Nyssa sylvatica
A native broadleaf tree from North America that heals its bench and hardens into a heavy armored wall - no invasive form.
Blackgum is a sturdy Broadleaf tree that fights as a bench-tending anchor: it splashes damage, heals a benched ally, and grows into heavy armor. It is native to Eastern and Western North America, and there is no invasive version, so it only ever plays as a native buffer. It is a solid support tree whose value is in keeping your team alive rather than in fast damage.
Its starter attack, Leaf Smother, unlocks at level 1 and costs 2 Sun for about 27 damage, splashing some onto a benched opponent as well. The free once-per-battle ability, Shade Tolerance, arrives at level 25: Waits out the dark: heal 40%, and the foe can't heal. It restores health mid-fight. The advanced attack, Forest Fire, unlocks at level 40 for 6 Sun (35 damage) and saps the target, weakening it as it hits. Most of your blackgums sit below level 40, where only the starter is available. None of its moves carry an initiative rider. See Moves.
Blackgum keeps two always-on traits. Mycorrhiza arrives in full on the level 10 riser: it heals a benched ally, but only about 60% of the time, so it is a bonus rather than a dependable engine. At the level 68 riser it gains Network: while benched, this canopy tree projects a gold Sun overshield bar onto your active. See Abilities.
Blackgum carries no special trait keywords, so nothing punishes an attacker for hitting it. Its growth habit is terrestrial, so it is not eligible for a Moss Pole. It is non-toxic, with no hazard ring. As a native it wants defensive field gear - a Cloche or a DEF amendment - to reinforce its already-good armor and its supporting role.
At level 40 blackgum reads 103 HP with 25 ATK; there is no invasive card, so it only ever fights as a native. DEF is 21, strong for the broadleaf-tree band, so it soaks hits well. Its tempo is even: turn 1 runs on its initiative (28) and every turn after on its SPD (28), which sit at the same value, so it neither opens nor cruises especially fast. Retreat costs 17 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, blackgum reaches 190 HP with 45 ATK, and its DEF climbs to 46 - a broadleaf tree hardens into a heavy armored wall that blunts almost any hit. Retreat rises to 35 Sun, and its tempo has sunk to roughly 1% of cap, so a mature blackgum is slow but extremely durable. Maturing buys armor, the bench overshield, and staying power; it costs you speed.
As a broadleaf tree, blackgum sits in the Competitor succession group. It hits Ruderal plants (annual forbs, grasses, aquatics, bulbs) for x1.5 and takes only x0.667 from them, while Specialist plants (succulents, conifers, ferns, epiphytes) strike it for x1.5 and resist its blows. Against other Competitors and the off-wheel Weird group the trade is neutral. See Weaknesses & Resistances.
Play blackgum as a defensive anchor. Its armor, bench healing, HP cushion, and bench overshield make it one of the better native buffers here - park it to keep a fragile hitter standing while it chips away and mends the team. Its own damage is modest, so it wins by attrition, not by force. It is inedible, so feeding it any nutrient banks x1.25 XP rather than coins. It plays as an even-tempo skirmisher early and becomes a slow armored wall as it grows, crossing over around level 14; higher levels only strengthen it, 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.