BTD6 MOAB-Class Counter Guide

Quick answer

A good MOAB-class plan has three layers: focused blimp damage, control or debuffs for anything that can be slowed, and cleanup for the ceramics or smaller blimps that appear after the outer layer breaks.

Do not treat the first MOAB, DDTs, and the first BAD as the same check. The first MOAB asks whether you can break one blimp. DDTs ask whether your MOAB damage can also see camo and damage lead and black properties. The BAD asks for enough raw damage because most movement control does not solve it.

• Before Round 40: add one real MOAB damage plan, not only bloon cleanup.
• Before Round 60 and 80: make sure the plan can keep damaging a longer blimp chain.
• Before Round 90: combine camo detection, lead-compatible damage, black-compatible damage, and DDT control.
• Before Round 100: build BAD damage and keep enough cleanup for the ZOMGs and DDTs released afterward.

Know which blimp you are solving

The standard MOAB-class ladder is MOAB, BFB, ZOMG, DDT, and BAD. Round timing matters because each new blimp changes the job. A defense that deletes the Round 40 MOAB can still be too slow for Round 60, too light for Round 80, or incompatible with DDT properties on Round 90.

Use the first appearance as a planning checkpoint, not as the only round that matters. If Round 40 is close, Round 50 and Round 60 usually expose the same weakness with less room for recovery.

• MOAB: the first standard blimp check on Round 40; prepare focused damage before it reaches the exit.
• BFB: a longer damage test that starts on Round 60 and releases MOABs after the outer layer breaks.
• ZOMG: a much heavier sustained-damage check that starts on Round 80.
• DDT: a fast MOAB-class threat with camo, lead, and black properties that first appears on Round 90 in standard rounds.
• BAD: the first standard BAD appears on Round 100 and releases ZOMGs and DDTs after the BAD layer breaks.

Build the counter stack

The most reliable approach is not one expensive tower with no support. Use one or two main MOAB damage sources, then add support that makes those towers hit earlier, hit longer, or hit the correct bloon property.

For weaker MOAB-class bloons, stall and knockback can be valuable because every extra second gives your damage tower more attacks. For BADs, shift the budget toward damage, debuffs that still apply, and post-pop cleanup instead of relying on slow or stun.

• Damage: MOAB Mauler lines, strong Snipers, Monkey Ace, Monkey Sub, Dartling Gunner, Super Monkey, Spike Factory, or other tower paths built for blimp pressure.
• Support: Alchemist buffs, Monkey Village coverage, slows, glue, ice, knockback, and MOAB-focused debuffs where your chosen setup can use them.
• Cleanup: high-pierce ceramic control behind the main damage so the children do not leak after the blimp breaks.

DDTs need a different checklist

DDTs are often the reason a defense looks strong until the late game and then fails instantly. The usual problem is partial coverage: the tower can damage MOABs, but cannot see camo; can see camo, but cannot damage lead; or can hit lead, but loses damage into black-bloon rules.

Solve DDTs as a combined rule check. The main damage zone needs camo detection, compatible damage, enough attack speed or control for fast targets, and enough MOAB-class damage to finish the shell.

• Radar Scanner alone is not enough if the attack still cannot damage DDT properties.
• Lead damage alone is not enough if the tower cannot target camo.
• A slow projectile tower can still fail if DDTs are already near the exit.
• If DDTs are the leak, open the Bloon Counter before buying random late-game damage.

BAD rounds are damage and cleanup checks

The first BAD is slow, but it is not a normal stall problem. Plan enough raw damage for the BAD layer, then keep a cleanup plan for the smaller MOAB-class children after it breaks.

A common mistake is spending everything on the BAD layer and leaving no answer for the DDTs released afterward. Another is bringing a defense built around slowing weaker blimps and expecting that same plan to carry Round 100 by itself.

• Place main BAD damage where it attacks for as much track time as possible.
• Keep DDT-compatible damage active after the BAD pops.
• Do not sell the cleanup layer too early unless the replacement also handles DDTs and ceramics.
• For long runs, use the Paragon Degree Calculator before committing late-game tower-family cash.

Common mistakes

Most MOAB-class losses are planning losses. The defense either has no dedicated blimp damage, places the damage too late on the track, solves camo and lead separately instead of together, or forgets cleanup after the shell breaks.

When a blimp leaks, name the missing job before changing the whole strategy. The answer may be damage, time, compatibility, or cleanup.

• Buying more ceramic cleanup when the outer blimp layer is the actual problem.
• Building one MOAB answer at the end of the track where it has too little attack time.
• Assuming the tower that beat MOABs and ZOMGs will automatically beat DDTs.
• Relying on slows and knockback for BADs instead of planning enough damage.

Editorial note

This guide is written as a practical counter-planning page, not a full stat table. Exact health and round details can change through modes, freeplay scaling, and updates, so the page focuses on stable planning rules and links to tools when calculation or setup planning is the next step.