Hypno-shroom

*When zombies eat Hypno-shrooms, they will turn around and fight for you.*

**Hypno-shroom has no trouble persuading zombies to fight on behalf of the plants. But he has yet to convince one to cluck like a chicken. "One day," he says. "One day."**

**Hypno-shroom** is the fourth plant available in Dark Ages in *Alternate UniverZ*. He converts the zombie that eats him to the player's side, causing it to turn around to attack other zombies and damageable grid objects. He doesn't affect zombies that attack him through means other than eating, such as crushing or burning. Hypno-shroom also heals zombies by 100% of their health during nighttime (doesn't affect armor).

Hypno-shroom is unlocked after beating DA-VI.

## Almanac entry

**Hypno-shroom**

SUN COST: 75

RECHARGE: 30

AREA: Single

When zombies eat Hypno-shrooms, they will turn around and fight for you.
Special: hypnotized zombies have 20% more health at nighttime (doesn't affect armor)

Hypno-shroom has no trouble persuading zombies to fight on behalf of the plants. But he has yet to convince one to cluck like a chicken. "One day," he says. "One day."

## Plant Food effect

When given Plant Food, Hypno-shroom glows and any zombie that eats him transforms into the level's respective world version of a Gargantuar.

## Costumes

* Current
* Pre 1.5

## Strategies

Hypno-shroom continues to suffer from a lack of viable targets, and the hypnotized zombie's lacking performance against their former allies. Hypno-shroom's Plant Food is also deceptive-looking - the Gargantuars take a long amount of time to smash individual zombies and cannot take much punishment in return, and thus are incredibly vulnerable to rushes of weaker enemies, in particular, Zombie Chickens and Ice Weasels since the Gargantuar is not capable of doing area damage.

Hypno-shroom benefits from the usage of Intensive Carrot since he must be eaten for his ability to take effect and costs as much as the Intensive Carrot himself. Effective zombies to hypnotize are tough zombies that eat such as Pharaoh Zombies, Robo-Cone Zombies, and Webhead Zombie, or zombies that eat extra fast such as Springening Poncho Zombie or Overstuffed Zombie. If there are zombies scattered around the lane, use Plant Food on Hypno-shroom and you will have a clear lane sooner or later, or if not, the number of zombies will have decreased.

Also, in levels with Zombie Kings, this can easily defeat any of them since the Zombie Kings still grant zombies knight helms even when they are hypnotized, effectively making the hypnotised and newly appointed Knight Zombie last longer and easily defeat the Zombie King, not to mention Magnet-shroom does not steal armor items from hypnotized zombies. A Hypno-shroom with a Plant Food effect on the third lane can easily take out a Gargantuar, provided you damage the Gargantuar to half health with an instant-kill plant. Since the Imp will always be throw to the third column, they will always end up eating the Hypno-shroom and turn into a Gargantuar, before going back and decimating the zombies in his lane. A Jalapeño or just any other crowd controlling plant can also help out by destroying groups of weak zombies, since the Gargantuar's attacks are single-target only. A hypnotized Gargantuar Prime has an advantage as it smashes two times each time it encounters an enemy, which allows it to quickly take out the other mechanical enemies who will often resist a single smash. Freezing or slowing plants also help out as they prevent the zombies from attacking, giving the Gargantuar more time to kill the zombies.

In Wild West, the Zombie Chicken is a good candidate, as the Hypno-shroom cannot be consumed in a peck, allowing a whole lane of chickens to become hypnotized, and make quick work out of a lane of zombies as long as you immobilize the zombies there with Stunion or similar plants. Likewise, this plant is also a great choice in Far Future, as most of the mechanical zombies do eat plants and can become hypnotized. Disco-tron 3000 is a particularly good candidate for the Hypno-shroom, as it can summon hypnotized Disco Jetpack Zombies when hypnotized, aiding your defense even more.

## Balance Changes

### Version 1.4

* Hitbox fixed.
	+ Dev Note: god I despised that hitbox SO MUCH

### Version 1.4.0.1

* No longer activates Flame Tiles to the left of him.

### Version 1.4.2

* His Plant Food now spawns the correct Gargantuars in holiday quests.