Sun Avatar

"Channels power from the core of the Sun."

- In-game description

 is the Tier 3 upgrade of Path 1 for the Super Monkey in Bloons TD 6.

Sun Avatar is extremely similar to the Sun God upgrade from Bloons TD 4 and Bloons TD 5. It replaces the Super Monkey's Plasma Blasts with three angled solar rays and increases pierce by +4 (6 in total). Like the Sun God from BTD5, it is extremely potent at popping both regular bloons and MOAB-class bloons. However, it still cannot pop purples without Monkey Intelligence Bureau, or with the Strike Down The False MK Point.

There is also a sub-tower variant of the Sun Avatar, the Mini Sun Avatar, which can be summoned from Sun Temples and True Sun Gods with high-grade Magic sacrifices. These temporary mini versions of the Sun Avatars deal 4 damage per shot instead of 1.

It costs $17,000 on Easy, $20,000 on Medium, $21,600 on Hard, and $24,000 on Impoppable.

Summary
Sun Avatar is a super powerful upgrade capable of effectively soloing almost all mid-game rounds. With massive support, specifically with Monkey Commerce discount villages, Level 11+ Obyn Greenfoot, and Stronger Stimulant, one Sun Avatar alone can save a long way towards more expensive Tier 5 towers while still being useful late-game. It is best paired with the Knockback upgrade to provide general support at slowing down MOAB-class bloons and Ceramics, which can come in handy later on in the game from Rounds 81+. Compared to the other Tier 3 Super Monkey upgrades, Robo Monkey and Dark Knight, Sun Avatar has the strongest synergy potential but requires high support in order to reach its maximum potential.

The Sun Avatar upgrade has two major weaknesses. One is its considerably high price, but its main weakness is Purple Bloons (except with the "Strike Down The False" Monkey Knowledge). Additionally, although less micro is required for a Sun Avatar compared to the alternate Super Monkey upgrades, Robo Monkey and Dark Knight, it cannot necessarily solo all mid-game rounds, as it still falls behind on Rounds 75, 76, and 78, so other monkeys will also be needed to support on those rounds.

To counteract its major weaknesses, it is best to add a tower combo that is good at countering early mid-game while saving towards the Sun Avatar upgrade. Pairing with good early mid-game combos such as Bloonjitsu + Stronger Stimulant can easily address those issues. Saving up for it in the early mid-game is the hardest part, but it should be considerably easier to safely breeze through mid-game once this upgrade is bought, and this is where the use of discounts via Monkey Commerce and supports such as Obyn and Stronger Stimulant are especially important compared to alternate Super Monkey options.

Tips

 * In most cases, a 3-0-1 Sun Avatar is better than a 3-2-0 Sun Avatar. Due to the rapid attack speed, high pierce, and many projectiles that it shoots, this becomes extremely helpful when paired with the stalling powers of Knockback as compared to bonus range and +1 pierce. In addition, crosspathing with Path 3 allows a 3-0-2 Sun Avatar to have in-built camo detection via the Ultravision upgrade (plus the ability to see through obstacles with the X-Ray Ultra MK point).
 * 3-2-0 Sun Avatar has been utilised in unique Quad CHIMPS clears.
 * Sun Avatars extremely benefit by Monkey Commerce discounts due to its high cost. If there is space for at least one Monkey Commerce Village nearby, do it before upgrading the Super Monkey to Sun Avatar.
 * In fact, even one Monkey Commerce Village alone discounting just the Sun Avatar upgrade can single-handedly save more money than the cost of the Village itself.
 * The Sun Avatar cannot pop Purple Bloons without the support of Monkey Village with Monkey Intelligence Bureau upgrade unless the "Strike Down The False" Monkey Knowledge ability is unlocked which allows it to pop Purple Bloons.
 * It is important to bring support to pop these bloons.
 * Contrary to popular belief, a 4-0-1 Alchemist is still a strong buff to place on a Sun Avatar due to its multi-projectile count and the attack speed buff from the Alchemist.
 * In fact, it is one of the most efficient of the Super Monkeys to benefit from Stronger Stimulant effects, outputting up to 3x as much buff output compared to when applied to other types of Super Monkey.
 * Utilizing Permanent Brew with Sun Avatars and an MIB (0-3-0 village) can allow a Sun Avatar to easily solo all rounds except round 100 on most maps on its own.
 * Despite having decent pierce, it can still struggle against rounds 76 and 78 without support, even with maximum Monkey Knowledge.
 * Sun Avatars can be buffed by Adora's Blood Sacrifice ability. While the ability effect may seem small, it can make a considerable amount of difference for the Sun Avatar's overall DPS, especially since her ability has full uptime, assuming that towers are continuously fed into her every time her ability wears out.

Sounds
When upgrading to Sun Avatar:


 * [Godlike sound]

Trivia

 * Highlighting the Sun Avatar will also highlight the tail, similar to other Super Monkeys with capes.
 * A 3-0-2 Super Monkey is the most expensive monkey below Tier 4 in the game.
 * Sun Avatar is the most expensive upgrade below Tier 4, and therefore the most expensive upgrade to be affected by Monkey Commerce.
 * According to Ninja Kiwi's 5th November 2021 blog, Ninja Kiwi believes that Sun Avatar can see through sunlight, allowing it to see through Sun Avatar's own glowing sunbeams and therefore can detect bloons even while attacking.
 * A single 3-0-2 Sun Avatar can beat Round 63 by itself on some tracks.