Juniperus × pfitzeriana
A native East Asian conifer that plays pure support — it heals itself in sun and, once mature, shields your active from the bench.
Pfitzer juniper is a spreading Conifer that fights as a native support piece: it heals itself in sun and, once mature, shields your active from the bench. It is native to East Asia and has no invasive card, so the arena only fields it as a native buffer. Its own damage is modest — its value is in staying alive and propping up the team.
Its starter attack, Limb Lash, unlocks at level 1 for 2 Sun, dealing about 34 damage as a straightforward hit. The free once-per-battle ability, Terpene Fog, arrives at level 25: A haze of volatile resin — the foe is saturated and stalls. It is a mid-fight attack boost. The advanced attack, Pitch Fire, unlocks at level 40 for 6 Sun (about 23 damage), mending the plant and pinning the target as it strikes. Most of your juniper sit below level 40, where only the starter is unlocked. None of its moves carry an initiative rider. See Moves.
Pfitzer juniper keeps two always-on traits. Photosynthesis arrives on the level 10 riser and heals it in sun, but as a sustain trait it fires only about 60% of the time, so treat the mend as frequent rather than guaranteed. Network arrives on the level 68 riser: as a canopy plant it projects a gold Sun overshield onto your active from the bench. Below the level 10 riser it leans on its stats alone. See Abilities.
Pfitzer juniper is non-toxic — no contact recoil and no poison rider, so nothing punishes an attacker for striking it. Its habit is terrestrial, so it is not eligible for a Moss Pole. As a native, defensive field gear — a Cloche, or a calcium/magnesium amendment for a little DEF — suits its supporting role. See statuses.
At level 40 Pfitzer juniper reads 140 HP with ATK of just 15, low in line with a support piece. DEF is 22, in the firmer conifer band — better than a soft weed but no tree wall. Its tempo is back-loaded: turn 1 runs on its initiative (17) and every turn after on its SPD (30), which is higher, so it is out-paced off the mark but relentless in a long fight. Retreat costs 20 Sun. As a native it gains a +15% HP cushion and, while benched, projects an HP overshield onto your active. See Stats.
Matured to level 100, Pfitzer juniper climbs to 276 HP and 25 ATK, and its DEF reaches 49 — a real step up in the conifer band, firm though not a broadleaf wall. Retreat rises to 44 Sun, and its tempo has sunk to about 1% of cap, so a mature juniper acts last against almost anything younger. Maturing buys bulk and armor at the cost of ever moving first.
As a conifer, Pfitzer juniper sits in the Specialist succession group. It hits Competitor plants (perennial herbs, shrubs, trees) for ×1.5 and takes only ×0.667 from them; it is weak to Ruderal plants (annual forbs, grasses, aquatics, bulbs), which strike it for ×1.5 while resisting its blows. Against other Specialists and the off-wheel Weird group the matchup is neutral. See Weaknesses & Resistances.
Play Pfitzer juniper as a native support piece: bench it to feed a gold Sun overshield to your active and heal itself in sun while it soaks the firmer conifer DEF, or lead with it to trade patiently, since its SPD lets it out-cruise slower cards over a long fight. Its own attack is weak, so it wins by attrition and teamwork, not force. On economy, it is inedible, so any nutrient you feed it banks ×1.25 XP toward faster growth rather than coins. It plays as a slow-starting cruiser that leans harder on its bulk as it levels, crossing over around level 7 — but it is always stronger at higher levels, so there is no 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.