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Garden Rake is a semi-reusable item sold to the player by Crazy Dave at Crazy Dave's Twiddydinkies. It costs $200, lasts for three levels, and it can be bought again any time after it runs out. It is automatically placed in the lane where the first zombie will appear and the zombie that steps on it gets killed instantly.

At the beginning of a level, the Garden Rake will appear on the second column (from the right) on any ground lane, and this lane will also be where the first zombie appears (except in the Puzzle Mode and Vasebreaker levels). When the zombie reaches the rake, it will die instantly. This applies to every type of zombie except Gargantuars, Giga-gargantuars and Tall-nut Zombies (which will deal 90 damage), although it is extremely rare they will come first.

DS Rake

A Garden Rake in the Nintendo DS version

Strategies

Simply buy the rake as soon as it wears out, and it will take out the first zombie that appears. It gives you more time to set up your Sunflowers, without having to plant an offensive plant when the zombies arrive. This can actually be a hindrance in the hard Survival Mode levels when using the basic strategy with Peashooters, as if you do not plant the offensive plant the harder zombies may come before you have enough offensive plants ready. However, this is not a problem if you have Cattails, Potato Mines, or Squashes available, though some can find it hard to save up sun while using these plants, even though their purpose is to help save up sun.

If you're trying out any strategy that does not have a basic plant (Potato Mine, Puff-shroom, Peashooter), then rakes are a must, as zombies would get too close to be killed even by a Repeater or Melon-pult.

It should be noticed, however, that the sooner the first zombie is killed, the sooner the next zombie will come. The rake increases the time you have before you must deal with the first zombie, but it reduces the time before you face the first huge wave. Thus in Survival: Endless or when attempting levels without Sunflowers, it might be in some ways better to not use it, as you will have some more time to save up sun.

Gallery

Trivia

  • It does not appear in Bobsled Bonanza due to the ice trail.
  • When certain zombies step on it, their head will fall off, but their arm will remain attached.
Rake2

A Football Zombie about to step on a Garden Rake

  • If a zombie is killed and then immediately steps on this, the rake will still activate.
  • Level 5-5 is the only level that the garden rake cannot kill the first zombie that appeared, because it was placed by a Bungee Zombie.
  • During any Pool level on the Nintendo DS version, a zombie with a rake stuck in the back of his head may appear on the top screen. This zombie will have a facial expression similar to that of a zombie after taking a bite of Garlic.
  • It is the cheapest item available in Crazy Dave's Twiddydinkies (with the exception of the Bacon in the iOS version).
  • The effect of this is based on cartoons. When the character steps on the steel part, it will act as a lever and the handle will stand and slam into the character who stepped on it.
  • It can't kill a Balloon Zombie as it is in mid-air.
  • Pole Vaulting Zombie and Pogo Zombie cannot vault or jump over this.
  • In Last Stand Endless, it is possible that this will be not used. There will just be two of these in the next round even though the player only purchased one rake.
  • Even if it is not used in a level, it will still act like it was used, and only appear for three levels rather than four, even though nothing has happened to it.
  • The player can get this item for free if they watch a video in the Plants vs. Zombies FREE version.
    • However, this is only for one round, instead of the usual three.
      • Since it appears for a brief second after the first Zombie comes, you can watch a video straight after to save it for the next zombie.
  • Gargantuar and Giga-gargantuar can survival the rake if they haven’t gotten insta kill once for Gargantuar and three times for their Giga Counterparts.
    • However this would be hard for either of them to step on the rake because you would have to kill every other zombie except for them.

See also

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