Escape Root

*Escape Roots can be swapped with other plants that are in danger.*

*The other plants put on a big surprise party for Escape Root last week, but he did his thing and suddenly it was a surprise party... FOR THEM!*

**Escape Root** is a Tier III plant. It can be used to swap plants' position with its' position. Some plants cannot be swapped, such as Marigolds. To use, tap Escape Root then the plant whose position you want to swap with Escape Root's.

## Plant Food effect

Escape Root burrows and pops up at several locations around the board, dealing a total of 900 damage to all grid items.

## Strategy

Escape Root is arguably the most complex and versatile plant in the game. While it is incapable of doing any damage to zombies, the utility of swapping plants has a myriad of applications. In the early game, Escape Root can move your attacking plants to reach zombies in all lanes, allowing you to defend early waves very cheaply. This is achieved by swapping Escape Root with a plant in that lane (typically a sun producer), and then swapping it with your attacker. Another way to approach the early game with Escape Root is to plant Potato Mines (or other cheap instas) as soon as they are off cooldown, and then swap them into the correct lanes, allowing you to somewhat mitigate the downside of Potato Mine's long cooldown. In the middle to late game, Escape Root can aid the player in expanding their defence - whereas you would normally have to shovel sun producers in order to make room for more attacking plants, Escape Root can allow you to shuffle your defence around to accommodate plants without shoveling. Melee plants and walls are also much more versatile with Escape Root, as they can be moved forwards or backwards to maximize their damage output or to move them out of danger respectively. Lastly, Escape Root's Plant Food ability is capable of destroying most grid items onscreen and nearly destroying Arcades, which can be useful in levels with many grid items.

As highlighted earlier, Escape Root can work well with many archetypes of plant. As such, we will focus on the most common and effective synergies. When paired with Escape Root, Ultomato becomes one of the most cost efficient early game defences in the game. Even in the late game, Ultomato can be swapped around to effectively target lanes with high HP threats, providing valuable support to the defence. Pokra and Cold Snapdragon are also good pairings, as the risk of losing them can be set up and utilized much more effectively when paired with Escape Root (see above). Kiwibeast benefits greatly from Escape Root - It can be placed in the front to take damage, and then moved to the back once they are in the damaging stage.

In SOS layouts, Escape Root is able to swap with endangered plants; this often trivialises the task of defending them. However, Escape Root cannot swap with Marigolds (from Marigold Sprouts).

Root is substantially less useful in Pirate Seas and Big Wave Beach, as the planks and water greatly restrict the tiles Escape Root can swap into.

## Advanced Strategies

> ***This section will cover more niche (but still useful) applications of Escape Root.***
>
>

Escape Root itself is a fairly cost efficient wall, especially at level 9 and above (once its cost decreases to 25 sun.) This can be useful in the early game, but due to the high recharge on Escape Root it shouldn't be relied on.

Escape Root will not swap with vine plants, only moving the plant within them. This has several benefits. Shoveling is fairly limited when it comes to tiles with multiple plants on them - you are forced to shovel vines before you can shovel the plant within them. Escape Root lets you get around this by moving the plant out of the vine. This can be useful with vines like Blastberry, where shoveling the vine would be expensive, or vines like Pyre Vine which are often used early - the plant within is often not the plant you want in the late game as a result. Another quirk with Escape Root and vines is as follows: if a plant is partially frozen, it can be unfrozen by swapping it in and out of a vine plant.

In niche situations, it may be worth pairing Escape Root with zero cost plants such as Iceberg Lettuce, or even leveled Small Nut. You can place these plants to give Escape Root places to swap to.

Escape Root's hurtbox is smaller than that of most other plants. As a result, Gargantuars that would smash a plant can miss Escape Root if it is swapped in. This can be repeated reliably (swapping in root to dodge the smash, then swapping in a plant to bait the next smash) to effectively stun one or more gargs indefinitely if they are chilled or stalled.

Football Mechs and MC Zombies ignore Escape Root. Additionally, Seagull and Pelican Zombies will fly over Escape Root without eating it.

In Pirate Seas, if Root swaps with a plant targeted by parrot, they will return to the Pirate Captain.

## Trivia

* Seagull and Pelican Zombies will fly over Escape Root instead of eating it.
* If Escape Root comes into contact with Shield Zombie's shield, it will be destroyed.
* Escape Root will not explode if eaten or destroyed under most normal circumstances. However, if it is smashed by a Gargantuar or is destroyed by a Shield Zombie's shield, it will explode, dealing 300 damage to all grid items.
* Escape Root can swap with most (but not all) plants. The plants it cannot swap with are:
	+ Instas that activate by themselves when placed, such as Grave Buster, Power Lily, and Cherry Bomb, as well as all mints. Note that this excludes plants like Ghost Pepper that activate in the presence of zombies.
	+ Imitater
	+ Marigold and Marigold Sprouts
	+ Lily Pad, Enlighten-mint's wild flowers and all vine plants (Escape Root may still swap with a plant in a vine, but not a plant on a Lily Pad since it cannot swap to where it cannot be planted.)

**Escape Root**

SUN COST: 50

RECHARGE: 120

STARTING RECHARGE: 15

TOUGHNESS: 150

Escape Roots can be swapped with other plants that are in danger.Usage: tap Escape Root and another plant to swap themSpecial: immune to frost