Thyme Warp

Not to be confused with Party Thyme from Plants vs. Zombies Heroes.

Thyme Warp is the third plant obtained in Neon Mixtape Tour in Plants vs. Zombies 2, and is the world's exclusive plant. When planted, it returns all zombies to their starting positions (the ninth column of the lawn) and restores them to full health. Thyme Warp will not restore armor if a zombie already lost it, nor can it restore an Impunk that was already thrown by a Hair Metal Gargantuar. It can only be used in Neon Mixtape Tour, Greatest Hits, Modern Day - Day 9, and certain Piñata Parties.

Origins

Thyme Warp is based on the thyme, specifically the lemon thyme (Thymus citriodorus), a type of herb in the genus Thymus that is used for culinary and medical purposes. Thyme Warp is also a pun on "Time Warp," an imaginary spatial distortion that allows time travel in fiction, or a hypothetical form of time dilation or contraction, referring to Thyme Warp's ability.

Almanac entry

Thyme Warp	SUN COST 75 RECHARGE Very Slow SUN COST: 75 RECHARGE: Very Slow AREA Full Board AREA: Full Board Thyme Warps rewind time, sending zombies back where they started. Usage: single use, instant Special: rewound zombies have restored health "Possibilities other to open be to need we." Warp Thyme says, "Limited too far was time to approach unidirectional the that felt always I've."

Thyme Warp

		SUN COST 75			RECHARGE Very Slow

SUN COST: 75
RECHARGE: Very Slow

		AREA Full Board

AREA: Full Board

Thyme Warps rewind time, sending zombies back where they started.

Usage: single use, instant
Special: rewound zombies have restored health

"Possibilities other to open be to need we." Warp Thyme says, "Limited too far was time to approach unidirectional the that felt always I've."

Audio

Sound	Description
	Thyme Warp rewinding time.
	The zombies appearing in the ninth column.

Level upgrade (China only)

Level	Upgrades	Description
	Time-Space Turbulence	Thyme Warp has a chance to take zombies into time turbulence, killing them instantly.
	Combat Training	Thyme Warp gains 50% more attack power and health (150% of initial).
	Time-Space Grasp	Thyme Warp can send more zombies back to where they start.
	Cell Activation	Thyme Warp gains another 50% more attack power and health (200% of initial).

Note: Thyme Warp cannot be upgraded to level 4.

Strategies

Thyme Warp can be a devastating plant if used correctly. In conjunction with slowing plants, Thyme Warp can stall the horde indefinitely, giving the player virtually infinite time to buy expensive plants such as Winter Melon or Strawburst. However, it still has its downsides, namely its very slow recharge rate and the fact that it restores all zombies' health, which makes it less desirable for inexperienced players.

A good plant to use with Thyme Warp is Sap-fling, as the latter plant can reliably slow the incoming zombies early on, and can still stay effective as the level progresses. Snow Pea and Stallia are also reasonable choices, though they are not nearly as reliable. Sap-fling is less likely to be relevant in Endless Zones, as the starting Plant Food makes it easier to amass Winter Melon quickly.

A possible way to circumvent Thyme Warp's downside is to use controllable plants like Banana Launcher or Strawburst to damage the horde right after using Thyme Warp. Since Thyme Warp clumps zombies together, this strategy will also help the player to maximize their plants' damage potential.

When there are a huge number of zombies everywhere, the player can plant a Primal Potato Mine while Thyme Warp is rewinding time in order to take out a huge number of zombies. By the time it finishes rewinding time, the Primal Potato Mine you planted will be armed, and instantly deal great damage to any zombies in its range, thus lowering the number of zombies you will have to deal with using other plants.

In levels where there are arcade machines hiding behind other zombies, you can use Thyme Warp to temporarily clear the entire lawn of zombies, exposing the troublesome arcade machines to your offensive plants.

Thyme Warp can be used in higher levels of Greatest Hits to great effect, as its stalling capability is vital in deterring hordes of Hair Metal Gargantuar from destroying other plants early on. A particularly effective strategy is to use Thyme Warp when there are Breakdancer Zombies on rap jam, then follow up with Blover. Because Breakdancer Zombies will kick the clumped zombies and render them airborne after Thyme Warp's effect wears out, Blover will be able to blow them all away. Exercise caution however, a glitch may occur about this case where if used Blover alongside Thyme Warp against a horde of Breakdancer Zombies, some may get bounced repetitively close to the player's house assuming that there are no lawn mowers left before getting flung off the screen completely, which could lead to a loss in their streak. Another unique way is to use Thyme Warp when you see an arcade machine about to enter your lawn. When the Thyme Warp effect wears out, this will cause Arcade Zombie to leave his arcade machine unattended with no zombie spawned from the machine. Furthermore, when a Boombox Zombie plays his power ballad jam, sending him back will stop the jam from playing, allowing stunned plants on the screen to break free from the immobilization.

Related achievement

	Back From The Future 3 Plant Thyme Warp three times in the same level

Gallery

Plants vs. Zombies Wiki has a gallery for Thyme Warp.

Visit this page to see it.

Trivia

• The word arrangement in Thyme Warp's Almanac entry is backwards. Forwardly, it is read as: "I've always felt that the unidirectional approach to time was far too limited," says Thyme Warp. "We need to be open to other possibilities."
  • This is a reference to its time reverse ability.
• It, Cattail, Homing Thistle, Blover, Electric Blueberry, and Caulipower are the only plants that have a "Full Board" area. All of them can target any zombie on-screen.
  • It and Blover are the only 2 plants that can affect all zombies on screen simultaneously.
• There is a pun in the Travel Log that says "Let's do the Thyme Warp again!" This is referencing the famous song "The Time Warp" from the old musical The Rocky Horror Show and its movie adaptation The Rocky Horror Picture Show. In fact, it will do the dance (jump to the left, step to the right, bring your knees in tight, pelvic thrust) as its animation.
  • Its gold hat also references Columbia from the Rocky Horror Picture Show.
• It can be seen frowning in the Neon Mixtape Tour Side A trailer, but this expression is never seen in-game.
• Before the 4.0 update, if any zombie carrying Plant Food was affected by it, that zombie would return without Plant Food and the sound of a zombie being teleported back to the 9th column could stack with that of other zombies, effectively leading to massive increase in volume.
• It can prevent the Treasure Yeti from running away by teleporting it back in time and resetting the time it will take before backing up.
• It is the first plant to get an achievement related to it (4.0.1) after the update it was released in (3.9.1).
• Before the 4.2.1 update, Thyme Warp could not be obtained in Greatest Hits.
• Before the 4.5.1 update, if Shrinking Violet's Plant Food ability was used in conjunction with Thyme Warp, the game would crash.
• Despite it removing any status ailments on a zombie, shrunken zombies will stay small after Thyme Warp is used.
• It, Imitater, and Gold Leaf can't be upgraded in the international version of the game. While Imitater's purpose is only to copy other plants, the other two's very limited use render upgrades obsolete.

See also

• Back From The Future 3