Thyme Warp


 * Not to be confused with Party Thyme from Plants vs. Zombies Heroes.

Thyme Warp is the third plant obtained in Neon Mixtape Tour in Plants vs. Zombies 2, and is the world's exclusive plant. When planted, it returns all zombies to their starting positions (the ninth column of the lawn) and restores them to full health. Thyme Warp will not restore armor if a zombie already lost it, nor can it restore an Impunk that was already thrown by a Hair Metal Gargantuar. It can be used only in Neon Mixtape Tour, Greatest Hits, Modern Day - Day 9, and certain Piñata Parties.

Origins
Thyme Warp is based on the genus Thymus, or thyme, a type of herb used for culinary and medical purposes. Thyme Warp bears the most resemblance to Thymus citriodorus, or lemon thyme. Thyme Warp is also a pun on "Time Warp."

Almanac entry
Sun cost: 75

AREA: Full Board RECHARGE: Very Slow

Thyme Warp rewinds time, sending zombies back to where they started.

Usage: single use, instant

Special: rewound zombies have restored health

"Possibilities other to open be to need we." Warp Thyme says, "Limited too far was time to approach unidirectional the that felt always I've."

Level upgrade
Note: Thyme Warp cannot be upgraded to level 4.

Strategies
Thyme Warp can be a devastating plant if used correctly. In conjunction with slowing plants, Thyme Warp can stall the horde indefinitely, giving the player virtually infinite time to buy expensive plants such as Winter Melon or Strawburst. However, it still has its downsides, namely its very slow recharge rate and the fact that it restores all zombies' health, which makes it less desirable for inexperienced players.

A good plant to use with Thyme Warp is Sap-fling, as the latter plant can reliably slow the incoming zombies early on, and can still stay effective as the level progresses. Snow Pea and Stallia are also reasonable choices, though they are not nearly as reliable. Sap-fling is less likely to be relevant in Endless Zones, as the starting Plant Food makes it easier to amass Winter Melon quickly.

A possible way to circumvent Thyme Warp's downside is to use controllable plants like Banana Launcher or Strawburst to damage the horde right after using Thyme Warp. Since Thyme Warp clumps zombies together, this strategy will also help the player to maximize their plants' damage potential.

Thyme Warp can be used in higher levels of Greatest Hits to great effect, as its stalling capability is vital in deterring hordes of Hair Metal Gargantuar from destroying other plants early on. A particularly effective strategy is to use Thyme Warp when there are Breakdancer Zombies on rap jam, then follow up with Blover. Because Breakdancer Zombies will kick the clumped zombies and render them airborne after Thyme Warp's effect wears out, Blover will be able to blow them all away. Exercise caution however, a glitch may occur about this case where if used Blover alongside Thyme Warp against a horde of Breakdancer Zombies, some may get bounced repetitively close to the player's house assuming that there are no lawn mowers left before getting flung off the screen completely, which could lead to a loss in their streak.

Trivia

 * Its Almanac entry is backwards. Forwardly, it is read as: "I've always felt that the unidirectional approach to time was far too limited." says Thyme Warp. "We need to be open to other possibilities."
 * It and Blover are the only plants that have a "Full Board" area.
 * There is a pun in the Travel Log that says "Let's do the Thyme Warp again!" This is referencing the famous song "The Time Warp" from the old musical The Rocky Horror Show and its movie adaptation The Rocky Horror Picture Show. In fact, it will do the dance (jump to the left, step to the right, bring your knees in tight, pelvic thrust) as its animation.
 * Its gold hat also references Columbia from the Rocky Horror Picture Show.
 * It can be seen frowning in the Neon Mixtape Tour Side A trailer, but this expression is never seen in-game.
 * Despite being an instant-use plant, it can still be planted during setup in Last Stand levels. The same goes with Perfume-shroom.
 * Before the 4.0 update, if any zombie carrying Plant Food was affected by it, that zombie would return without Plant Food and the sound of a zombie being teleported back to the 9th column could stack with that of other zombies, effectively leading to massive increase in volume.
 * It can prevent the Treasure Yeti from running away by teleporting it back in time and resetting the time it will take before backing up.
 * It is the first plant to get an achievement related to it (4.0.1) after the update it was released in (3.9.1).
 * Before the 4.2.1 update, Thyme Warp could not be obtained in Greatest Hits.
 * Before the 4.5.1 update, if Shrinking Violet's Plant Food ability is used then Thyme Warp is used, the game will crash.
 * Despite it removing any status ailments on a zombie, shrunken zombies will stay small after Thyme Warp is used.
 * This is the first plant that is based on the thyme plant, with the second being Party Thyme.