CHIMPS. However, there is a much more limited amount of strategies in Half Cash compared to CHIMPS, due to the former not allowing the purchase of powerful & expensive towers, making it much more frustrating for many players.
For purposes of clarity, the following definitions will be made for this article:
Early-game = Rounds 6-40
Mid-game = Rounds 41-60
Late-game = Rounds 61-80
General tips
Preparation
- When attempting Half Cash, it is recommended that most of the Monkey Knowledge upgrades have been acquired. Particularly important Monkey Knowledge upgrades include Bonus Monkey!, More Cash, Mana Shield, Military Conscription, and Veteran Monkey Training. The tips given in this article assume that the player has already obtained most Monkey Knowledge upgrades.
- To obtain the Monkey Knowledge upgrades, it is recommended to beat other game modes on many maps before touching Half Cash. Hard Standard is the optimal game mode, as that game mode grants large amounts of Player XP for Monkey Knowledge points and is relatively simple to complete.
- Take note of the most difficult rounds in Half Cash, which are listed below.
The most challenging rounds in Half Cash
| Round # | Bloons spawned | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| 40 |  MOAB ×1
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The MOAB is the hardest challenge of the early game, made even more difficult by the limited money in Half Cash. Without a Hero well-suited for this round, a
solid single-target damage option, and towers for the Ceramic insides, the MOAB can end a run completely. |
| 63 |  Lead ×75
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This infamous round has 3 tight Ceramic waves with 40, 40, and 42 Ceramics respectively. 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
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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. Careless ability usage can make defeating Round 76's Regrow Ceramics impossible. |
| 78 |  Rainbow ×150
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Without a solid Camo popping power or reliable decamo, the densely packed Camo Ceramics will simply pass through unscathed, with each Ceramic wave being
even denser than those of Rounds 63 and 76. |
Gameplay
- Attempt to place down towers that can be upgraded into solid mid-game and/or late-game options. Despite the ability to sell towers, every penny in this game mode can be crucial to victory, including the lost ones from selling towers.
- The utilization of the hero is of utmost importance, as the limited amount of cash to purchase other towers makes the hero surge in value. Place them down early, use their ability/inventory when needed, and place down towers that synergize well with them or complements their weaknesses.
- Cheap support options are pivotal to defeating Half Cash. They include Jungle Drums, Berserker Brew, and Stronger Stimulant.
- Since no Super Ceramics come in Half Cash, towers that do well against grouped Bloons but struggle to Super Ceramics surge in value here compared to CHIMPS. Such towers include Recursive Cluster, M.O.A.R Glaives, and Ring of Fire.
Towers & heroes suited for most maps
| Name | Portrait | Reasoning & how to use |
|---|---|---|
| Corvus | 
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Corvus's early-game and mid-game power in CHIMPS shine spectacularly in Half Cash, thanks to Half Cash ending at Round 80. With his spellbook being suited for every type of round in the mid-game thanks to its variety of spells, he is by far the most versatile hero in Half Cash and remains extremely potent on Expert maps. Spear performs well against Bloons in the early-game, while Ancestral Might trivializes Round 40. In the mid-game and late-game, Trample, Malevolence, and Ember perform well against Bloons, while Ancestral Might, Repel, and Frostbound are solid against MOABs. In the late-game, Overload can wipe out large amounts of RBE, but it is not recommended to use it at the end of Round 75, as it places his spellbook on cooldown for Round 76. Place Corvus near the start of the track so that he can constantly farm mana. |
| Geraldo | 
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The variety of items in Geraldo's shop grants him versatility for Half Cash on nearly all maps. In particular, Rare Quincy Action Figure's income generation is unaffected. Placing Geraldo at the earliest possible round where the NFT can be afforded, which is usually within Rounds 11-15 depending on the map, allows it to generate over $20,000 by the 70s, granting enough money for expensive guaranteed wins such as Spectre. In addition, his See Invisibility Potion allows one tower to pop all Camos on Rounds 33-58 if used first on Round 33, Sharpening Stone greatly improves low-pierce, sharp towers such as Triple Guns and Overdrive, Tube of Amaz-o-Glue simplifies rounds such as 63, and Genie Bottle trivializes the most difficult rounds, such as 75, 76, and 78. |
| Destroyer, Aircraft Carrier |  
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Destroyer excels against both Bloons and blimps, wiping out the mid-game with relative ease. Using 3-2-0 cross-path, granting it a 3-2-0 Berserker Brew, and placing it at a spot where it is surrounded by the track on both sides (to trigger both of its guns) maximize its potential. Aircraft Carrier's planes perform well against Bloons and blimps as well, being powerful into the late-game. |
| Airburst Darts, Triple Guns, Armor Piercing Darts |   
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Airburst Darts is one of the best options for the latter-part of the early game and early mid-game on nearly every map with water. It can obtain nearly map-wide coverage and Camo detection from other Camo-seeing towers with the 2-0-2 cross-path, and Berserker Brew maximizes its potential. Upgrading it to Triple Guns improves its power by 50%, making its power able to be carried further into the game. Armor Piercing Darts's extra pierce & extra MOAB & Ceramic damage to all darts, in addition to bonus overall damage on the non-airburst darts, make its power immense during the late-game. |
| Dragon's Breath, Summon Phoenix |  
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Dragon's Breath, with the 0-3-2 cross-path, pops all Bloons except for Purples and hyper-dense ones extremely reliably, in addition to dealing some MOAB damage. It performs well for its price throughout the mid-game and late-game, and can save up for more expensive towers like Bloon Area Denial System. Summon Phoenix improves on Dragon's Breath by granting the Phoenix ability, which clears most rounds with ease, in addition to granting an extra flame attack. Two Summon Phoenixes allow for one Phoenix to be present at all times, greatly enhancing its reliability. |
| Bloon Area Denial System | 
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Bloon Area Denial System effectively guarantees victory on most maps, with its immense damage to both Bloons and blimps wiping out nearly all rounds with ease in tandem with its knock-back on Bloons. Berserker Brew and Stronger Stimulant both greatly amplify its power, and both of its cross-paths can be used, with 2-0-4 granting wider coverage and marginally better damage and 0-2-4 granting innate Camo detection and better knock-back. Its relatively expensive price and Buckshot's unreliability often require another tower, such as Dragon's Breath, to save up for it. |
| Velociraptor | 
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Velociraptor is powerful against both Bloons (being able to one-shot Ceramics at power 16+) and MOABs. It also benefits from its flexibility, as the beast can be moved, including to the intel range it gains from other Handlers placed within the main Handler's range whose beast is merged into it. To maximize its power, obtain a max (24)-power Velociraptor, which has much better damage & reliability than lower powers and can be done by merging 2 other Velociraptors. |
| Recursive Cluster | 
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Recursive Cluster wipes out large clumps of Bloons with ease, being especially powerful on rounds such as 63, 76, and 78. Both cross-paths have use, as 2-0-4 has does much better against dense Bloons thanks to its greatly improved pierce and +1 damage, but 0-2-4 is more reliable and stronger against blimps. Berserker Brew is optional on the 2-0-4, but a massive boost for the power of 0-2-4. |
Towers & heroes not suited for Half Cash
| Name | Portrait | Reasoning |
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Early game (rounds 6-40)
- Due to the limited amount of starting cash, the first rounds of Half Cash closely resemble those in CHIMPS, except the player can leak lives and therefore does not need pixel-perfect positioning of towers. The recommendations assume that Bonus Monkey! and More Cash have been obtained by the player.
- For most maps, the first few rounds can be completed with 2 0-0-0 Darts, with a 3rd dart dropped in the middle of Round 6. Ideally, at least one of the darts is on Strong.
- Dart + Sniper works well on maps where a lack of range is a problem. Sniper on Strong to chip the Greens, and Dart to clean up.
- Maps containing water can use Dart + Sub, Dart on Strong to chip away the Greens, and Sub to clean up the remaining bloons.
- Dart + Engineer can be used similarly to three 0-0-0 Darts, the main difference is that Engineer is more "concentrated" damage than two Darts.
- Dart + Boomerang start is optimal on several maps, such as Infernal.
- Save up for the hero as soon as possible. For maps of mid-Advanced difficulty and below, it is possible to save enough money to place Geraldo and get Rare Quincy Action Figure before Round 17.