Ye-Tea

The Abominable Ye-tea, shortened and commonly called instead as Ye-tea, is a plant introduced in the 11.6.6 update of Plants vs. Zombies 2 as part of the "Winter Warmth" Arena Season. The player unlocks The Abominable Ye-tea after collecting 250 seed packets.
Ye-tea is a Tea plant that is also a Yeti. Ye-tea throws an icy beverage of tea onto a zombie every 12 seconds. The icy tea shatters and causes zombies in a 3x3 area to be frozen for 4 seconds and take a minor damage hit. However, if that zombie is wearing any armour, (eg; cones, buckets, brickheads), or holding any items, (eg; screendoors or shovels), then when the zombie is unfrozen, that armour's or item's durability decreases by 50% and becomes more brittle. If that armour or item is frozen for a second time by the icy tea then the item completely becomes frozen and snaps into shards on the lawn which can lightly damage and chill zombies that walk over them. However, this ability doesn't stack with multiple Ye-tea's and there is a 20 second cooldown for this ability. In the case of indestructible items such as shovels, they also snap within two freezes. If a zombie is hit by the icy tea and doesn't have any armour or items in their possession, parts of their body freeze which increases the damage that they take by 25%. This ability does not stack.
== Origins ==
Ye-tea is based off of a tea plant which produces Tea, the tea plant itself could be Camellia sinensis. Ye-tea has a cup of tea on one of his leaves which could explain how Ye-tea keeps warm in the frozen environments where he roams. Most Tea Plants can't cope with cold temperatures but some species can cope with snow and frost, this probably means that Ye-tea derives from one of these species. 
The origin of tea dates back to ancient China, with a rich history intertwined with myth and legend. According to Chinese folklore, tea was discovered by Emperor Shen Nong in 2737 BCE. The story goes that while the emperor was boiling water, some leaves from a nearby wild tea tree blew into the pot, creating a fragrant and flavorful brew. Shen Nong, known for his interest in herbal medicine, found the drink invigorating and healthful. Tea cultivation and consumption began in China, where it was initially used for medicinal purposes. Over time, it became a popular beverage, especially during the Tang Dynasty (618–907 CE), which is often referred to as the golden age of tea. The Chinese refined tea cultivation, processing, and brewing methods, leading to the rich tea culture we know today. From China, tea spread to neighbouring countries like Japan and Korea. It was introduced to Japan by Buddhist monks in the early centuries of the Common Era and became deeply integrated into Japanese culture, particularly through the development of the Japanese tea ceremony. Tea eventually made its way to the Middle East and Europe, gaining popularity in the 17th century. The British became particularly enamoured with tea, leading to the establishment of extensive tea trade networks, especially with China and later with India, where the British developed large tea plantations in regions like Assam and Darjeeling.
The Yeti, or Abominable Snowman, is a legendary creature rooted in the folklore of Himalayan peoples like the Sherpas and Tibetans, where it is often depicted as a large, ape-like being inhabiting the snow-covered mountains. Known as "Migoi" or "Meh-teh" in Tibetan Buddhism, the Yeti holds spiritual significance and is sometimes seen as a guardian of nature. Western fascination with the Yeti grew in the 20th century through reports from explorers and mountaineers, sparking numerous expeditions to uncover its mysteries. While modern investigations often attribute Yeti sightings and evidence, such as large footprints or hair samples, to misidentified animals like bears, the Yeti endures as a powerful symbol of the mystique and wildness of the Himalayas.
Visually, Ye-tea has mostly white fur relating to a Yeti's stereotypical visual characteristics. However, Ye-tea also has lots of tea leaves which is how he would make his tea.
File:Image 2024-11-05 125453100.png|An image which shows a huge field of tea growing on some sort of farm.
File:Image 2024-11-05 125547073.png|An image which depicts Emperor Shennong
File:Image 2024-11-05 125622380.png|An image of a modern depiction of a Yeti.
== About ==
Ye-tea throws a cup of icy tea at a zombie every 12 seconds. The zombie hit and all other zombies in a 3x3 area are frozen for 4 seconds, this also extinguishes any flames, whilst also taking 50 damage. Any armour or items being used by the zombies become weaker when unfrozen, with them now having 50% less health than what they have normally. If they are frozen for a second time, the items or armour just completely crack into ice shards that drop onto the floor which chills zombies and deal light damage to zombies walking over them. However, the armour ability has a 20 second cooldown and doesn't stack with the use of multiple Ye-teas. Any zombie without any items or armour have parts of their body turn into permafrost which makes them take 25% more damage from plants. Ye-tea costs 200 sun and has a recharge of 15 seconds.
== Almanac Entry ==
== Upgrades ==
===Plant Food effect===
When fed with Plant Food, Ye-tea throws a very, very cold icy tea at a zombie which freezes zombies in a 3x3 area for 10 seconds and also makes all of their armour and items brittle and break into icy shards.
=== Winter-mint effect ===
When boosted by Winter-mint, Ye-tea's icy tea breaks down zombie armour instantly and Ye-tea now deals 150 damage from each tea throw. Ye-tea'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 	Ice Shard Damage	Freeze Time	Reload Time	Toughness
1 	0 	0 	200 	15 seconds	15 Damage 	4 seconds 	12 seconds 	300
2 	50 	0 	200 	15 seconds	15 Damage 	4 seconds 	12 seconds 	300
3 	100 	0 	200 	15 seconds	15 Damage 	4 seconds 	12 seconds 	300
4 	200 	0 	200 	14 seconds	15 Damage 	4 seconds 	11 seconds 	400
5 	300 	0 	200 	14 seconds	18 Damage 	5 seconds 	11 seconds 	400
6 	400 	0 	175 	14 seconds	18 Damage 	5 seconds 	11 seconds 	400
7 	500 	0 	175 	13 seconds	18 Damage 	5 seconds 	11 seconds 	500
8 	600 	0 	175 	13 seconds	18 Damage 	5 seconds 	10 seconds 	500
9 	800 	0 	175 	12 seconds	25 Damage 	5 seconds 	10 seconds 	500
10 	1,000 	0 	150 	10 seconds	25 Damage 	6 seconds 	10 seconds 	500
===Mastery upgrades===
*Frosty Blast
*Team of Tea
== Update and Balance History ==
===November 2nd 2024===
*
=== November 5th 2024 ===
* 
== Strategies ==
Ye-tea is useful plant that can be useful in various different scenarios. Ye-tea itself has an average sun cost of 200 and a recharge of 15 seconds which allows for Ye-tea to be placed and used quite early in levels. This makes Ye-tea handy in levels where there is a limited amount of sun available as Ye-tea can not only stall zombies but also damage them and make it so they are weaker and more prone to dying.
Ye-tea's ability to destroy armour is handy when the player has a lack of heavy hitters. Ye-tea therefore combines well with plants that can pierce as Ye-tea can weaken the groups of zombies and then a plant like Laser Bean can finish the zombies off. Ye-tea also does damage himself so multiple Ye-tea's could synergize with each other as long as they are all throwing icy cups of tea.
Ye-tea's ice shards can also be used to destroy Barrel Roller Zombie's barrels and other items rolled on the ground. Ye-tea again is useful in levels where there is a high amount of zombies with moderate health as he can excel in defeating zombies with his various ways of damaging zombies. Ye-tea's stall can be helpful in levels where you need to protect endangered plants as you have more time to recover in case of a group of zombies breaching the defenses.
== In-game Example==
==Gallery==
File:Ye-tea2.png|An image of Ye-tea on the lawn.
File:Ye-tea zoom.png|A zoomed in image of Ye-tea on the lawn.
File:Ye-tea2b.png|A blank image of Ye-tea.
==Trivia==
* Ye-tea was originally a plant in Snowy Plains, Plants vs. Zombies: The Final Wave.