Stunion

Stunion is the fourth plant obtained in Frostbite Caves in Plants vs. Zombies 2. He is a single-use plant and when zombies get close to him, he releases a cloud of gas in a 1x2 area in front of himself, similar to the one emitted from a zombie defeated by Chili Bean, stunning the affected zombies for 12 seconds. The gas cloud does not affect mechanical enemies, except for Zombie Bulls, Gargantuar Primes, Treasure Yetis, and Bug Bot Imps.

Origins

Stunion is based on the onion (Allium cepa), which is usually used as an ingredient in cooking, thanks to its distinctively pungent taste and aroma. His name is a portmanteau of "stun," an act of driving someone into an unconscious or semi-conscious state, and "onion," the plant he is based on.

Almanac entry

Stunion	SUN COST 25 RECHARGE Sluggish SUN COST: 25 RECHARGE: Sluggish TOUGHNESS Typical RANGE Close TOUGHNESS: Typical RANGE: Close FAMILY Contain-mint FAMILY: Contain-mint Stunions breathe a stunning cloud of gas on nearby zombies in the lane. Usage: single use, activates when zombie is close Special: stuns nearby zombies Oh sure, everyone knows Stunion as the battle-hardened warrior with the potent breath. But he's so much more than that. He's an accomplished pianist. He speaks five languages fluently. Heck, he's the leader of a Cub Shallots group in his spare time. Dude's got layers. Go on, peel 'em back. You'll see.

Stunion

		SUN COST 25			RECHARGE Sluggish

SUN COST: 25
RECHARGE: Sluggish

		TOUGHNESS Typical			RANGE Close

TOUGHNESS: Typical
RANGE: Close

		FAMILY Contain-mint

FAMILY: Contain-mint

Stunions breathe a stunning cloud of gas on nearby zombies in the lane.

Usage: single use, activates when zombie is close
Special: stuns nearby zombies

Oh sure, everyone knows Stunion as the battle-hardened warrior with the potent breath. But he's so much more than that. He's an accomplished pianist. He speaks five languages fluently. Heck, he's the leader of a Cub Shallots group in his spare time. Dude's got layers. Go on, peel 'em back. You'll see.

Upgrades

Plant Food effect

When fed Plant Food, Stunion will release a burst of gas in a 3x4 area in front of him, stunning all zombies in the said space for 18 seconds.

Contain-mint effect

When boosted by Contain-mint, Stunion will poison zombies as if he's at level 10.

Level upgrade

*After reaching Level 5, Stunion will gain the ability to poison the zombies it stunned. This column will show the damage-per-second the effect deals on the affected zombies.

Level upgrade (China only)

Level	Upgrades	Description
	Paralyzing Gas	Zombies are stunned for longer.
	Combat Training	Stunion gains 50% more attack power and health (150% of initial).
	Strong Paralysis	The stun is now doubled.
	Cell Activation	Stunion gains another 50% more attack power and health (200% of initial).
	Ability Awaken	Stunion may be boosted when planted.
	Fighting Power	Stunion gains another 50% more attack power and health (250% of initial).

Costumed (China only)

Stunion now releases a burst of purple gas in a 5x3 area in front of him, stunning affected zombies for twice as long.

Strategies

Compared to Iceberg Lettuce, Stunion can stun all zombies in his area of effect instead of just one target. The stunning effect is not nullified by fire-based plants and also works in Frostbite Caves, where Iceberg Lettuce can only slow instead of stop enemies. In most cases, though, his slightly bigger price will not matter. On the other hand, his Plant Food effect is significantly worse—while Iceberg Lettuce's plant food ability affects the entire screen, Stunion's plant food ability only affects a limited area.

Stunion is a good choice against Chicken Wrangler Zombie and Weasel Hoarder, as he can stun them and prevent them from releasing chickens or weasels, even when they are defeated.

In Dark Ages, Stunion can be used to prevent Jester Zombie from reflecting projectiles. However, the same is not true for Parasol Zombie and Excavator Zombie in Lost City, as they can neutralize projectiles even when stunned. If using Stunion against MC Zom-B during rap, make sure to plant him on the square that MC Zom-B is on or the one in front, otherwise MC Zom-B can kill him with his microphone which has longer effective range.

Stunion should not be used in tandem with Primal Peashooter, as the latter's knockback will remove the stun effect, rendering Stunion useless. Iceberg Lettuce should be used in this situation instead, since its freezing effect is not interfered by Primal Peashooter.

Stunion also works well with Primal Potato Mine since he stops the zombies whilst the Primal Potato Mine arms, creating a cheaper Cherry Bomb.

At Level 5 and above, Stunion gains an armor-piercing poison effect akin to Shadow-shroom on stunned zombies and thus can be used more offensively against weaker zombies and headwear zombies. A single use can defeat Chicken Wranglers and Weasel Hoarders without releasing their animals due to the stun, and also kills headwear zombies in one use. At Level 8 and above, Stunion becomes free, allowing the plant to be used more frequently, especially during levels in which there is a maximum amount of sun to spend, including Last Stand levels.

Avoid using this plant in Far Future, as the mechanical enemies are immune to the gas cloud and therefore, wasting a seed slot.

Gallery

Plants vs. Zombies Wiki has a gallery for Stunion.

Visit this page to see it.

Trivia

• He can stun flying zombies, unlike Iceberg Lettuce and Chili Bean.
• When he disappears, he makes the same sound as Puff-shroom when dying.
• If he stuns a zombie and that zombie dies before the effect is gone, the zombie's body will just remain there, standing still until the stun effect ends and the body collapses. The gas cannot be seen.
• If a stunned zombie is pushed back by Hurrikale and lands up on a slider tile, he will remain there until the gas disappears.
• For a brief moment after stunning, he can be shoveled for sun.
  • This is similar to Ghost Pepper, which can be shoveled for sun briefly after exploding.
  • This is also similar to Grimrose, which can be shoveled up before expiring. 
• It's discription may be a reference to Shrek, with the saying, "oinons have layers." 

See also

• Iceberg Lettuce
• Stallia
• Saucer Squash
• Chili Bean
• Shadow-shroom