Digger Zombie

The Digger Zombie uses its pick to dig through the ground to the left side of the lawn, allowing it to attack the player's plants from behind. It is not present on Roof levels (as when they dig, they will dig through the ceiling of the house which is impossible). Without preparation, they have the potential to do devastating damage to rows of plants.

Overview
Absorbs 15 normal damage shots. Appearance changes upon absorption of 2, 4, 5, and 10 normal damage shots.

Strategy
You can use Magnet-shrooms to steal the zombie's pick so it can't dig. Also, try using Potato Mines, as if it digs under the mine it dies. Alternately, place Gloom-shrooms or Spikerocks at the back of the lawn, or use Split Peas, Starfruit, and/or Cattails to kill it. You can also Pumpkin your back row allowing your other plants more time to kill it. Instants, especially the Jalapeno, are good in emergencies. Note that if you use Split Peas in Survival Hard, there will be more amount of Digger Zombies coming than if you use any other plants to deal with Digger Zombies.

A Magnet-shroom that has just refreshed may snatch the Digger Zombie's mining pick while he is in the middle of your plants, forcing him out of the ground in an inconvenient location. Having a Pumpkin, Ice-shroom, or Jalapeno available can counter this situation.

In Survival: Endless (or similar levels with many diggers), the Gloom-shroom (you can use only two to save space for other plants) or Spikerock setups are the best to take care of them, because your Magnet-shrooms, Split peas, Cattails, and/or Starfruits won't be able to keep up (making them almost useless and creating a necessity to remove them and saving space).

In I, Zombie, you can use this zombie to destroy lanes of plants without any plants that attack other lanes and/or backwards (Threepeaters, Starfruit, Split Peas), although they can still be used in these rows; however rows with Squashes, Magnet-shrooms, or Potato Mines are effectively impervious.

Note that explosive Instants can kill Digger Zombies while they are mining, so Doom-shrooms make very short work of them due to the large area, although other Instants like the Squash do not work while they are underground. However, the easiest (but slowest) way to take care of them is to use Potato Mines, due to them exploding as soon as a Digger Zombie goes beneath one, and how they can be set up in advance. Also, if a Chomper is planted on the square one emerges from, it can eat it.

Trivia

 * Even after the Digger Zombie surfaces, a Magnet-shroom can still steal the pick.
 * It is the only zombie to move to the right on its own.
 * This also makes it the only zombie other than Dr. Zomboss unable to enter your house, unless the player steals its pickaxe while it is digging and the Lawn Mower is already used.
 * The Digger Zombie also has the slowest chewing rate of all zombies; however, its bites do twice the damage of that of other zombies.
 * The Digger Zombie is the only zombie that will not change directions when in contact with a Hypno-shroom, it will simply continue going forward hypnotized, unless the the player steals its pickaxe while it is digging.
 * It has the weakest helmet in this game.
 * The Digger Zombie's helmet is most likely made of plastic, as Magnet-shrooms cannot pick them up and they make a plastic sound when hit.
 * The Digger Zombie's helmet is available in the Xbox Live Marketplace as a hat for your avatar. It costs 160 Microsoft Points.
 * The Digger Zombie must eat defensive plants with ladders on them, as the ladders are on the opposite side from it.
 * A Digger Zombie can eat an unactivated Potato Mine while underground. This is the only plant it can eat underground.