Cards are the main collectibles available in Plants vs. Zombies Heroes. They are the main methods used by plant and zombie heroes to combat the opposing side.
Overview
Cards are divided into three major categories: fighter cards, trick cards and environment cards. A fighter card spawns a friendly fighter on the field when it is played, which in most cases attack enemy fighters or the opposing hero, and is destroyed and removed once its health reaches 0. A trick card can do a variety of things when it is played, ranging from making additional friendly fighters, modifying their attributes or destroying enemy fighters, to gaining or adding cards from or into the player's deck. After the ability ends, the trick card is automatically removed for the match. Finally, an environment card is played similar to a trick card that affects a selected ground lane and all compatible fighters on it when it is played, and is overridden and removed once another environment card is played on the same lane.
Each card also has a set of attributes, such as cost (
/
), strength (
), health (
), class and tribe - one of which is a superpower, a special kind of card that is only gained at the start of the game and every time the hero successfully blocks an attack, another one is an environment, a special kind of trick card that affects the lane it is played on.
At the start of the game, each player is given four cards in their hand, and is also given the chance to replace each card once with another random one taken from the player's deck. Each player is also given a random superpower card from the player's list of available cards, which cannot be replaced. The player also draws a card from their deck starting from the second turn, and there are certain abilities that can give the player additional cards, either from or outside the deck. Each player can only have ten cards in their hand at once before the game stops giving them cards.
Decks are required to have forty cards, and four of a single type of card can be put in at most. Therefore, it is very important to consider what cards are needed. Superpowers do not count to the deck's total number of cards.
A card can be played providing that the card's cost does not exceed the player's currency stockpile balance, and that there are valid targets (for trick cards) or lanes (for fighter cards) for the card. Once the card is played, the player's currency stockpile balance is decreased by an amount equal to the card's cost. Plants can play fighter, trick, and environment cards all at the same time since they only have one play turn before the "Fight!" phase occurs. Zombies have two separate phases, the first exclusive to fighters and the second for tricks and environments, before the "Fight!" phase occurs.
Tribes
Each side has unique tribes that can allow cards to create synergies. Each class has a main tribe, as well as a number of cards that can form synergy with the main tribe of the class. An example of a plant synergy is Buff-Shroom boosting Shroom for Two, both part of the mushroom tribe, the main tribe of the 
Kabloom class, and an example of a zombie synergy is Zombot Drone Engineer boosting Space Cadet, both part of the science tribe, the main tribe of the 
Brainy class.
Note that there are also examples of fighters within main tribes outside of the class, for instance Template:PvZHLink being a mushroom plant in the 
Solar class or Template:PvZH Link being a science zombie in the 
Crazy class.
Turn order
The zombies' fighter turn comes first, followed by the plants' combined turn, followed in turn by the zombies' trick turn, after which the "Fight!" phase occurs during which fighters engage in combat against the opposing side. Destroyed/used cards are removed and the turn order starts over from the beginning.
In the "Fight!" phase, zombie fighters attack first, then plant fighters attack afterwards even if the plant fighter has its health down to 0 after being attacked. Because of this, the game immediately ends if a 
Strikethrough zombie defeats the plant hero, even if there is a plant in the same lane with Strikethrough that is about to finish off the zombie hero.
| Attribute | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Determines the hero(es) that can play the card. In deck construction, a hero can only include cards from the 2 classes it leads with no exception. However, off-class cards can be obtained through card effects such as Eureka or the Conjure effect. | |
| Tribe | ||
| Normal | Determines the effects that the card can be subjected to. Every card is in at least one tribe, and some are in two or more tribes at the same time. Several abilities only affect fighters in certain tribes: For example, all plants in the pea tribe gain bonus attack points when they are played behind a Template:PvZHLink. However, some tribes do not interact with any abilities, and are purely cosmetic. | |
| Superpower | A superpower is a special tribe of card that can only be obtained at the start of the game, or when you block an attack. | |
| Environment | An environment card is a special tribe of card that creates a special rule on the lane it is played on, and lasts permanently unless another environment card is played on that lane. Note that cards in this tribe do not count as a trick, thus not activating abilities that are related to tricks. | |
| Sun/Brain cost ( /)
|
Determines the cost of the card. | |
| Strength ()
|
Fighter exclusive. Determines the amount of damage the fighter does to the opposing hero or fighter(s). | |
| Health ()
|
Fighter exclusive. Determines the amount of damage the fighter withstands. A fighter is destroyed and removed once its health reaches 0. | |
| Traits/Effects | Determines the traits a fighter has, or the effect a card gives. See the Traits and Effects section. | |
| Abilities | Determines the abilities of playing the card, if any are present. | |
| Rarity | Determines the chance of that card being spawned through card drops or booster packs. Hero-specific superpowers are also indicated by the Premium - Legendary rarity. | |
Traits
Although every fighter is unique, many of them share common traits, which the player needs to know to use them the best way. Present here is a list of traits that many fighters have, along with an explanation and a few examples of them:
Afterlife
| “ | ” | |
—Game Description | ||
Exclusive to zombies.
Any fighter with this trait returns to the owner's hand as a "ghost" version of itself when it is destroyed. The ghost version has identical stats to the original fighter, but without the Afterlife trait.
On update 1.16.10, this trait was removed.
|
|
| Haunting Zombie | Template:PvZHLink |
Amphibious
| “ | ” | |
—Game Description | ||
Any fighter with this trait is not restricted to just the ground or heights lanes in terms of placement, but can also be played on aquatic lanes.
Plants
|
| Sea-Shroom |
Zombies
|
| Template:PvZH Link |
Anti-Hero
| “ | ” | |
—Game Description | ||
Any fighter with this trait does more damage if it hits the opposing hero. This only applies if the lane is clear of enemy fighters, so playing anything in front of that fighter nullifies the 
Anti-Hero trait.
Plants
|
| Poison Mushroom |
Zombies
|
| Mini-Ninja |
Armored
| “ | ” | |
—Game Description | ||
Any fighter with this trait takes reduced damage when it is attacked, with the number specifying the amount of damage that is subtracted. If the damage done is less than the resistance number, the fighter does not take any damage. However, this effect does not protect the fighter from any tricks or abilities that reduce its stats by a set amount.
Plants
| File:Gravitree.png |
| Gravitree |
Zombies
|
| Conehead |
Bullseye
| “ | ” | |
—Game Description | ||
Any fighter with this trait does not fill up the opposing hero's Super-Block Meter upon a successful attack.
Plants
|
| Template:PvZH Link |
Zombies
|
| Pool Shark |
Deadly
| “ | ” | |
—Game Description | ||
Exclusive to zombies.
Any fighter with this trait always destroys any fighter it does damage to. Heroes and shielded fighters are not affected by it, and 
Armored enemy fighters can survive the attack as long the fighter's damage does not exceed their damage resistance.
|
|
| Template:PvZH Link | Super Stench |
Double Strike
| “ | ” | |
—Game Description | ||
Exclusive to plants.
Any fighter with this trait does a bonus attack after combat in its lane, but only if that fighter is not destroyed during combat.
|
| Cosmic Pea |
Frenzy
| “ | ” | |
—Game Description | ||
Exclusive to zombies.
Any fighter that has this trait attacks once more if it destroys the enemy fighter in front of it and survives without being destroyed itself. A fighter can attack up to three times.
|
|
| Energy Drink Zombie | Maniacal Laugh |
Gravestone
| “ | ” | |
—Game Description | ||
Exclusive to zombies.
Any fighter with this trait is not revealed until the user's trick stage begins, they are instead concealed by a gravestone. The opposing hero cannot see how much brains are spent on that fighter until the next "Zombie Tricks" phase, with the exception of Graveyard. While it is concealed, the fighter is immune to all methods of damage and card abilities (from both the plant and zombie side), with Cool Bean, Template:PvZHLink and Spyris being the only exception.
|
| Pied Piper |
Hunt
| “ | ” | |
—Game Description | ||
Any fighter with this trait moves to where an opposing fighter is played or made most recently, unless that lane is already occupied by either a non Team-Up plant or a zombie.
Plants
|
| Corn Dog |
Zombies
|
| Dog Walker |
Overshoot
Overshoot
| “ | ” | |
—Game Description | ||
Exclusive to zombies.
Any fighter with this ability does a certain amount of damage to the opposing hero before combat. This trait still activates even if the zombie is frozen.
|
| Loose Cannon |
Splash Damage
| “ | ” | |
—Game Description | ||
Exclusive to plants.
Any fighter with this trait does a certain amount of damage to fighters on adjacent lanes, in addition to the lane it is on when it attacks. Heroes, however, do not take Splash Damage if said lanes are empty. Splash Damage cannot be increased or decreased in any way, even if the fighter's strength has been increased or decreased, with the only exception being if the fighter has 0 strength.
|
| Template:PvZH Link |
Strikethrough
| “ | ” | |
—Game Description | ||
| “ | ” | |
—Game Description | ||
Any fighter with this trait does damage to all enemy fighters in its lane, as well as the opposing hero.
Plants
|
| Template:PvZH Link |
Zombies
|
| Hot Dog Imp |
Team-Up
| “ | ” | |
—Game Description | ||
Exclusive to plants.
Any fighter with this trait can be played in a lane that is already occupied by an allied fighter, regardless of whether that fighter already occupying the lane has the Team-Up trait or not.
|
| Template:PvZH Link |
Effects
Some cards afflict other fighters with certain effects. Present here is a list of effects that a fighter can receive, along with an explanation of each of them:
Bonus Attack
Any fighter that receives this effect attacks again as long it manages to survive during combat. Any plant with the 
Double Strike trait gets this effect. This also includes zombie fighters with the 
Frenzy trait as well.
Plants
|
| Template:PvZH Link |
Zombies
|
| Template:PvZH Link |
Bounce
| “ | ” | |
—Game Description | ||
Any fighter that receives this effect is returned to the owner's hand, with their stats reverted to their base stats and all given traits removed. For example, a zombie boosted by Maniacal Laugh will lose the Frenzy trait when Bounced.
Plants
|
|
| Rescue Radish | Jumping Bean |
Zombies
|
|
| Firefighter | Pogo Bouncer |
Conjure
| “ | ” | |
—Game Description | ||
This effect draws a random card of a specified tribe, rarity, or set from the entire game, excluding superpowers unless specifically stated.
Plants
|
| Cosmic Bean |
Zombies
| File:Cosmic Sport StarH.png |
| Cosmic Sports Star |
Draw
Add a random card(s) from your deck to your hand, unless your hand is full.
Plants
|
| Flourish |
Zombies
|
| Cell Phone Zombie |
Freeze
| “ | ” | |
—Game Description | ||
Any fighter that receives this effect is immobilized, forcing it to skip its next attack. Using a card that makes the immobilized fighter do a bonus attack instantly cancels out the 
Freeze effect. Plant fighters with the Double Strike will attack after being thawed unless they were destroyed in combat.
Plants
|
|
|
| Template:PvZH Link | Template:PvZH Link | Template:PvZH Link |
Zombies
|
|
|
| Frozen Tundra | Frosty Mustache | Ice Pirate |
Heal
Restore health of a damaged fighter, the hero, or both. Certain restrictions may be present on some cards.
Plants
|
| Template:PvZH Link |
Zombies
|
| Nurse Gargantuar |
Shielded
Any fighter that receives this effect is unable to get hurt in any way in that turn with the exception of Template:PvZH Link. However, they are not immune to instant-kill tricks like Lawnmower, or stat-degraders like Nibble.
Plants
|
| Root Wall |
Zombies
|
| Template:PvZH Link |
Crafting
The crafting interface displayed at the bottom of the screen, under the card being viewed.
Crafting is a feature that can be accessed by tapping the desired card in the Collection or the Deck Building section. It allows the player to directly create new cards without having to purchase Packs.
Crafting a new card requires Sparks, a special kind of resource that cannot be purchased with money and can only be gained by recycling cards and completing certain Hero Quests. Currently, most collectible cards in the game can be crafted and recycled, with the exception of certain Event cards that are stated to become craftable in the near future. In addition, all Basic - Common cards cannot be recycled, and cards with 4 copies of will have their crafting option disabled.
The number of Sparks required for crafting, and rewarded with recycling, is determined by the card's rarity. Crafting a new card will always require more Sparks than the amount given by recycling a card of equal rarity, making the process generally extremely inefficient.
| Rarity | Crafting | Recycling |
|---|---|---|
| Basic - Common | 25 
|
0 1
|
| Uncommon | 50
|
15 2
|
| Rare | 250
|
50
|
| Super-Rare | 1000
|
250
|
| Legendary | 4000
|
1000
|
| Event | 1000 3
|
250 4
|
1. Cannot be recycled
2. 10 prior to update 1.8.23
3. 2000 for the cards released on the previous update; only applies to cards that have been released.
4. 75 prior to update 1.14.13
Gallery
Anti-Hero icon
Armored icon
Bullseye icon
Deadly icon
Frenzy icon
Strikethrough icon
Trivia
- As stated above, some traits are exclusive to either side:
- There are no plant fighters that have the Gravestone, Deadly, Frenzy, or Overshoot traits.
- There are no zombie fighters that have the Team-Up, Splash Damage or Double Strike traits.
- Prior to update 1.2.11, there were no zombie fighters with the Strikethrough trait either.
- Prior to update 1.2.11, there were no zombie fighters with the
- There are no plant fighters that have the Gravestone,
- Prior to update 1.2.11, cards were referred to as teammates.
- Prior to update 1.2.11, Bullseye was named Truestrike.
- Prior to update 1.16.10, Frozen Tundra, Template:PvZHLink's signature superpower, was the only zombie card that gave the Freeze effect to plants.
- Still, Frozen Tundra is the only premium card that gives the Freeze effect to plants.
- Still, Frozen Tundra is the only premium card that gives the
- The spark symbol is similar to the Power Zap symbol except being blue instead of purple.
- If a fighter has two or more traits, it uses a green star in place of the strength symbol.
- A fighter can also have a green star in the health symbol if it is shielded and has the Armored trait.
- A fighter can also have a green star in the health symbol if it is shielded and has the
The number "x4" flashing red if the player tries to add another Navy Bean
- Prior to update 1.6.27, if a fighter had a trait, it wasn't shown on their card.
- If a card's cost is reduced via any card abilities or gimmicks in some missions, the cost number is colored green instead of black. On the other hand, if its cost is increased, the number is shown red instead.
- Bringing 4 of the same card cause the "Add" button to appear gray for the remaining ones. Tapping "Add" causes the number "x4" to flash red, indicating that no more of that card can be added anymore.