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Sportacus is an event plant card in Plants vs. Zombies Heroes and a member of the PvZH Smarty IconSmarty class.

He costs 3SunPvZH to play and has 3StrengthPvZH/3HeartPvZH. He doesn't have any traits, and his ability does 2 damage to the zombie hero every time a zombie trick is played. This ability stacks with each Sportacus on the field and persists until all Sportacuses are removed from the field.

He was introduced in the 2017 Valenbrainz event, along with Hot Date and Stupid Cupid. He became craftable as of update 1.12.6.

He was made available in a Weekly Event, and was available from 21 February 2017 to 28 February 2017.

Origins[]

Spartacus

He is based on a mushroom, the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, specifically the panther cap (Amanita pantherina); and a gladiator, an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire.

His name is a portmanteau of "spore," a reproductive cell or group of cells produced by some plants, and "Spartacus," a Thracian gladiator who was one of the escaped slave leaders in the Third Servile War.

His appearance is based on actor Kirk Douglas' portrayal of Spartacus in the 1960 historical drama film Spartacus directed by Stanley Kubrick. His description is a reference to the iconic "I'm Spartacus" scene from the aforementioned Kubrick film, wherein captured slave revolutionists all claim to be Spartacus as to not reveal the true identity of their leader, knowing that he would be horribly tortured by the Roman empire if found.

Statistics[]

  • Class: Smarty
  • Tribes: Mushroom Nut Plant
  • Traits: None
  • Ability: When a Zombie Trick is played, do 2 damage to the Zombie Hero.
  • Set: Event

Card description[]

"I am Sportacus!"

Update history[]

Update 1.10.22[]

  • Added to the game.

Update 1.12.6[]

  • Became craftable.
  • Sound change: Previously the same as Fume-Shroom and Punish-Shroom.
  • Ability change: No longer activates if Sportacus is destroyed by a trick.

Update 1.14.13[]

  • Sound change: Now uses the same sounds as Fume-Shroom and Punish-Shroom again.

Update 1.16.10[]

  • Ability change: Now activates if Sportacus is destroyed by a trick.
  • Sound change: Now uses his sound effects from update 1.12.6.

Update 1.22.12[]

  • Ability change: No longer activates if Sportacus is destroyed by a trick.

Strategies[]

With[]

Sportacus has the same stats, cost, and class as Vanilla, though he has a good anti-trick ability and is in two other beneficial tribes. He functions like Punish-Shroom, with an ability that discourage your opponents from making a certain type of play. In his case, he serves as an answer tailored to specifically counter enemy tricks. He is also able to pressure your opponent from playing most free superpowers from a Super-Block as the vast majority of them are also tricks.

A clever strategy is to play this in Planet of the Grapes. If your opponent plays a trick, Sportacus will damage them, and you will draw an extra card.

Each hero can use him effectively in their own ways:

  • Citron and Beta-Carrotina can use him in their nut deck alongside Mirror-Nut and Smackadamia to give it major boosts, making it tough to take out.
  • Nightcap can take advantage of mushroom synergy, such as with Buff-Shroom, or pressure his opponent from just recklessly destroying him with Punish-Shroom due to Sportacus being in the mushroom tribe.
  • Green Shadow can use this alongside Black-Eyed Pea as part of her anti-zombie trick deck to punish her opponent severely for playing tricks with a boost to Black-Eyed Pea and two damage to them from Sportacus. She can alternatively boost Sportacus' stats and use Umbrella Leaf to deter enemy tricks.
  • Rose can heal him with 2nd-Best Taco of All Time to allow Sportacus to stay longer. She can also destroy zombies in his way.

You might need to watch out for Squirrel Herder when facing beastly heroes as she can destroy Sportacus instantly. If they notice you with a nut deck and play a gravestone, refrain from playing Sportacus and play something else. Enemy environments, despite being played alongside tricks, don't count either, so they will not activate his ability.

Against[]

Like Black-Eyed Pea, using tricks while Sportacus is on the field is not a very good idea. The best option is to destroy Sportacus at once so he can't activate his ability. Knockout and Zombot's Wrath are some of the best answers to Sportacus as he will not do anything if the trick destroys him first.

If you don't have any tricks that can destroy him, aim on using powerful zombies like Drum Major and Tennis Champ to destroy him instead. Squirrel Herder is very useful, as Sportacus is a nut plant, but watch out for Citron and Beta-Carrotina, who may counter her with Grave Buster and Blockbuster or any other Smarty hero, who can also counter her with Spyris, Cool Bean and Winter Squash or Grave Mistake. Electric Boogaloo is the most efficient at destroying Sportacus out due to his wide range of zombies and tricks to use. Those include Stayin' Alive, Electrobolt, Exploding Fruitcake, Cakesplosion, Zombot's Wrath, Locust Swarm, Alien Ooze, Squirrel Herder, and Abracadaver (assuming it hits his opponent and targets Sportacus with its ability).

You can also play environments such as Black Hole and Total Eclipse to weaken him and reduce the damage he does directly, although you will still take the full burnt of his ability. Then, you may destroy him with tricks like rolling stone.

Gallery[]

In other languages[]

Please note that only official translations are used.

Language Name Description
United States of America English Sportacus
China Simplified Chinese 斯巴达克斯孢
斯巴达孢子 in description
"Spartacus Spore"
"Spartan Spore" in description
Taiwan Traditional Chinese 斯巴達孢子
斯伯達克斯 in description
"Spartan Spore"
transliterated from the English name in description


Trivia[]

  • The Wall-Nut shield he is holding is alive, for example he opens his eyes during its idle animation.
  • When he uses his ability, he makes a sound effect that roughly sounds like "wake up."
V · E Plants in Plants vs. Zombies Heroes
PvZH Guardian Icon Guardian
Heroes Citron · Grass Knuckles · Spudow · Wall-Knight · Beta-Carrotina
Common Small-Nut · Sting Bean · Wall-Nut · Pismashio · Spineapple
Uncommon
Premium Potato Mine · Cactus · Gardening Gloves · Sea-Shroom · Water Chestnut · Pea-Nut · Steel Magnolia
Galactic Photosynthesizer · Spikeweed Sector · Plantern
Colossal Grape Responsibility · Primal Potato Mine
Triassic Grizzly Pear
Rare
Premium Grave Buster · Hibernating Beary · Prickly Pear · Smackadamia · Tough Beets
Galactic Cosmic Nut · Starch-Lord
Colossal Blockbuster
Triassic Pumpkin Shell
Super-Rare
Premium Jugger-Nut · Mirror-Nut · Guacodile · Doom-Shroom
Galactic Galacta-Cactus · Force Field · Gravitree
Colossal Three-Nut
Triassic Marine Bean · Primal Wall-Nut
Legendary
Premium Poppin' Poppies · Soul Patch · Wall-Nut Bowling
Galactic Body-Gourd · Pecanolith
Colossal Tricarrotops
Triassic Loco Coco
Event Cards Forget-Me-Nuts · Garlic · Corn Dog · Hot Date · Health-Nut · Pear Cub · Shamrocket · Red Stinger
Token Cards Hothead
Superpowers Peel Shield · Power Pummel · Tater Toss · Uncrackable · Genetic Amplification · Bubble Up · Nut Signal · Root Wall · Ensign Uproot
PvZH Kabloom Icon Kabloom
Heroes Nightcap · Captain Combustible · Solar Flare · Spudow
Common Button Mushroom · Berry Blast · Buff-Shroom · Seedling · Zapricot
Uncommon
Premium Poison Mushroom · Berry Angry · Mushroom Ringleader · Poison Ivy · Pair of Pears · Bluesberry · Sizzle
Galactic Banana Bomb · Mushroom Grotto · Invasive Species
Colossal Puff-Shroom
Triassic Veloci-Radish Hatchling · Hot Lava
Rare
Premium Shroom for Two · Wild Berry · Petal-Morphosis · Sour Grapes · Poison Oak
Galactic Cosmic Mushroom · Lava Guava
Colossal Cro-Magnolia
Triassic Shelf Mushroom
Super-Rare
Premium Punish-Shroom · Sergeant Strongberry · Cherry Bomb · Grapes of Wrath
Galactic Astro-Shroom · Banana Launcher · Pair Pearadise
Colossal Fireweed · Imitater
Triassic Strawberrian
Legendary
Premium Pineclone · Dandy Lion King · Kernel Corn
Galactic Reincarnation · Molekale
Colossal Gloom-Shroom
Triassic Veloci-Radish Hunter
Event Cards Blooming Heart · High-Voltage Currant · Sonic Bloom · Transfiguration · Atomic Bombegranate · Electric Blueberry
Token Cards Hothead
Superpowers Mush-Boom · Blazing Bark · Tater Toss · Sunburn · Meteor Strike · More Spore · Storm Front
PvZH Mega-Grow Icon Mega-Grow
Heroes Chompzilla · Grass Knuckles · Green Shadow · Captain Combustible
Common Peashooter · Torchwood · Cabbage-Pult · Fertilize · Flourish · Grow-Shroom · Repeater
Uncommon
Premium Bonk Choy · Pea Pod · Sweet Potato · Fire Peashooter · Skyshooter
Galactic Coffee Grounds · Sweet Pea · Vegetation Mutation
Colossal Umbrella Leaf
Triassic Half-Banana · Typical Beanstalk
Rare
Premium The Podfather · Plant Food · Re-Peat Moss · Whipvine · Super-Phat Beets
Galactic Banana Peel · Cosmic Pea
Colossal Bamboozle
Triassic Pea Patch
Super-Rare
Premium Party Thyme · Black-Eyed Pea · Potted Powerhouse · Espresso Fiesta
Galactic Moonbean · Pod Fighter · The Red Plant-It
Colossal Split Pea · Grape Power
Triassic Savage Spinach
Legendary
Premium Doubled Mint · Muscle Sprout · Bananasaurus Rex
Galactic Captain Cucumber · Onion Rings
Colossal Gatling Pea
Triassic Apotatosaurus
Event Cards Clique Peas · Lily of the Valley · Banana Split · Plucky Clover
Superpowers Devour · Power Pummel · Precision Blast · Blazing Bark · Embiggen · Holo-Flora · Time to Shine
PvZH Smarty Icon Smarty
Heroes Citron · Nightcap · Green Shadow · Rose · Beta-Carrotina
Common Snowdrop · Weenie Beanie · Snow Pea · Cattail · Smoosh-Shroom · Threepeater
Uncommon
Premium Iceberg Lettuce · Shellery · Rescue Radish · Spring Bean · Vanilla · Carrotillery
Galactic Mars Flytrap · Planet of the Grapes · Leaf Blower
Colossal Grave Mistake · Pear Pal
Triassic Primal Peashooter
Rare
Premium Admiral Navy Bean · Lightning Reed · Chilly Pepper · Navy Bean · Jumping Bean
Galactic Cosmic Bean · Melon-Pult
Colossal Tricorn
Triassic Lily Pad
Super-Rare
Premium Sow Magic Beans · Bean Counter · Snapdragon · Winter Squash
Galactic Laser Cattail · Bog of Enlightenment · Cool Bean
Colossal Jelly Bean
Triassic Rotobaga · Shrinking Violet
Legendary
Premium Brainana · Winter Melon · The Great Zucchini
Galactic Shooting Starfruit · Dark Matter Dragonfruit
Colossal Lima-Pleurodon
Triassic Bird of Paradise
Event Cards Spyris · Go-Nuts · Mayflower · Sportacus · Snake Grass · Witch Hazel · Jolly Holly · Sap-Fling
Token Cards Magic Beanstalk · Sappy Place
Superpowers Peel Shield · Mush-Boom · Precision Blast · Goatify · Genetic Amplification · Big Chill · Transmogrify · Whirlwind · Lieutenant Carrotron · Lightspeed Seed
PvZH Solar Icon Solar
Heroes Chompzilla · Rose · Solar Flare · Wall-Knight
Common Bellflower · Sunflower · Mixed Nuts · Squash · Smashing Pumpkin
Uncommon
Premium Morning Glory · Fume-Shroom · Pepper M.D. · Water Balloons · Venus Flytrap · Bloomerang · Metal Petal Sunflower
Galactic Cosmoss · Apple-Saucer · Venus Flytraplanet
Colossal Kernel-Pult
Triassic Lil' Buddy · Sunnier-Shroom
Rare
Premium Sage Sage · Magnifying Grass · Whack-a-Zombie · Lawnmower · Power Flower
Galactic Cosmic Flower · Heartichoke
Colossal Elderberry
Triassic Eyespore
Super-Rare
Premium Twin Sunflower · 2nd-Best Taco of All Time · Chomper · Laser Bean
Galactic Solar Winds · Wing-Nut · Tactical Cuke
Colossal Primal Sunflower · Sunflower Seed
Triassic Sun Strike
Legendary
Premium Briar Rose · Three-Headed Chomper · Cornucopia
Galactic Astrocado · Astro Vera
Colossal Cob Cannon
Triassic Aloesaurus
Event Cards Haunted Pumpking · Sun-Shroom · Jack O' Lantern · Ketchup Mechanic · Toadstool
Token Cards Astrocado Pit
Superpowers Devour · Goatify · Sunburn · Uncrackable · Geyser · Scorched Earth · Weed Whack
Unobtainable
Superpowers Flick-a-Zombie · Inspire · Rejuvenate
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