Alocasia aequiloba
A slow, lightly armed Oceanian native aroid best kept on the bench as a cheap economy card, though its two passives chip the enemy active every checkup.
Alocasia aequiloba is a Perennial herb that fights as a slow, lightly armed native. It is native to Oceania and has no invasive form, so the arena only ever fields it as a native buffer for your bench (see nativity). It is a weak card on attack and armor, earning its keep through economy and bench support — though its Thermogenesis and Putrescine Aura together chip the enemy active every single checkup.
Its starter attack, Steady Growth, unlocks at level 1 and costs 2 Sun, dealing about 32 damage as a native and also laying a poison status that chips the target over following turns. The free once-per-battle ability, Seral Persistence, arrives at level 25: Refuses to be replaced: heal 60%, and the foe can't heal. The advanced attack, Deep Root Strike, unlocks at level 40 for 6 Sun (39 damage) and is a plain, straightforward hit. Most of your copies sit below level 40, where only the starter is available. None of its moves carry an initiative rider, so it never seizes a turn.
Alocasia aequiloba runs a trait on each riser, and both hit the opposing active. Thermogenesis (level 10) stacks a Burn every checkup. Putrescine Aura (level 68) chips 2% of the enemy active's max HP per checkup, straight past DEF and any shield. See Abilities.
It carries no trait keywords — no thorns, no spore chemistry — so nothing punishes an attacker for striking it. It is non-toxic, with no contact recoil and no poison rider when hit, so it shows no hazard ring. Its growth habit is terrestrial, so it is not eligible for a Moss Pole. As a native, general defensive field gear such as a Cloche or a calcium/magnesium amendment for a little extra DEF suits its slow game.
At level 40 it reads 103 HP with ATK of only 16 — one of the lowest attack values you will field, so its damage output is minimal. DEF is 1, at the floor of the carrion-aroid band, so it takes hits with essentially no armor. Its tempo leads then fades: turn 1 runs on its initiative (36) and later turns on its slightly lower SPD (35), so it opens quickly but is out-paced in a drawn-out fight. Retreat costs 12 Sun. As a native it gains a +15% HP cushion and, while benched, projects an HP overshield bar onto your active. See Stats.
Matured to level 100, it climbs to 190 HP and 28 ATK, but its DEF only reaches 1 — it gains health, never armor, so it stays soft against any real hitter. Retreat rises to 23 Sun and its tempo has sunk to roughly 1% of cap, so a mature copy acts last against almost anything. Maturing buys bulk, not protection.
It sits in the Weird succession group, which is off the main wheel: it is neutral both ways, taking and dealing normal damage against every group. See Weaknesses & Resistances.
Play it as a benched native buffer whose HP cushion and overshield help a stronger active survive; it is not a card you want in the open trading blows. Its usefulness is capped by low attack and the absent ability. Its value is economic: it is inedible, so feeding it any nutrient banks ×1.25 XP toward leveling. It fights as a quick opener until about level 27, after which its modest bulk carries it — there is never a reason to hold it back.
Leveling trades speed for power. A plant’s tempo (SPD + INI, the turn-order edge) fades as it grows, while its power (HP + ATK + DEF, net of the rising Sun cost to retreat) climbs. The crossover is the level where power overtakes tempo: below it the plant is a fast skirmisher, above it a heavyweight. Shown for each stance this plant can actually hold — native adds a HP cushion, invasive an attack edge, neutral neither — with the card at its crossover and fully grown at Lv 100.