Rowans, Service-trees, And Whitebeams

Overview

This Sorbus group - rowans, service-trees, and whitebeams - is an armored Broadleaf tree that fights as a tanky support wall. It is native across Africa, East Asia, Europe, South Asia, and Eastern and Western North America, and invasive in Oceania and South America, so the arena can cast it either way - as a native buffer or as an invasive attacker. It is one of the sturdier cards, with real DEF, thorns, and a late bench-heal.

Moves

Its starter attack, Acorn Drop, unlocks at level 1 and costs 2 Sun, dealing about 29 damage native / 29 invasive and splashing a little onto the enemy bench. The free once-per-battle ability, Canopy Recruitment, comes in at level 25: Pushes a sapling into the canopy: heal 35% and +3 ATK. The advanced attack, Crown Shade, unlocks at level 40 for 6 Sun (37 native / 37 invasive) and mends the plant as it lands. Most of your trees sit below level 40, where only the starter is available. None of its moves carry an initiative rider, so it never seizes a turn. See Moves.

Abilities

Sorbus keeps two always-on traits. Thorns arrives on the level 10 riser at full strength, so from level 10 on every melee attacker that strikes it takes recoil damage back. Mycorrhiza arrives later, on the level 68 riser, and heals a benched ally - but it triggers only about 60% of the time, so it is a bonus rather than a plan. Together they make it a wall that punishes attackers and quietly patches your bench. See Abilities.

Features

Sorbus carries the Thorns keyword, which drives its contact recoil (see statuses). It is non-toxic - no hazard ring, no poison on contact. Its growth habit is terrestrial, so it is not eligible for a Moss Pole. As a native, defensive field gear that stacks DEF turns it into a serious wall; as an invasive, offensive gear sharpens its already-high hits.

Stats

At level 40 Sorbus reads 103 HP native / 89 invasive, with ATK of 30 native versus 32 invasive - native ATK 30 rising to invasive ATK 35, strong for a support tree. DEF is 26, high in the broadleaf-tree band, so it genuinely blunts incoming damage. Its tempo is a quick starter and slower cruiser: turn 1 runs on its initiative (48), where it leads, and every turn after on its SPD (44), where it is out-paced. Retreat costs 14 Sun. As a native it gains a +15% HP cushion and a bench HP overshield; as an invasive it pays Faustian self-damage to its own bench on each damaging attack and concedes 2 prizes when knocked out. See Stats.

At Level 100

Matured to level 100, Sorbus reaches 190 HP native / 165 invasive and 55 / 62 ATK, and as a broadleaf tree its DEF climbs to 61 - it becomes an armored wall that few young cards can dent. Retreat rises to 29 Sun, and its tempo has sunk to roughly 1% of cap, so a mature tree acts last but is extremely hard to remove. See Stats.

Weaknesses & Resistances

As a broadleaf tree, Sorbus is in the Competitor succession group. It hits Ruderal plants (annual forbs, grasses, aquatics, bulbs) for x1.5 and is struck for only x0.667 by them; it is weak to Specialist plants (succulents, conifers, ferns, epiphytes), which hit it for x1.5 while resisting its blows. Against other Competitors and the off-wheel Weird group the matchup is neutral. See Weaknesses & Resistances.

Gameplay uses

Play Sorbus as an anchor. As a native buffer it soaks damage, punishes attackers with thorns, and drips heals to your bench while projecting its overshield; as an invasive it is a heavy, self-mending front-liner. It is one of the better walls in this set, so it earns a permanent bench slot. It is inedible, so any nutrient banks x1.25 XP rather than coins - grow it for stats. It leads early on tempo and only gets harder to kill as it levels, crossing over around level 27 native and 29 invasive; keep leveling it.