Prospector Zombie

Prospector Zombie is the eleventh zombie encountered in the Wild West. Its dynamite detonates after a while, launching it behind the player's defenses. It eats its way back to the right side of the screen. It almost functions the same as Digger Zombie from Plants vs. Zombies, but instead of burrowing and surfacing at the very left, it appears vulnerably in the lawn and only reaches the back after its dynamite explodes. The dynamite can be extinguished by Iceberg Lettuces, Snow Peas, and Winter Melons and also can be relighted by fire such as the Snapdragon. While it is launching on the mid-air, it can be blown by Blover.

Almanac entry
TOUGHNESS: Average

SPEED: Stiff

Launches over your defenses when his fuse blows down.

Special: appears on the left side of your lawn when dynamite explodes

"There once was a zombie who got old, spending all his day looking for gold. 'Til one day in the rain, he finally ate the brains… and, wait, where's his other shoe?"

Overview
Prospector Zombie absorbs 9.5 normal damage shots. Its appearance changes at 5 shots before dying at 9.5 shots.

Appearances
Player's House: Piñata Party

Wild West: Day 2, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 13, 16, 18, 19, 21, 25 and Big Bad Butte

Strategies
Its dynamite detonates after a few seconds, making it go all the way to the back and start walking to the right, destroying your defenses. It only has the health of a regular zombie, so that has an advantage for the player. Good choices to destroy this zombie include Split Peas or Bonk Choys because they can attack forward and backward. To avoid letting its dynamite detonate, try to freeze it by using freezing plants like Iceberg Lettuce or stun it with butter from a Kernel-pult or slow it down with Winter Melon or Snow Pea. Using Plant Food on any catapult plant can be a last resort, as they target every zombie on screen. While they are flying to the left, you can use Blovers, if you do not want to plant Split Peas and freezing plants because you could be using fire instead. Blocking it with defensive plants while its dynamite is active is not a good idea, as it will not stop it from jumping.

In Big Bad Butte, bringing Blover is a must as there are some cases where newly-arrived Prospector Zombies cannot be damaged by Winter Melons and may cause a serious damage to your backmost defenses if not taken care of immediately. With its fast recharge, try to time carefully when will they fly, then you can use Blover to wipe them off, allowing you to save much sun and time for upcoming assaults. This tactic is effectively done in higher levels, four-flagged levels, or in levels with presences of Wild West Gargantuars.

Trivia

 * The fuse of the dynamite was going to be longer as seen in the Wild West Trailer.
 * If the Prospector Zombie is killed after its dynamite exploded and landed it in the opposite side of the lawn, its head will fall off backwards when it dies. This will happen even if it was launched to the left side and killed by a plant that shoots to the right, like a Threepeater or Peashooter on a mine cart.
 * A Prospector Zombie appears in the Wild West as an advertisement to get more coins if the player's coin balance is low enough.
 * This is the only zombie in the entire Plants vs. Zombies series that uses dynamite.
 * If a Prospector Zombie gets zapped or burned while facing the opposite side, its sprite will become backwards.
 * Prospector Zombie, Seagull Zombie, Imp, Barrel Roller Zombie, Jetpack Zombie and Disco Jetpack Zombie are the only zombies in the game that fall backwards when they die.
 * The Prospector Zombie, the Blew Zombie, Torch Zombie, Torch Monk Zombie, and the Explorer Zombie are the only zombies whose special ability can be prevented with a freezing-effect plant.
 * Lobbed-shot plants, Lightning Reed and Starfruit can hit it in midair.
 * The way that this zombie gets to the other side of the lawn is actually similar to the rocket jump technique used in many first person shooters.
 * If the player listens closely, when the Prospector Zombie's dynamite detonates and it is launched, it coarsely shouts 'Brains!' while in the air.
 * Prospector Zombie is one of the four zombie types which do not target the player's house, the others being all Zombot variations, the Zombie Parrot and the Zombie King unless the dynamite has been extinguished.
 * If it gets hypnotized by a Hypno-shroom before its dynamite goes off, it will still go to the leftmost column. It just will not eat the plants.
 * Fire attack plants cannot relight the dynamite, unlike Explorer Zombie's torch.
 * It can be blown away by Blover while on the mid-air.
 * When chilled while airborne, its smoke will change into blue color.
 * It immediately dies when there are no zombies targeting the Player's House. This trait is shared with the Zombie King when there are no zombies left but itself.