Heliopsis helianthoides
A speedy perennial that builds DEF as the fight drags on and heals from a stored bud, playing as a home buffer or a moderate invader.
The false sunflower is a Perennial herb — a quick perennial that gets tougher the longer it fights. It is native to eastern and western North America and invasive in East Asia, Europe and South America, so it plays a home buffer role and a moderate attacker role abroad.
Its starter, Stolon Reach, unlocks at level 1 for 2 Sun, deals 33 native / 35 invasive, and keeps its speed up as it strikes. The free ability Perennating Bud opens at level 25: Breaks a stored bud: heal 40%. The advanced attack Deep-Seated Grudge unlocks at level 40 for 6 Sun and hits for 38 native / 40 invasive. No move carries an initiative rider.
It keeps two always-on traits. From level 10 it holds Basal Rosette, a flat +3 DEF that shores up its otherwise minimal armor from the start. From level 68 it adds Contractile Roots, which pull the crown deeper each checkup for +1 DEF per round up to a +5 cap — so it hardens progressively across a long fight. Both traits point the same way: it is frailest early and steadily firmer the longer it stays in.
No combat keyword, and as a perennial herb it is not Moss-Pole-eligible. Because its own traits build DEF over time, field gear that keeps it in the fight (or, invasive, that raises its attack) suits it best.
At level 40: HP 103 native / 89 invasive, ATK 26 native / 33 invasive, DEF 1 before its rosette and root bonuses are counted. The invasive ATK reads higher than the native's — the introduced-range term, not a flat multiplier. On tempo it is fairly even with a slight cruiser lean: its initiative (34) and sustained speed (37) are close, so it is quick but not dominant on turn one. As a native it gets the +15% HP cushion and bench overshield; as an invasive it pays Faustian self-damage to its bench per attack and concedes 2 prizes on knockout.
By level 100 HP reaches 190 native / 165 invasive and ATK 47 / 65, while base DEF stays low at 1 — though its Contractile Roots can add up to +5 on top over a fight. Retreat rises to 23 Sun and tempo sinks to roughly 1% of cap. It matures into a large, speedy body that leans on its accumulating DEF rather than a high armor cap.
Perennial-herb is in the Competitor group: ×1.5 into Ruderal, ×0.667 from them, ×1.5 taken from Specialists. Neutral against other Competitors and the Weird categories.
Play it in fights you expect to last: its rosette-plus-roots DEF and mid-fight heal reward a long exchange, so lead with it against grinders rather than bursts. At home it buffers a bench; abroad it is a moderate racer that trades some bench HP for higher damage. It is not an edible plant, so fertilizer banks ×1.25 XP, not coins — a growth and collection piece economically. It fights as a fast skirmisher until about level 24 at home (or 26 abroad), after which its bulk takes over. Each plant runs one Sun bar (cap 120, refilling +1 every 15 minutes). The starter attack costs 2 Sun, the advanced attack 6, and the ability is free — it is priced by being usable only once per battle. Retreating to the bench costs 12 Sun, and an empty bar attack-locks the card until it refills. From level 52 it regenerates Sun mid-battle, and at level 85 a capstone makes the starter free and drops the advanced attack to 2 Sun.
See nativity, moves, abilities, stats, statuses, field gear, weaknesses & resistances, the Battle Lab and the category guide for the mechanics referenced here.
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.