Hot Date


 * For the version in Plants vs. Zombies Heroes, see Hot Date.

Hot Date is a premium plant in Plants vs. Zombies 2, tied to the 2017 Valenbrainz event. It is the fifth event-edition plant to be in the shop permanently, after Wasabi Whip, Witch Hazel and Parsnip and Missile Toe. If a zombie on the lane above or below them gets close enough to a Hot Date, they will be lured up to it, like a Sweet Potato, and explodes like a Jalapeno once eaten.

Origins
The Hot Date is based on a date, a fruit, and the phrase "hot date," meaning an appealing person someone is dating.

Plant Food effect
Hot Date will regain all of its lost health and attract zombies to it in a 4x3 area, similar to Sweet Potato.

Strategies
Hot Date can be treated as a luring Explode-O-Nut, as the two have really similar abilities, both being defensive plants that when eaten, become an instant kill. However, Hot Date behaves like a Jalapeno, while Explode-O-Nut behaves like a Cherry Bomb. This should not be a problem however, due to Hot Date luring zombies over to its lane anyways.

Trivia

 * There is a bug that, after its Plant Food is used while it is exploding, it will become invisible to zombies, and not be treated like it is on the field.
 * This is probably due to the plant being both destroyed and not destroyed at the same time, confusing the game for the plant's current state, and get treated as destroyed as a result.
 * It has blue eyes in-game, but the seed packet has black eyes.
 * This is Hot Date's eye color in Plants vs. Zombies Heroes however.
 * It, Sweet Potato, and Garlic, are so far the only three plants with lane changing affects.