The Ghoulflower

The Ghoulflower is a plant introduced in the 11.6.5 update of Plants vs. Zombies 2 as part of the "Bada-Bloom" Arena Season. The player unlocks The Ghoulflower after collecting 250 seed packets.
The Ghoulflower is a Flower plant that stands on the lawn. The Ghoulflower spawns varying minions which depend on what colour fedora that The Ghoulflower is wearing. The Ghoulflower commands his minions to go to a singular tile that can be chosen by the player when The Ghoulflower is placed down or when he changes his fedora. The Ghoulflower himself does not directly attack zombies but some of his spawned minions can. The Ghoulflower also has a decently high toughness with it being bigger than average when compared to most plants.
== Origins ==
The Ghoulflower is based off of the common plant family known as the flower whilst visually having similarities with the infamous Plants vs. Zombies plant, Sunflower. Flowers originated with angiosperms, or flowering plants, which evolved around 140 to 200 million years ago during the Mesozoic Era. These plants developed specialized reproductive structures to attract pollinators like insects and birds, enhancing their reproduction. The oldest known flower fossils date back about 125 million years. Over time, flowering plants diversified and became dominant in ecosystems, significantly contributing to biodiversity. Most plant and animal life can be linked back to flowers.
The Ghoulflower also takes inspiration from The Ghoulfather which is inadvertently based on The Godfather. The Godfather, directed by Francis Ford Coppola and released in 1972, is a classic American crime film based on Mario Puzo's novel of the same name. The story follows the powerful Italian-American Corleone family, led by patriarch Vito Corleone, played by Marlon Brando. As Vito's youngest son, Michael Corleone (Al Pacino), is drawn into the family business, the film explores themes of loyalty, power, and betrayal within the Mafia underworld. Widely regarded as one of the greatest films in cinema history, it won three Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and has had a lasting impact on popular culture.
The Ghoulfather is the main antagonist of the game known as Yo-kai Watch 3. He runs the 'Ghoulfamily' and wishes to create his own Yo-kai world. In Japanese mythology, Yo-kai are supernatural entities or spirits that encompass a wide range of beings, from mischievous creatures to malevolent demons. They can take many forms, including animals, human-like figures, or even inanimate objects that have come to life. Traditionally, Yo-kai were seen as explanations for strange phenomena or unexplainable events, such as illness, bad luck, or eerie occurrences in nature. Some well-known Yo-kai include the Kappa (a water spirit), the Tengu (a bird-like creature), and the Oni (a demon or ogre). At Halloween, it isn't uncommon for people to dress up as Yo-kai or have Yo-kai based decorations. Some people may also tell others about stories and myths about Yo-kai passed down from previous generations in order to carry on the legacy. The term ghoul refers to a supernatural creature in folklore, often depicted as an undead being or demon that feasts on human flesh, particularly corpses. The term comes from the Arabic word 'ghūl,' which means "to seize" or "to snatch." Ghouls are commonly associated with graveyards and desolate places, lurking in shadows to prey on the dead or the living. The word ghoul is often used in Halloween to describe evil spirits.
Visually, The Ghoulflower shares the red suit with The Ghoulfather. The fedora that The Ghoulflower wears is just the colour scheme of The Ghoulfather's but inverted. The Ghoulflower's name is evidently based on The Ghoulfather's who name is also based on The Ghoulfather's. Unlike most other Sunflower plants, The Ghoulflower stands on only two supports which adds to his more humanoid stature.
File:Image 2024-10-16 205548208.png|A group of Sunflowers growing in a field.
File:MV5BYTJkNGQyZDgtZDQ0NC00MDM0LWEzZWQtYzUzZDEwMDljZWNjXkEyXkFqcGc@. V1 .jpg|A movie poster for The Godfather.
File:GGGGF.webp|An image of The Ghoulfather.
File:Image 2024-10-17 194935962.png|A depiction of the Yo-kai Tengu.
File:Image 2024-10-17 195521489.png|A Yo-kai festival during Halloween.
== About ==
The Ghoulflower itself does nothing on the lawn however he can spawn various minions on any tile on the lawn. The type of minion depends on the colour fedora that The Ghoulflower is wearing. When tapped on, The Ghoulflower can wear 3 different coloured fedoras, a black fedora with a grey coloured stripe (which is what he starts with), a white fedora with a red coloured stripe or a blue fedora with a brown coloured stripe. The Ghoulflower's fedora can be changed when tapped on, with the cycle being black fedora to white fedora to blue fedora. When cycling through, The Ghoulflower also picks which tiles the minions will spawn at. The Ghoulflower costs 200 sun and has a recharge of 20 seconds. The Ghoulflower spawns a minion in every 15 seconds. The following fedoras and their unique gimmicks can be seen below:
<tabber> Thorny Tree (black fedora, grey stripe)= 
A bodyguard tree rises from the ground, he has 1500 toughness and deals 20 damage every second to the zombie eating him. When clicked on, he can be moved to adjacent tiles (only forwards and backwards) every 20 seconds. If a zombie hasn't bit Thorny Tree for 35 seconds, he regens all Health. 
File:Thorny Tree.png|An image of Thorny Tree on the lawn.
File:Image 2024-10-22 174638263.png|A zoomed in image of Thorny Tree on the lawn.
File:Thorny Tree b.png|An image of Thorny Tree on the lawn.
 |-| Mushmash (white fedora, red stripe) = A mushroom boxer named Mushmash steps onto the lawn and walks forward to the nearest zombie and punches it from a distance where he can hit the zombie but the zombie can't hit him, deals 80 damage every 2.4 seconds, can only hit one zombie at once. Mushmash walks backwards or forwards depending on where the zombie he is punching is. He has 750 toughness. 
File:Mushmash.png|An image of Mushmash on the lawn.
File:Image 2024-10-22 180249463.png|A zoomed in image of Mushmash on the lawn.
File:Mushmashb.png|A blank image of Mushmash on the lawn.
 |-|Bud Blaster (blue fedora, brown stripe) = Bud Blaster is a duel-wielding flower crook, she shoots zombies from distance with her pistols for 15 damage every 0.5 seconds. Can shoot 10 bullets before needing to reload for 5 seconds. Bud Blaster has 300 toughness and a range of 5 tiles. 
File:Bud blaster.png|An image of Bud Blaster on the lawn.
File:Image 2024-10-22 181556216.png|A zoomed in image of Bud Blaster on the lawn.
File:Bud blasterb.png|A blank image of Bud Blaster on the lawn.
 </tabber>
==Almanac Entry==
== Upgrades==
===Plant Food effect===
When fed with Plant Food, The Ghoulflower spawns in 2 of each minion type onto random tiles on the lawn.
===Enchant-mint effect===
When boosted by Enchant-mint, The Ghoulflower summons a minion in 5 seconds quicker and his minions are buffed and can be seen below. 
*Thorny Tree toughness: 1500 → 3000
*Thorny Tree contact damage: 20 → 25
*Mushmash damage: 80 → 140
*Bud Blaster ammo capacity: 10 → 15
*Bud Blaster firerate: 0.5 seconds → 0.4
The Ghoulflower's plant food effect also activates.
===Level Upgrades ===
Level	Seed packets	Coins	Upgrades	Upgrades 	Upgrades 	Upgrades 	Upgrades 	Upgrades
Level	Seed packets	Coins	Sun Cost	Recharge 	Minion Spawn Rate	Thorny Tree Regen Cooldown	Mushmash Critical Chance	Budblaster Range
1 	0 	0 	200 	20 seconds	15 seconds 	35 seconds 	0% 	5 tiles
2 	50 	0 	200 	20 seconds	15 seconds 	35 seconds 	0% 	5 tiles
3 	100 	0 	200 	20 seconds	15 seconds 	35 seconds 	0% 	5 tiles
4 	200 	0 	200 	19 seconds	15 seconds 	35 seconds 	5% 	5 tiles
5 	300 	0 	200 	19 seconds	14 seconds 	30 seconds 	5% 	5 tiles
6 	400 	0 	175 	19 seconds	14 seconds 	30 seconds 	5% 	5 tiles
7 	500 	0 	175 	18 seconds	14 seconds 	30 seconds 	5% 	6 tiles
8 	600 	0 	175 	18 seconds	14 seconds 	30 seconds 	10% 	6 tiles
9 	800 	0 	175 	17 seconds	13 seconds 	30 seconds 	10% 	6 tiles
10 	1,000 	0 	150 	15 seconds	13 seconds 	25 seconds 	10% 	6 tiles
=== Mastery upgrades ===
*Blooming Brigadier
*Recruiting Specialist
==Update and Balance History==
===October 15th 2024===
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===October 18th 2024===
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===October 19th 2024===
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===October 20th 2024=== 
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=== October 22nd 2024 ===
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==Strategies==
The Ghoulflower is a unique plant that can deal with zombies in different ways. The Ghoulflower itself has above average toughness with it being 1000, this allows it to survive for longer if he is open and his minions have a few seconds left before they can spawn in and stall the zombie eating him. The Ghoulflower costs 200 sun which is the same as another spawner plant, Zoybean Pod. Unlike Zoybean Pod however, The Ghoulflower can spawn minions in any lane which makes him more versatile and more useful in scenarios. The Ghoulflower has a lengthy recharge of 20 seconds but this can be avoided if you stall out for time with The Ghoulflower himself using Thorny Tree.
The Ghoulflower's black fedora makes him spawn his bodyguard, Thorny Tree, on the selected tile. Thorny Tree has a toughness of 1500, which is half of Endurian's, and deals 20 damage every second, which is the same damage output as Endurian has. A benefit that Thorny Tree has however is that he can move in adjacent tiles every 20 seconds. The player could use this to set up a more defensive position on the lawn and falling back to a safer place or moving up a tile in order to create more space for other plants to be planted on. This could be used on Last Stand when the player's plants are being eaten and they don't want to lose anymore so they retreat The Ghoulflower. Thorny Tree also heals to max if it hasn't been bit for 35 seconds, whilst this will rarely happen, it will prolong his stay on the lawn and allows for The Ghoulflower to create the more damaging minions instead.
The Ghoulflower's white fedora makes him spawn his boxer crony, Mushmash, on the selected tile. Mushmash punches a single zombie whilst keeping it's distance where he can't get hit. This is a great counter for a singular high health zombie as Mushmash can take them down without being killed himself. Similarly to Thorny Tree, since he can move around once being spawned it allows him to survive on the lawn longer. However, Mushmash can only hit one zombie at a time so a swarm of zombies won't be very effective and the player should switch The Ghoulflower's fedora to the black variant in order for Thorny Tree to deal lots of contact damage. Mushmash's damage output is very high with it being able to quickly take down zombie threats. Mushmash also doesn't take up a tile which is helpful as well. Even when being eaten, Mushmash has a toughness of 750 so he can tank some zombie damage.
The Ghoulflower's blue fedora make him spawn his fellow flower, Bud Blaster, on the selected tile. Bud Blaster duel wields two pistols and can shoot zombies from distance. Unlike the other two minion types, Bud Blaster is immobile and stays on the tile she was spawned on until she dies but this is fine as she doesn't take up a tile on the lawn. A useful strategy would be spawning Bud Blaster on tiles 2-4 as it allows for her to shoot zombies at a safe distance without getting hurt herself because she only has a 5 tile shooting range. Bud Blaster has a mechanic of only being able to shoot 10 times before needing to reload, in practice this doesn't affect the user however as she shouldn't be used as a main attacking threat but as a supporting plant to chip down or finish off zombies. The bullet damage coupled with the fast firerate does mean that Bud Blaster can kill a Basic Zombie whilst only needing to shoot 20 bullets (2 full ammo reloads) which does make Bud Blaster a useful minion type in the early game of levels. Her toughness is a measly 300 so she can be used as a last ditch staller if required.
The Ghoulflower works best as a supporting plant whilst excelling in the early stages of levels. All three minion types are useful at start of levels due to their high damage output and individual qualities that outshine most zombie threats in the first few waves of zombies. Thorny Tree is more useful in the latter parts of levels due to his ability to stall zombies whilst dealing significant damage to them. Mushmash and Bud Blaster are useful in the midgame when the average zombie health isn't too high. The Ghoulflower and his minions all benefit from Enchant-mint by a large amount which improves their viability later in levels. The Ghoulflower's Plant Food ability is also very good and can shred through hordes of weak zombies.
In terms of worlds, The Ghoulflower can be used in all with very few downsides. Mushmash and Bud Blaster can be used in worlds with grid items as they don't take up any tiles so their effectiveness would be helpful in Ancient Egypt, Dark Ages, Frostbite Caves and Neon Mixtape Tour. Thorny Tree can be used as an activator for Gold Tiles in Lost City. The Ghoulflower may be less helpful in the Far Future since most of the zombies there have very high health and can counter every minion type that The Ghoulflower has at his disposal. The Ghouflower's minion versatility would be very good to have in Modern Day since nearly every zombie in the game can spawn there.
== In-game Example ==
==Gallery==
File:Ghoulflower big.png|An image of The Ghoulflower on the lawn.
File:Ghoulflower zoom.png|A zoomed in image of The Ghoulflower on the lawn.
File:Blank Ghoulflower.png|A blank image of The Ghoulflower.
File:Red white ghoul.png|An image of The Ghoulflower's white and red fedora variant.
File:Screenshot 2024-10-18 185538.png|A zoomed in image of The Ghoulflower's white and red fedora variant.
File:Blue brown ghoul.png|An image of The Ghoulflower's blue and brown fedora variant.
File:Image 2024-10-18 185909204.png|A zoomed in image of The Ghoulflower's blue and brown fedora variant.
== Trivia==
*The Ghoulflower would be the first plant in Plants vs. Zombies 2 to have 'the' included.
*The Yo-kai Watch series is arguably ShogunyanMasterOFish's favourite videogame franchise.
*The Ghoulflower was meant to look very different when the art was being made. 
**The fedora would be more diagonal on his head.
**He would be smoking a cigar of some sort.
**He would have 4 plant leaves at the bottom.
**He had a more bright colour palette.
***The art was changed because it didn't reference The Ghoulfather as much as ShogunyanMasterOFish wanted it too.
*In the writing of the page, 'The Godfather' or 'The Ghoulfather' was written numerous times instead of 'The Ghoulflower' by accident.
*Thorny Tree's sunglasses were based off of the ones that Glitz Pit Security wear.
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