Does Cripple MOAB Work on BADs? A Bloons TD Deep Dive

The short answer is no, Cripple MOAB does not work directly on Big Airships of Doom (BADs) in Bloons TD 6 (BTD6) and its various iterations. While the Cripple MOAB excels at debilitating other MOAB-class bloons, the BAD is specifically designed to be resistant to most forms of crowd control, including the stun and damage vulnerability inflicted by the Cripple MOAB.

Understanding Cripple MOAB’s Strengths

Cripple MOAB is a powerful Tier 5 Sniper Monkey upgrade focused on weakening large, single-target bloons. It’s a strategic choice because its real value isn’t just the direct damage it inflicts (which is decent), but the debuff it applies. This debuff causes affected bloons to take increased damage from all other sources. Think of it as a support tower that amplifies your entire defense.

The Cripple MOAB is especially effective against:

• ZOMGs (Zeppelin Of Mighty Gargantuaness)
• BFBs (Brutal Flying Behemoths)
• MOABs (Massive Ornary Air Blimps)
• DDTs (Dark Dirigible Titans)
• Boss Bloons (although the effectiveness is limited by the boss’s stun resistance).

The Cripple MOAB shines in situations where you have a concentrated defense focused on quickly eliminating high-health targets. It helps your other towers deliver significantly more damage, allowing for faster cleanup and reduced bloon leakage.

The BAD: Designed for Resilience

The Big Airship of Doom (BAD) is the ultimate test in BTD6. It’s a massive bloon with a colossal health pool and immunity to many status effects. Its design forces players to build a well-rounded defense capable of sustained, high damage output.

The BAD’s immunity to crowd control is a key aspect of its design. This immunity includes:

• Stuns: The BAD cannot be stunned by abilities like the Maim MOAB or Ice Monkey’s Ice Shards.
• Slows: While some slowing effects might have a minimal impact, the BAD is largely resistant to movement speed reduction.
• Knockback: The BAD is too large to be knocked back by abilities.

This resistance is specifically implemented to prevent players from simply locking down the BAD with crowd control, requiring them to develop a real damage-dealing strategy.

Why Cripple MOAB Fails Against BADs

The Cripple MOAB’s primary function is to apply a vulnerability debuff to MOAB-class bloons. This debuff makes them take extra damage. Because the BAD is immune to the debuff effect in the first place, Cripple MOAB’s benefit is severely diminished. While the Sniper Monkey will still fire at the BAD, it will only be dealing its base damage and not applying any additional damage vulnerability.

In essence, using Cripple MOAB solely to target the BAD is inefficient. You’re better off focusing on towers that deal consistent, high damage, such as the Vengeful True Sun God (VTSG), high-damage Monkey Aces, and other powerful damage dealers.

Alternative Strategies for Dealing with BADs

Since Cripple MOAB isn’t effective against BADs, you’ll need to focus on other strategies. Here are some effective approaches:

• High Single-Target Damage: Towers like the VTSG, Master Bomber, and certain Sniper Monkey setups with Elite Defender can pump out massive single-target damage.
• Percentage-Based Damage: Abilities like Ezili’s Moab Hex deal damage based on the target’s maximum health, making them effective against BADs and Boss Bloons.
• Armor Piercing: Towers that ignore or reduce the BAD’s armor (like the Shattering Shells Mortar) can significantly increase damage output.
• Support Towers: Buffing towers like the Overclock Engineer and Primary Mentoring Village can greatly increase the effectiveness of your damage dealers.
• Strategic Placement: Careful placement of your towers is critical to maximize their range and firing opportunities.
• Economic Stability: Having a strong economy allows you to afford the expensive towers and upgrades needed to defeat the BAD.
• Crowd Control for Support Bloons: While you can’t directly CC the BAD, slowing down or stunning the bloons it releases can buy you valuable time.

FAQs: Cripple MOAB and Beyond

1. Does Maim MOAB work on BADs?

No, Maim MOAB does not work on BADs. Like Cripple MOAB, Maim MOAB’s stun effect is ineffective against the BAD’s inherent crowd control resistance.

2. Does Cripple MOAB work on Boss Bloons?

Cripple MOAB can be partially effective on Boss Bloons. While Boss Bloons have significant stun resistance, they are not entirely immune. Cripple MOAB can still apply the damage vulnerability debuff, but the duration and frequency of application may be reduced. The effectiveness varies depending on the specific boss and its current level.

3. What is the best crosspath for Cripple MOAB?

The best crosspath for Cripple MOAB is generally 5-2-0 (Cripple MOAB with Full Metal Jacket). This crosspath allows the Sniper Monkey to affect all bloon types, including Lead and Camo, and gives shrapnel that is more useful on dense waves.

4. Does Cripple MOAB increase shrapnel damage?

Yes, Cripple MOAB significantly increases shrapnel damage. Deadly Precision increases Shrapnel damage to 4 instead of 2. Maim MOAB increases Shrapnel damage to 6 instead of 3. Cripple MOAB increases Shrapnel damage to 12 instead of 5. This can be helpful for dealing with the smaller bloons released by MOAB-class bloons.

5. What are the best towers to use with Cripple MOAB?

Any towers that deal high damage benefit from Cripple MOAB. Some examples include:

• Tack Zone: High attack speed and pierce make it devastating against weakened bloons.
• Inferno Ring: Massive single-target damage is amplified by the debuff.
• Apache Prime: Fast attack speed and high damage make it a great choice.
• Super Monkey (especially VTSG): The ultimate damage dealer benefits immensely.

6. Does Rubber to Gold work on MOABs?

Yes, Rubber to Gold can affect any MOAB-class bloon except the BAD.

7. Is a DDT a MOAB-Class Bloon?

Yes, the DDT (Dark Dirigible Titan) is a MOAB-Class Bloon.

8. What is the best DDT killer in BTD6?

Effective DDT killers include:

• Icicle Impale: Slows and damages DDTs.
• Monkey Intelligence Bureau (MIB): Allows other towers to hit DDTs.
• Ground Zero: Powerful activated ability that can destroy DDT layers.
• Super Monkey (especially VTSG): Deals high damage to all bloon types.
• Pre-emptive Strike: Excellent MOAB damage and cleans up all bloons in the wave.

9. What towers can pop DDTs?

Towers that can pop DDTs require either Camo detection and Lead-popping power or the assistance of a Monkey Intelligence Bureau (MIB). Certain heroes, like Gwendolin and Striker Jones, can also damage DDTs.

10. Is DDT stronger than ZOMG?

Technically, a ZOMG is stronger than a normal DDT, but a Fortified DDT is stronger than a ZOMG because the ZOMG is targeted first before the D.D.T.

11. How many lives is a ZOMG worth?

Each leaked ZOMG costs 16656 lives, or 14160 lives past Round 80 (27296/24800 if fortified).

12. Which towers do the most damage in BTD6?

The Vengeful True Sun God (VTSG) is generally considered the highest conventional-damage-dealing tower in the game.

13. What does BFB stand for in BTD?

BFB stands for Brutal Flying Behemoth.

14. Are bosses considered MOAB class in BTD6?

Yes, Boss Bloons are a very powerful MOAB class bloon with large amounts of health.

15. Where can I learn more about educational games?

For more information on the intersection of games and learning, check out the Games Learning Society at GamesLearningSociety.org. This organization explores the potential of games to enhance education and engagement.

Conclusion

While Cripple MOAB is a valuable tool for dealing with most MOAB-class bloons, its effectiveness is severely limited against the BAD. Understanding the BAD’s immunities and focusing on high-damage strategies is essential for victory. By diversifying your defenses and utilizing the right tower combinations, you can overcome the challenge of the Big Airship of Doom and achieve success in Bloons TD 6.