Grapeshot

Grapeshot is a premium plant in Plants vs. Zombies 2. It was featured in the Jurassic Marsh Part 1 teaser Piñata Parties from November 10th to November 16th, and is currently available for purchase at $6.99.

Similarly to Cherry Bomb, Grapeshot explodes in a 3x3 area, dealing 90 normal damage shots worth of damage to all enemies caught in the blast. However, eight grapes will also be released after the initial explosion in the cardinal and ordinal directions. The grapes can ricochet up to five times in a manner similar to Bowling Bulb's projectile, doing 10 normal damage shots for each zombie they hit.

Origins
Grapeshot is based on the real life Grape, a term referring to fruiting berry of vines belonging to the genus Vitis. Grapes are a type of fruit that grow in clusters of 15 to 300, and come in a variety of colors such as crimson, black, dark blue, yellow, green, orange, and pink. Its explosive ability is based off of grapeshots, a type of artillery shell composed of small metal balls or slugs packed tightly into a canvas bag, akin to a modern shotgun shell.

Almanac entry
Sun cost: 150

DAMAGE: Massive

RECHARGE: Slow

Grapeshots explode and scatter bouncing projectiles in eight directions.

Usage: instant

"Spa-BOOM!" enthuses Grapeshot. "You liked that? I got a million of 'em! Wa-POW! Buh-BLAM! Za-... um... Ker-... hmmm... Okay, I guess I've only got the three."

Strategies
Grapeshot is typically considered a straight upgrade to Cherry Bomb - while its initial profile is almost identical to Cherry Bomb's in damage, sun cost and recharge rate, the additional grapes will allow Grapeshot to control the horde far better than Cherry Bomb, as well as destroy obstacles such as tombstones and frozen blocks. Notably, a Grapeshot under the right circumstance can instantly vanquish a full health Gargantuar, a feat otherwise can only be achieved by Electric Blueberry and Citron's Plant Food.

The grapes are somewhat of a hazard to the player in the Dark Ages however, as Jester Zombies can reflect them and deal massive damage to the player's defense. They can also be a problem if a grape bounces and kills a dangerous zombie early in the level, like Chicken Wrangler Zombies or Weasel Hoarders as they can release their animals and overwhelm most plants.

Ultimately, due to the lack of actual difference in usage, Grapeshot should be used in a way similar to Cherry Bomb: to quickly neutralize threats that have breached too far into the player's defense, or to nuke high-health targets. Imitater can also be used to remedy Grapeshot's recharge issue. Imp Dragon Zombies in the Dark Ages are immune to the initial explosion, but not to the ricocheting grapes, so Grapeshot should have little trouble combating them.

Trivia

 * It is the first plant that is a direct upgrade of an existing plant, Cherry Bomb, regarding factors like sun cost, recharge, and effect. Cold Snapdragon is the second direct upgrade.
 * Coincidentally, both are premium plants tied with Jurassic Marsh.
 * It has the most heads out of any plant in the entire franchise, with eight heads total. One of the heads can only be seen after the explosion.
 * It is the only instant-use plant to have two different attacks: the explosion and the release of ricocheting grapes.
 * Grapeshot reuses sounds from Cherry Bomb, Citron, Bowling Bulb, Banana Launcher, and Strawburst.
 * Its charging and exploding sounds are reused from Cherry Bomb's. Sounds from Bowling Bulb, Banana Launcher, and Strawburst are heard when its heads are ricocheting, and Citron's noises are used when a head bursts.
 * The advertisement for it reads, "Unleash the grapes of wrath!" This is a reference to a book written by John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath.
 * If the player observes closely in the Part 1 trailer, it is missing its leaf.
 * It can be used during Last Stand setup.
 * After you plant it and it explodes in Last Stand setup, it will leave behind a shadow that cannot be planted on and will never go away until you press "Let's Rock!"