Parsnip

*Parsnip snips at zombies, and then charges down the lane at the last moment.*

**"Snip!" said Parsnip. "Snip snip snip! If it wasn't for my scrapbook, my coupons, and snipping zombies to death, I just don't know what I'd do with myself!"**

**Parsnip** is a plant in *Plants vs. Zombies 2: Reflourished* and the seventh plant obtained in Jurassic Marsh. He is unlocked at Jurassic Marsh - Day 39.

Parsnip attacks zombies ahead of him ~2 tiles every 1 second, dealing 70 damage. Once Parsnip is almost eaten, he will rush down the lane in a similar fashion to Guacodile, snipping each zombie in his path four to six times using his pincer, with each snip dealing 150 damage.

Unlike Guacodile who will rush as soon as zombies are near, Parsnip only rushes after taking damage equal to (not more than) his toughness.

## Almanac entry

**Parsnip**

Parsnip snips at zombies, and then charges down the lane at the last moment.

"Snip!" said Parsnip. "Snip snip snip! If it wasn't for my scrapbook, my coupons, and snipping zombies to death, I just don't know what I'd do with myself!"

## Plant Food effect

When fed with Plant Food, Parsnip will knock back every zombie in front 1 tile of him. Then, Parsnip will create two smaller versions of himself that will rush down the lane and damage zombies.

## Strategies

Parsnip is one of the most high-risk albeit high-reward plants in the game, as while he has some of the highest consistent damage output out of every plant on close range, his lengthy recharge and somewhat high sun cost can make him hard to set up, especially in the early game. In addition to his monstrously high damage output, Parsnip also has a rush ability that activates when he is eaten, which is potent enough to leave all but the toughest zombies in his lane to waste, but given his aforementioned sun cost and recharge, it should not be overly relied on and care must be invested in Parsnip-related decks to successfully clear levels.

To make up for the difficulty and time it takes to set up Parsnips, it is recommended that in the early game you use cheap instant-use plants like Potato Mine and Chili Bean in order to weed out zombies that appear in the early game as well as a decent amounts of sun producers. Puff-shroom is also a great pick when using Parsnip as he can fend off zombies in the early game without having to spend sun. Since he is a melee plant without area-of-effect, it is highly recommended to use area-of-effect plants like Bloomerang, Laser Bean and Blastberry Vine. Slowing plants like Snow Pea and Sap-fling also pair greatly with Parsnips, leaving zombies vulnerable to his high damage. Pumpkin is also another plant that synergizes greatly with Parsnip since his status as a protective vine plant can have him tank bites from Zombies while still reaping the benefits of having two columns of Parsnips, maximizing his damage output in the process. Due to his limited range, it is not recommended to use him against zombies that do not eat plants, such as Explorer Zombies and MC Zom-Bs, at least not without proper support.

Parsnip faces competition from two melee plants in the form of Bonk Choy and Wasabi Whip. Bonk Choy, while having less damage output, has a significantly cheaper sun cost and lower recharge, making him easier to set up in the early-game, while Wasabi Whip can heat plants in Frostbite Caves and has longer range. Both Bonk Choy and Parsnip are also able to attack zombies behind them, which gives them an edge against zombies that attack from backwards as well as Pterodactyls in Jurassic Marsh. However, Parsnip has the highest damage output compared to both of these plants. The choice of using which melee plant to use depends on the player's preferences and the layout of the level.

## Balance changes

### Initial launch

#### Listed changes

* ▼ +125 sun
* ▼ +15 second recharge
* ▼ -2 mini-Parsnips spawned using Plant Food

#### Actual changes

* ▼ +125 sun
* ▼ +15 second recharge
* Number of mini-Parsnips spawned using Plant Food is unchanged
* ▼ -10 snip damage
* ▼ -150 rushing damage

### Version 1.1.4

* ▲ Rush Movement Speed: 300 -> 150
* Target audience: Casuals
	+ Developer note: Inspired by our previous change to Guacodile, where we buffed his lesser-used attack while keeping his rush the same, we’ve decided to buff Parsnip’s rush attack too! A slower movement speed should allow him to more thoroughly snip through zombies during his trip off the lawn. This change should promote his usage with the casual playerbase who on average lose Parsnips more often to hungry zombies. With a more powerful death attack, that loss is going to sting a lot less.