Its name was a portmanteau of "the sand dunes," referring to the location this area is set in, and "doom," possibly referring to the zombies.
Appearance
The Sand Dooms resembled a desert with a giant, green, inflatable Tyrannosaurus Rex statue, with a broken down truck next to it. There was also a gas station with a brain and arrow pointing to it. Multiple decorative cacti were scattered around the map. There was one main road and a small path on the road, which led to an outhouse.
Mandatory: These plants are just about mandatory. If you don't select them, you'll have a very hard time. Mandatory plants include Sunflower, Snow Pea, Repeater, or Shamrock (depends the level layout).
Instant: The choice of instant, whether Cherry Bomb, Jalapeño, or Chilly Pepper, depends on the level design, although Cherry Bombs are often more effective. It may be possible to get by without an instant in the early stages, provided that you plant a lot of powerful plants and use buffs and debuffs indiscriminately.
Starting Strategy: Always plant two Sunflowers before doing anything else, and open with a Repeater. Depending on the map, it is sometimes possible to kill the first wave of zombies with only one buffed Repeater or Shamrock, which buys you enough time to get your Sunflower economy started. It is recommended to plant at least four Sunflowers; maybe five on tougher stages.