A Lesson to My Enimies

The cowboy has handed me a fair share of crushing blows as I waited in vain for my block meter to save me from the punishment. I never did understand the game logic of why hothead is ineffective.

I think the logic is this:

1) Zombies attack first.

2) When Cowboy hits, he moves.

3) Hot Head’s ability resolves, and it deals 6 damage to all zombies still in its lane (there aren’t any.)

Incidentally, if your block meter does save you, Hot Head WILL explode on Cowboy (because he isn’t moving). Hot Head/Potato Mine effects will also work if you’ve just played “Uncrackable,” or of you have Soul Patch in play (Cowboy doesn’t hit a player, so he doesn’t move.)

But moving mechanics are weird! I recently learned that if you have a Chicken 🐔 on a lane with Stomping Ground, and the only other open lane also has a Stomping Ground, both abilities will trigger on Chicken if a plant is played in the rightmost lane (Avoid, then Hunt), and the Chicken will bounce back and fourth and get +4/+4. It doesn’t seem like it should work that way...

Your second part fails when it is any other plant with more than zero strength. So Space Cowboy does not hit and then move; plants do go second between than move.

Edit: If he hit then moved he would be unhittable until he was in the water lane.

My issue with the game will always be EA keeps putting cards in the game that break the mechanics of the game. Intergalactic Warlord needs scrapping. Astro Vera needs scrapping.  Any card that allows Zombies to play Zombies on trick turns needs scrapping.

I skipped a step.

1) Zombies attack first.

2) Space Cowboy does damage to a player. His ability goes on the stack. (Sorry for using a Magic term here. It is the easiest way for me to conceptualize it.)

3) At the same time as 2), Hot Head is destroyed. It has its ability go on the stack.

4) The “stack” is resolved. Zombie abilities happen, and then Plant abilities happen. (If this game were Magic, that would mean Cowboy down, because things “on top” of the “stack” in Magic resolve first. But it isn’t, and details are important.)

5) Space Cowboy moves as his ability dictates. Hot Head blows up, as its ability dictates.

6) Because Cowboy is no longer in Hot Head’s lane by the time Hot Head’s ability resolves, he does not take damage.

I don’t think any of the “rules” of PvZ were broken, here, the rules were just a little bit more complicated (on inspection) then they seemed. Certainly it would be easy to miss this interaction based on the tutorial.

Consider this other example:

In Lane 1, Zombies have a Nurse Gargantuar. Plants have a Jack o’ Lantern behind a Walnut.

1) Zombies attack first. The Nurse Damages the Walnut.

2) Plants attack second. The Jack o’ Lantern damages the Nurse and the Zombie Hero.

3) Both the Nurse and the Lantern have abilities that prepare to resolve. In most cases, the order of these abilities is not important - and you may not notice it. The heal (Nurse) should happen before the buff (Lantern).

4) However, Damage must resolve before either ability does. Therefore, the Lantern could kill the Zombie Hero before either ability resolves, even though it attacked second.

I think you are trying to apply logic to something that isn't logical but merely a game design. There is no reason why Cowboy should "move" before Hothead blows up. Blowing up is Hothead's turn and is no different than a plant with strength's turn to hit Cowboy. Ultimately the game decided Cowboy will move before the plant is "destroyed" but after the plant attacks. Hothead does not attack until it is destroyed as the rest of the potato mines.

Out of curiosity does this design stay consistent with other plants like Prickly Pear? It stands to reason it should take the hit since that is on hurt unless of course Cowboy moves before that mechanic as well.

Very strong card none the less.

All the “damage when hurt” plants follow the same rules, yes.

Even Briar Rose. In this case, Cowboy moves over one lane and then is destroyed before it attacks again. (So... no functional distinction.)

Edit: Hot Head’s attack and the damage it deals when it is destroyed are distinct actions that happen separately. This is easy to see if you bestow Hot Head with power to attack with, such as with Starch-Lord or Three Nut. Cowboy will take combat damage from bestowed power, just like any other Zombie.