Switch Hands

Right Hand On

Two Boomerang Monkeys with different targeting option

Switch Hands (also referred to as Change Hands) is a target priority modifier added in Version 15.0 for Bloons TD 6, exclusive to the Boomerang Monkey and first added as part of the Ambidextrous 'Rangs MK. Boomerang Monkeys with this target option will have a button of a hand attached to either the left or right side of the upgrade HUD, and it can be switched around based on the user's choice. By default, the button will be placed on the right-hand side, but if activated the icon switches to the left-hand side, and the corresponding tower's upgrade portrait flips leftward.

Similarly, Change Hands was also added for the Boomerang Thrower in Bloons TD Battles Mobile on the Version 6.12 update. Functionality is similar to its BTD6 counterpart.

Function

The "Change Hands" target priorities appear on the Boomerang Monkey's portrait HUD. A button representing a hand holding a boomerang appears on either side of the Boomerang Monkey's portrait HUD (or just the top-left in BTDB Mobile), and the player is able to change the firing direction of the tower by pressing it. "Change Hands" allows the Boomerang Monkey to switch hands and change the traveling direction of their boomerangs.

The effect of changing hands will change the both the hand from where the projectile spawns and the direction of the boomerang. However, changing hands will not always have the same effect on all Boomerang Monkeys.

• For all Boomerang Monkeys, Change Hands changes both the hand from where the boomerang originates from and the direction of the boomerang's curves. For normal Boomerang Monkeys in particular, this significantly changes how the Boomerang Monkey will attack.
• The spinning direction of the orbiting glaives from the BTD6 Glaive Lord doesn't change from this option. This also occurs for its Battles 2 counterpart, but orbiting glaive direction does change in Battles 1 Mobile.
• Kylie Boomerang seems to be insignificantly affected by this upgrade, since the boomerang travels in a straight line instead of a curved line. However, the slightly adjusted origin of the boomerang projectiles may have a very slight difference to the angle at which the boomerang is thrown, very slightly changing the angle at which the boomerang can hit bloons.
• Glaive Ricochet and M.O.A.R. Glaives are also insignificantly affected by this target option, as all that is done is swapping the angle where the glaive is thrown straight, and once a bloon is hit the glaive just follows the bloons accordingly. However, by changing the origin of the glaives very slightly, it may alter the direction at which the glaive may ricochet.
• Glaive Dominus is also insignificantly affected by this MK for the same reasons as Glaive Ricochet.

Strategy

Summary

This targeting priority usually serves the highest value for the Perma Charge upgrade. In particular, it allows it to be useful against any good curve spot, as it can swap hands at any time whenever necessary to optimize its turbo boomerangs.

Tips

• It is worth to set boomerangs against the grain instead of with the grain. This stops the boomerangs from trying to chase the bloons.
• Changing the hand also changes the spawning location of the boomerang, making it marginally useful in some cases.

Gallery

Bloons TD Battles Mobile

Default setting on a Boomerang Thrower

Boomerang Thrower with Change Hands set to Left

Bloons TD 6

Boomerang Monkey with the Change Hands target priority

All left-handed Boomerang Monkeys Tier 2 and below

All base Path 1 and Upper Path 1 upgrade crosspaths with left-handed option

All base Path 2 and Upper Path 2 upgrade crosspaths with left-handed option

All base Path 3 and Upper Path 3 upgrade crosspaths with left-handed option

Right-handed Boomerang Monkey with "Ambidextrous Rangs"

Left-handed Boomerang Monkey, including the leftward flipped portrait

All left-handed Boomerang Monkeys

Trivia

• The permanent addition of Ambidextrous 'Rangs to the Boomerang Monkey allowed Perma Charge 2MPC on Peninsula to become possible.
• This feature retcons BTD1 and BTD2's pre-round comments from rounds 31 and 33, respectively, that there are no left hand monkeys.
  • "Monkeys aren't so good at shooting at things moving to their left. Something about being right handed I guess." - R31 BTD1
  • "There are no left handed monkeys, sorry just live with it." - R33 BTD2
• The name "Switch Hands" is an official name that was derived from a description of the now-removed Ambidextrous 'Rangs MK. In the in-game patch notes for Bloons TD Battles Mobile, it only describes the addition of the new targeting option without mentioning its name.