Phyllostachys aurea
A Ruderal grass whose Allelopathy quietly saps the enemy's ATK every checkup — a patient wall when native, a punishing runaway when invasive.
Golden Bamboo is a grass, which makes it a Ruderal on the succession chart and gives it the grass category kit. Whichever arena you fight in, its nativity decides its whole identity.
Where it is native, it plays as a Buffer: HP is multiplied by ×1.15, and while it sits benched it projects green HP overshield segments onto your active plant. No downside — it just makes your line tougher.
Where it is invasive, it flips to an Attacker: ATK ×1.75 (eased to ×1.4 only if the species is toxic — bamboo usually isn't). It hits far harder, but every damaging attack costs it a "Faustian" bite of self-damage (~10 + its level) dealt to its own lowest-HP benched ally, and it hands over a coin bounty in the wild — or extra prizes in PvP — when it faints.
Golden Bamboo uses the standard three move slots: a starter attack (unlocks L1, 2 Sun), a free ability (L10, 0 Sun, once per battle), and an advanced attack (L18, 6 Sun). As a grass, its advanced attack is capped a hair lower than other kits.
Damage is round(dmg × ATK) − DEF, floored at 1, and it drains the enemy overshield before base HP. An empty Sun bar means attack-locked, so watch the meter.
Native builds lean on modest, reliable damage; invasive builds swing for far bigger numbers off the ×1.75 ATK — just remember each swing chips your own bench.
Its passive is Allelopathy: every checkup, it wilts the enemy active's ATK one step toward a floor. This works regardless of nativity — the longer the fight drags, the softer the opponent's hits become.
That makes native Golden Bamboo an excellent staller: the ×1.15 HP and bench overshield keep it standing while Allelopathy grinds the enemy's offense down. Invasive Golden Bamboo gets the same ATK-wilting for free on top of its huge damage, letting it win races before the Faustian recoil hollows out its bench.
Golden Bamboo's stats shift with nativity. Native: HP ×1.15, no ATK change. Invasive: ATK ×1.75 (×1.4 if toxic), no HP bonus. Sun caps at 120 and only regenerates out of battle (~+1 per 15 min). DEF is a flat cut; SPD sets initiative.
On the only type chart, succession, Golden Bamboo is Ruderal:
| Matchup | Result |
|---|---|
| vs Specialist (conifer, fern, succulent, epiphyte) | Strong ×1.5 |
| vs Competitor (vine, shrub, broadleaf-tree, perennial-herb) | Weak ×0.667 |
| vs Weird (carnivorous, mycotroph, etc.) | Neutral |
So it punches up against pines and ferns but struggles into kudzu and other Competitors.
Native Golden Bamboo is a defensive anchor: park it on the bench to feed overshield, or send it in to soak hits while Allelopathy defangs the enemy. Invasive Golden Bamboo is a glass hammer — devastating early, but its self-damage means you want a fight it can close fast. Bring it into Specialist-heavy arenas and avoid throwing it at Competitors. See categories and field gear for loadout options.