Ladder Zombie

The Ladder Zombie, similar to the Screen Door Zombie, carries a shield in the form of a ladder and is the twenty-first zombie encountered in Adventure Mode. It moves faster than other zombies when it has its ladder and uses a ladder to get over the first defensive plant (Wall-nut, Tall-nut, or Pumpkin) it encounters and leaves it there so other zombies can climb over it, then continues at normal speed to eat the remaining plants. The Ladder Zombie can eat other plants, even if it encounters them before placing the ladder. For example, if the player has a Sunflower in front of a Tall-nut, it would eat the Sunflower, place the ladder on top of the Tall-nut, climb over the Tall-nut, and keep going.

Suburban Almanac Entry
 Ladder Zombie 

Ladder Zombie climbs over obstacles.

Toughness: medium

Ladder Toughness: medium

Speed: fast, then slow (after placing ladder)

Weakness: Fume-shroom and Magnet-shroom

He picked the ladder up for $8.99.

Overview
The Ladder Zombie absorbs 42 normal damage shots and its appearance changes upon 9, 17, 25, when the ladder is destroyed, and 34 normal damage shots before dying at 42 normal damage shots.

Appearances
Adventure Mode: 5-3, 5-4, 5-5, 5-7, 5-9, 5-10

Mini-games: Column Like You See 'Em, Last Stand, Dr. Zomboss's Revenge, Buttered Popcorn, BOMB All Together!, Bungee Blitz

Puzzle Mode: Totally Nuts, Three Hit Wonder, All your brainz r belong to us, I, Zombie Endless, Last Stand: Roof, Last Stand: Endless

Survival Mode: Survival: Fog, Survival: Roof, all Survival (Hard) and Survival (Endless) levels

Co-op Mode: all Co-op Hard levels, Co-op Zomboss, Co-op Endless

Others: Vs. Mode

Strategies
Ladder Zombies can be annoying because they can easily get over your defenses, also letting other zombies to do so too. However, there are various way to deal with this zombie. The ladder can be taken away by a Magnet-shroom, even if the ladder was already placed beforehand. Instant kills, (Cherry Bombs, Jalapenos, Doom-shrooms, and Cob Cannon cobs) will also destroy the ladders after they are placed. These zombies are also weak to Fume-shrooms, Gloom-shrooms, Spikeweed, Spikerock and lobbed-shot plants, (the lattermost of which should compose the majority of your offense in the roof levels in which the Ladder Zombie appears) as they do direct damage, and do not have to destroy the ladder first. The ladder can also prove to be a weakness to the Ladder Zombie, as Split Peas, Starfruits, and Gloom-shrooms can shoot backwards to damage it directly, making it a good idea to plant them in Pumpkins. This would effectively make the plant invulnerable, until an explosive plant, or Magnet-shroom  is utilized; so you shouldn't use both of these techniques at once (or near each other). Of course, this would not be helpful against Gargantuars or Zombonis. Ladders are best for a Chomper inside a Pumpkin, since the Chomper will be left uneaten by zombies, while they still can eat the zombies, (not including the one planted furthest to the left). This works especially well if the Chomper is planted on the right side of the lawn.

I, Zombie
When used properly, Ladder Zombies can quickly overrun rows with large amounts of Peashooters and other plants. You should use Ladder Zombies to climb over Wall-nuts or Tall-nuts instead of sending plenty of zombies to get over the defensive plants. However, don't use them near Magnet-shrooms, as they will remove or steal the ladder. If there are no defensive plants in a row, they can be a usable substitute for the Screen Door Zombie, with a shield to protect against the freezing effects of Snow Peas, and faster movement to compensate for the lower health. Above everything, avoid placing Ladder Zombies in rows with Kernel-pults and Spikeweed, as they will die quickly from the direct damage. Usually when Snow Peas are around, they work better than Football Zombies.

Trivia

 * The Ladder Zombie is the only zombie that has a shield used for something more than just protection.
 * The ladder is a shield against head-on projectiles. It provides no protection against fume attacks, arcing catapult projectiles, attacks from below (such as those from Spikeweed and Spikerock), attacks from the back (e.g. behind a Laddered Split Pea) and explosives.
 * The Ladder Zombie is the only shield zombie that loses his arm while he still has his shield.
 * The Ladder Zombie only puts its ladder down when it reaches a Wall-nut, Tall-nut, or Pumpkin, but not when reaching a Garlic.
 * If a Ladder Zombie dies just as it is placing its ladder, the ladder will disappear after two to three seconds.
 * The Ladder Zombie will not eat defensive wall plants when his ladder is intact.
 * A ladder will disable but not destroy one defensive wall plant. Most zombies approaching from the right side of the screen will climb over it. A Digger Zombie approaching from the left will still attack a defensive plant with a ladder attached.Black_ladder.PNG
 * Unlike the Newspaper Zombie and the Screen Door Zombie, the ladder protects hypnotized Ladder Zombies.
 * The Newspaper Zombie, Jack-in-the-Box Zombie and Ladder Zombie eat without using their hands.
 * The Ladder Zombie actually eats further away from plants than other zombies. This also occurs with Newspaper Zombies.
 * In the DS version, even if the ladder is damaged, while the Ladder Zombie is eating, it appears to be undamaged.
 * A placed Ladder can be destroyed by an explosive (Cherry Bombs, Jalapenos, Doom-shrooms, and Cob Cannons, and Potato Mines). It can be destroyed by digging up the plant that it is placed on. Placing a Magnet-shroom within range will remove ladders, even if they've already been deployed.
 * If you kill a Ladder Zombie in the progress of placing a ladder, its head will fall off, stop, and fall. The ladder will also disappear.
 * Even if the ladder has taken damage, the ladder will look undamaged when placed on a Wall-nut, Tall-nut, or Pumpkin.
 * The Ladder Zombie, the Imp (while flying), the Balloon Zombie (while on its balloon), the Digger Zombie (while digging), the Gargantuar, the Zomboni, and the Catapult Zombie are the only zombies that can get past a Tall-nut by itself without eating the plant.
 * Even if the Ladder Zombie's ladder is undamaged, it will change appearance to look damaged if the zombie dies while carrying it. The same thing happens with the Screen Door Zombie and Newspaper Zombie.
 * The Ladder Zombie has a pencil stuck in the side of his head, a tool belt with a hammer, and a plaid workman's shirt.
 * The Ladder Zombie has the same speed as the Pogo Zombie while holding his ladder. If he loses his ladder (deployed, magnet, broken), he slows down to the speed of a normal zombie.
 * There is a glitch that when a Magnet-shroom behind a Tall-nut or in a Pumpkin steals the ladder, the zombies can still climb over the Pumpkin or Tall-nut, as if the ladder was deployed.
 * When an Ice-shroom is activated or a plant is upgraded inside a Pumpkin with a ladder, it is destroyed.
 * Another cause of disappearing ladders against Pumpkins is removing the plant inside the Pumpkin.
 * Ladders are sometimes used in strategies in Survival: Endless to make plants invulnerable to eating zombies.
 * The Ladder Zombie, the Zombotany Zombies, Dancing Zombie, and Jack-in-the-Box Zombie are the only zombies that use their abilities when hypnotized.
 * There is a glitch that sometimes Ladder Zombie's arm won't fall off, however the bone is still shown. This gives the appearance of the bone sticking out of the arm.
 * In comparison from the graphics on the DS(i) version to other versions, the Ladder Zombies seems to be slightly faster, making him a bit more dangerous (especially if playing Dr. Zomboss's Revenge). However, he still retains the same amount of health as all other versions.Ladder_Zombie_Glitch.png