Philodendron pinnatifidum
Comb Leaf Philodendron is a carrion aroid built to grind: its Thermogenesis burns the foe every checkup while its ability heals it back, so it out-lasts what it can't out-hit — from a paper-thin body.
The Comb Leaf Philodendron is an attrition fighter. From Lv 10 its Thermogenesis sets the foe smouldering — a little Burn damage every checkup — and its once-per-battle ability heals a third of its health back, so it wears a foe down over time rather than trading big blows. That suits it, because its DEF of 1 is about as thin as a card gets. It is a carrion aroid, a Weird-group card that is neutral on the succession wheel, native to South America and invasive nowhere — so it plays only the native buffer role, never an attacker.
Spadix Jab unlocks at Lv 1 and is its hardest single hit: 32 for 2 Sun. The free ability Detrital Ecesis arrives at Lv 25: Feeds on what falls and rots: heal 35%. The advanced attack Fly Trap Deal comes in at Lv 40, dealing 21 for 6 Sun — Promises a meal, delivers nothing — the foe stalls while it feeds. None of the kit carries an initiative rider, so it takes its turn in the normal order.
It keeps two always-on traits, and both apply pressure to the foe rather than heal the self. Thermogenesis (from Lv 10) sets a Burn on the opponent each checkup. At Lv 68 Putrescine Aura stacks on, chipping the foe a little more each checkup. Both are damage-over-time effects, so they slip past the enemy overshield and pile up as the fight drags — which is exactly how this card is meant to win.
It carries no special trait keywords; its toxicity is recorded as none, so it forces no contact-poison of its own. It is not a climber, so a Moss Pole does nothing. A Calcium/Magnesium amendment is worth a great deal here, because it adds flat DEF to a card sitting at 1. See field gear.
Read at Lv 40. Native HP is 103 (a +15% cushion) against a base of 89; ATK is a floor-tier 16. DEF is 1 — the thinnest band in the game. Its tempo is quick on both clocks: an opening initiative of 39 and a sustained speed of 40, so it usually moves first and keeps moving, which lets it land its Burn early. Retreat costs 12 Sun. Benched, it lends an HP overshield to your active.
HP climbs to 190 and ATK to 28, but DEF holds at 1 — it never gains armour, staying a fragile grinder even fully grown. Retreat rises to 23 Sun, and its inverted tempo sinks to roughly 1% of cap, so the early speed edge that lets it apply Burn first fades away by the endgame.
As a carrion aroid it is in the Weird group, which sits off the succession wheel entirely — neutral both ways, giving and taking no ×1.5 or ×0.667. Its matchups turn on stats and status, not type.
This is a niche attrition and support card. It is not edible, so any fertilizer banks ×1.25 XP, never coins. On raw stats it is weak — floor ATK, DEF 1 — and it leans entirely on stacking Burn and chip while it heals; against a heavy hitter that ends it before the grind pays off, it simply loses. Keep it as a bench body and a slow-burn option rather than a carry. In the Total power gallery it fights as a fast skirmisher until about Lv 30, after which its (modest) bulk takes over — a note on which edge leads, not a reason to stop levelling.
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.