Lava Guava

*Lava Guavas erupt, creating a lava pool that burns zombies.*

**Is immune to frost**

**Warms nearby plants**

**Lava Guava frowns with barely-repressed rage. He's trying to keep it in check. But one day some zombie's going to push him too far and he can't be held responsible for the consequences.**

**Lava Guava** is the fifth plant available in Lost City in *Alternate UniverZ*. When a zombie gets close enough to him, he erupts, doing 200 damage in a 3x3 area and leaving a damaging lava pool on his tile for 20 seconds, destroying himself in the process. The lava pool cannot be planted on.

Lava Guava is unlocked after beating LC-VIII.

## Almanac entry

**Lava Guava**

SUN COST: 75

RECHARGE: 30

DAMAGE: 200

RANGE: Touch

Lava Guavas erupt, creating a lava pool that burns zombies.
Usage: single use, on contact
Special: creates a burning lava pool in its tile
Special: lava pool does 25 damage every 0.25 seconds and last for 20 seconds

Lava Guava frowns with barely-repressed rage. He's trying to keep it in check. But one day some zombie's going to push him too far and he can't be held responsible for the consequences.

## Plant Food effect

When given Plant Food, Lava Guava creates a lava trail the whole lane ahead of it that damages zombies on it for 10 seconds, dealing 1000 damage in total.

## Costumes

* Current
* Pre 1.5

## Strategies

Similar to Ghost Pepper, Lava Guava benefits greatly from his long damage-dealing duration, low sun cost, and relatively quick recharge rate compared to other instant-kill plants. Because of this, he is best used as an aid to other offensive plants or an emergency option to quickly neutralize large clusters of zombies. While Ghost Pepper has a greater range and therefore will be better suited to fighting quick-moving enemies, Lava Guava deals more damage in a smaller area and will prove to be better at attacking slower targets.

Lava Guava should ideally be positioned in areas where large groups of zombies will walk through, which makes it useful in Endless Zones. Directing zombies with Sweet Potato or Void Orchid, as well as delaying them with stalling plants such as Stunion or Stallia, or stopping them with a defensive plant like Endurian can also greatly increase Lava Guava's efficiency. Lava Guava's Plant Food effect should not be relied upon, as he deals relatively low damage compared to other plants. However, it works as an effective barrier.

Lava Guava is particularly useful in Frostbite Caves, as the ice floes can create natural choke points, forcing enemies from multiple lanes to walk through the lava tile and maximizing Lava Guava's potential. Additionally, Lava Guava can be used as a thawing plant if the player opted not to carry other fire-based plants into the battle, with the added benefit of NOT disabling freezing effects of ice-based plants as he has no ranged attacks and can therefore be deployed safely in the back. It also a good idea to use Lava Guava against Chicken Wrangler Zombie or Weasel Hoarder, as his explosion can easily destroy a flock of Zombie Chickens or pack of Ice Weasels. The player should be aware of Troglobites because their frozen blocks can crush Lava Guava as well as Dodo Rider Zombie, as they can fly to bypass the lava tile. Of course, he can be planted on an adjacent role to melt all the ice blocks so they won't be of a threat. He cannot be used against Sasquatch Imps as well due to their immunity to his attacks.

Lava Guava is also able to be used for the same strategies as Spikeweed and Spikerock, thanks to how similar they are. However, he is not permanent nor he recharges fast. But when it comes to zombies that can crush plants, he will work better since the lava pool can only disappear after its duration has expired and zombies cannot remove it. Furthermore, while only temporary, it deals much higher damage than the two aforementioned plants.

## Balance Changes

### Version 1.6.2

* Lava DPS: 50 (bugged) -> 80
* Lava duration: 20s -> 25s
	+ Dev Note: Did you know that Lava did WAY LESS damage than what the almanac told you, and even then many of you liked him. Be happy.