Swashbuckler Zombie is a premiumuncommonzombiecard in Plants vs. Zombies Heroes and a member of the Sneaky class. He costs 2 to play and has 2/2. He has the Gravestone trait, and his ability gives every pirate zombie, including him, +1/+1 when one does damage to the plant hero. This ability stacks with each Swashbuckler Zombie on the field and persists until all Swashbuckler Zombies are removed from the field.
Origins
He is based on the zombie in Plants vs. Zombies 2 with the same name and appearance. However, he holds a wooden sword instead of being empty-handed in this game.
Statistics
Class: Sneaky
Tribe: Pirate Zombie
Trait: Gravestone
Ability: When a Pirate hurts the Plant Hero, that Pirate gets +1/+1.
Set - Rarity: Premium - Uncommon
Card description
Buckles his swash like no other.
Update history
Update 1.2.11
Set - Rarity change: Premium - Rare → Basic - Common
Update 1.14.13
Set - Rarity change: Basic - Common → Premium - Uncommon
Strategies
With
By himself, this zombie is a bit weak. His ability to give pirate zombies a small boost is similar to Zombot Drone Engineer's, but only activates when a pirate zombie does damage to the plant hero.
Due to his ability, Swashbuckler Zombie should be used in tandem with other pirate zombies. Notable ones include Imp Commander and Shieldcrusher Viking. This can also benefit greatly because of his low brain cost. This means he can be deployed nearly every turn.
Using Smoke Bomb on him can greatly help as he will gain +1 and be moved away from the plants blocking him, if there are any. Zombot Plank Walker is also really useful as it has Strikethrough, which can help Swashbuckler Zombie boost Zombot Plank Walker. In addition, it will also make 2 other pirates that Swashbuckler Zombie can potentially boost. Imp-Throwing Gargantuar is also a good zombie to use with him as both the Gargantuar and Swabbies that are thrown are pirate zombies, essential to help boost any pirate. Captain Flameface gives all pirates the Strikethrough trait, so he can work very well with Swashbuckler Zombie too.
Another good zombie to use Swashbuckler Zombie with is Pogo Bouncer, as he can Bounce a plant blocking him or another pirate's lane, allowing them to hurt your opponent and be boosted in the process.
Here is the list of pirate cards for easy reference:
Each Sneaky hero has their own ways to use Swashbuckler Zombie effectively:
Brain Freeze can give stat-boosting cards such as Vitamin Z and Maniacal Laugh to make him last longer (which will also most likely allow Swashbuckler to tear through plants blocking his way and strike the plant hero, boosting himself) or destroy plants blocking his way with tricks such as Locust Swarm.
Impfinity can use cards such as Final Mission, Cakesplosion or Bungee Plumber to destroy plants that block Swashbuckler Zombie, or play this on Moon Base Z (PvZH) to trigger his ability right away before combat. He can also use this in tandem with Quickdraw Con Man to boost it heavily, as Quickdraw Con Man will do 1 unblockable damage whenever the plant hero draws a card, thus letting Swashbuckler Zombie give it +1/+1 easily. However, his ability damage will be unchanged.
Since he appears from a gravestone, Headstone Carver can boost him, making him more of a threat. You can also use Laser Base Alpha to help Swashbuckler Zombie activate his ability more easily.
Against
Because this appears via gravestone, Grave Buster or any plant with 2 or more will deal with this with ease. However, this may not be the case of Brain Freeze or Impfinity, as they have the most 2 brain cost zombies with the Gravestone trait. Neptuna might also use Sumo Wrestler, and Super Brainz might use Zombot Drone Engineer. Since he starts out with 2, a Potato Mine can destroy him unless he is boosted. Whack-a-Zombie will also work if his strength is below 4. Spikeweed Sector is another great counter if you predict correctly, as he will not be able to boost himself or other pirates to his right. You can also play Soul Patch to shut his ability down completely, but it is a late-game play.
If he and other pirates are overwhelming you with their high strength, consider either using Doom-Shroom or Shamrocket to destroy them or Bounce them to reset their stats.
Gallery
Plants vs. Zombies Wiki has a gallery for Swashbuckler Zombie (PvZH).
Sneaky class. He costs 2
to play and has 2
/2
. He has the Gravestone trait, and his ability gives every pirate zombie, including him, +1
/+1
Strikethrough, which can help Swashbuckler Zombie boost Zombot Plank Walker. In addition, it will also make 2 other pirates that Swashbuckler Zombie can potentially boost. Imp-Throwing Gargantuar is also a good zombie to use with him as both the Gargantuar and Swabbies that are thrown are pirate zombies, essential to help boost any pirate. Captain Flameface gives all pirates the 
Brainy
Crazy
Hearty
Sneaky
