If you’re trying to figure out which Base Cards are worth investing in Plants on Fire, this tier list is a good starting point. Not every expensive card is automatically better, and some units become much stronger once they reach their higher levels and unlock their full mechanics.
This Plants on Fire Tier List ranking focuses on how well each card performs in an actual board setup, including its ability to work with other minions, its Level 10–12 power spikes, and how much economy or momentum it can create. Some cards can completely change the way a run plays out when their synergies start stacking.
Plants on Fire Tier List – Base Cards (October 2026)
Here’s how the cards in this tier list are ranked:
Cross-Synergy Breadth: The more minions a card synergizes with, the higher its ranking.
Level 10–12 Power Spikes: Cards are ranked based on their full potential, with Level 10 unlocking game-changing mechanics and Level 12 providing the maximum stat multipliers.
Economy & Momentum: Minions that generate resource advantages or trigger chain reactions can dominate the meta because they continue making your board stronger over time.
TIER S
These are the standout Base Cards in Plants on Fire. They either scale extremely well, provide powerful board-wide effects, or can become the centerpiece of a strong strategy.
Princeling
Cost: 3 Suncoins
Role: Promotion Archetype Heart
Target: Front Line
Princeling is one of the strongest cards for promotion-based strategies. It self-loops between 1★ → 2★ → 1★, creating repeated promotion interactions.
At Lv. 10, demotions count as promotions, which allows Princeling to trigger endless cascades of ally buffs from cards such as Dr. Kraut, Floral Friar, Prof. Nutter, and Sister Cherry.
Its ability to repeatedly activate promotion-based effects is what makes it such a powerful engine rather than simply another damage dealer.
Apple Sheriff
Cost: 3 Suncoins
Role: Anti-Swarm & Shield-Breaker
Target: All Enemies
Apple Sheriff attacks up to 8 enemies at once, dealing up to 65% ATK per target. At 3★ Lv. 12, that works out to as much as 520% total AoE damage when all eight targets are hit.
This makes Apple Sheriff particularly effective against incoming rush waves. When multiple enemies are filling the battlefield, its wide attack coverage can clear them before they become a serious problem.
Chomper
Cost: 5 Suncoins
Role: Disposable Swarm Devourer
Interval: 1.5s
Chomper devours friendly Temp units on your board and converts them into additional power.
It consumes 1 Temp unit at 1★, 2 at 2★, and 4 at 3★, with the maximum increasing to 8 at higher levels. In return, Chomper gains flat ATK, reaching +48 maximum ATK, along with 70% of their combined ATK.
This gives Chomper a strong scaling path when you have plenty of temporary units available to feed into him.
Prof. Nutter
Cost: 5 Suncoins
Role: Position-Based Stat Multiplier
Target: Front Line
Prof. Nutter accumulates Research points whenever allies are promoted. During the Ready phase, he distributes up to 330% of his stored attack equally across his entire column.
This makes positioning extremely important. With the right board arrangement and enough promotion activity, Prof. Nutter can turn accumulated resources into a substantial attack boost for multiple units at once.
Chili Chef
Cost: 8 Suncoins
Role: Late-Game Compound Scaler
Target: Front Line
Chili Chef is one of the strongest long-term scaling cards because it permanently increases the ATK of all cards in the shop every round.
The bonus ranges from +2 to +16 ATK, reaching the maximum at 3★ Lv. 12.
The longer Chili Chef remains active, the more valuable it becomes. Every new minion purchased later in the run can enter the board with significantly higher stats, turning your shop into a source of increasingly powerful units.
Eggydjinn
Cost: 8 Suncoins
Role: Gold Finisher & Investment
Target: Front Line
Eggydjinn converts your stored Suncoins into attack power. It gains +4 to +8 ATK for every held Suncoin, allowing it to enter combat with more than 350 ATK at 40 coins.
At Lv. 12, it can also sell for 107% of its purchase cost, making it an unusual combination of combat scaling and investment value.
If you’re building around saving gold, Eggydjinn becomes particularly attractive.
Cashew Sage
Cost: 8 Suncoins
Role: Stat Duplicator
Target: Front Line
During the Ready phase, Cashew Sage copies a percentage of the total ATK of your strongest ally.
The effect ranges from 25% up to 160% at 3★ Lv. 12.
This makes Cashew Sage an excellent partner for a powerful carry. Instead of having only one huge damage dealer, you can use Cashew Sage to duplicate a portion of that strength and increase your overall board power.
TIER A
Tier A contains strong cards that can perform extremely well but usually need a particular strategy, board setup, or combination of synergies to reach their best potential.
3-Cost
Pop Gunner
Role: Boss / Tank Breaker
Pop Gunner fires a slow, heavy volley of 4 bullets at 1★, 5 at 2★, and 6 at 3★.
Each bullet deals between 45% and 65% damage, with the higher value available at Lv. 12.
Its slower attack pattern is offset by the heavy damage of each volley, making it useful against bosses and durable targets.
Turnipette
Role: Frontline Self-Scaler
Turnipette increases her own ATK by +2 at 1★, +4 at 2★, and +8 at 3★, with the maximum scaling increasing at higher levels.
At Lv. 10+, if Turnipette has the lowest ATK on your board, she gains an additional +6 to +10 ATK herself.
This gives her a simple but effective scaling mechanic, especially when she starts behind the rest of your board.
Cabby Trainer
Role: Swarm Summoner
Cabby Trainer summons 1 Cabby Pup at 1★, 2 at 2★, and 4 at 3★.
The summoned pups receive increasing flat ATK as Cabby Trainer levels up, starting at 4 ATK at Lv. 4, then 8 ATK at Lv. 7, 12 ATK at Lv. 10, and up to 20 ATK at Lv. 12.
It’s a useful option for swarm-focused boards that want to fill the battlefield with additional units.
Sister Cherry
Role: Promo Burst Buffer
Whenever any ally promotes, Sister Cherry permanently grants ATK to other allies across the board.
The bonus is +1 at 1★, +2 at 2★, and +4 at 3★, increasing to +3/+6/+12 at Lv. 12.
Her synergy with promotion-heavy cards is the main reason she ranks highly.
Guaca Sage
Role: Stat Doubler Tank
During the Ready phase, Guaca Sage can double all accumulated ATK. The effect is available at 3★, and from Lv. 10+, it is also available at 2★.
At Lv. 12, the effect can reach between +80% and +140%, making Guaca Sage a strong option for boards that have already built up substantial ATK.
5-Cost
Dr. Kraut
Role: Infinite Promo Scaler
Dr. Kraut gains +2 to +12 permanent ATK whenever any ally promotes.
Because the effect has no stated limit, Dr. Kraut can scale indefinitely with repeated promotions. This is where its synergy with Princeling becomes especially powerful.
Leeky Beats
Role: Cross Area Aura Buffer
Leeky Beats provides a cross-shaped aura to the four orthogonal neighboring spaces.
The aura grants between +4 and +16 ATK to allies positioned directly above, below, left, or right of Leeky Beats.
Good positioning can therefore make this card considerably more valuable than its individual stats suggest.
Ginger Honcho
Role: Swarm Team Catalyst
Ginger Honcho buffs 3 random allies, increasing to 4 allies from Lv. 10 onward.
The bonus provides temporary round ATK, making Ginger Honcho a useful addition to swarm-focused teams that can take advantage of several simultaneous buffs.
Orange Bros
Role: Fast Cloning Assassin
Orange Bros has a rapid 1.4-second attack interval and automatically creates clones that inherit 50% of his attack power.
The combination of fast attacks and additional units gives Orange Bros strong offensive pressure when properly supported.
DandeLion
Role: Global Enemy Crippler
DandeLion steadily reduces the ATK of the entire enemy front line.
Rather than relying purely on damage, it weakens the opposing board over time, making it a strong choice for controlling difficult enemy formations.
8-Cost
Tomato Twister
Role: Rampage Snowball Carry
Tomato Twister gains +20 to +40 permanent ATK for every enemy eliminated.
The more enemies it defeats, the stronger it becomes, allowing it to snowball into a massive endgame carry.
Floral Friar
Role: Multi-Target Wide Buffer
Whenever any minion promotes, Floral Friar permanently feeds 4 random allies.
At 3★ Lv. 12, this can provide +48 total team ATK per promotion, making it another powerful partner for promotion-based strategies.
Lady Tulip
Role: Rapid Big-Spender DPS
Lady Tulip has a fast 1.8-second attack interval and gains ATK based on how many Suncoins are spent during the round.
At 3★ Lv. 12, she can gain up to +28 ATK for every Suncoin spent this round.
This makes her especially effective on boards that are actively spending rather than saving.
Joe Tycoon
Role: All-In Bank Stat Injector
Joe Tycoon triggers once on an empty tile and consumes all current Suncoins.
Those coins are converted into permanent ATK for one chosen carry, starting at +8 base + 2 per coin at 1★ and reaching up to +112 base + 28 per coin at 3★ Lv. 12.
It is a very straightforward all-in mechanic: save your money, then convert that investment into a powerful carry.
Acorn Outlaw
Role: Direct Shop Plunderer
Acorn Outlaw steals a percentage of the combined ATK of all minions currently in the shop.
The effect ranges from 90% up to 270%+, making it particularly dangerous when paired with a heavily buffed shop.
This is why Acorn Outlaw works so well with Chili Chef. As Chili Chef increases the stats of shop minions over time, Acorn Outlaw has more ATK to steal.
Shamaness
Role: Highlander Team Multiplier
Shamaness rewards you for running a deck without duplicates.
With no duplicates in the deck, it can provide up to +36 permanent ATK every round to every ally on the board, reaching +180 total team ATK per round.
The requirement makes the card more specialized, but the reward can be enormous if you can build around it.
TIER B
Tier B cards are still useful and can be strong in the right circumstances, but they generally have more limitations than the cards above them. Some are excellent economy tools, while others depend heavily on specific team compositions.
3-Cost
Spudchant
Role: Re-Roll & Discount Engine
Spudchant lowers shop refresh costs and provides free re-rolls, helping accelerate early-game fusions and improve your economy.
It may not be the biggest damage dealer, but its value comes from giving you more opportunities to find and combine the units you need.
Hogsteen
Role: Multi-Star Swarm Engine
Hogsteen summons 2 Steenhogs that match his star rank.
The summoned units receive increasing ATK inheritance, reaching up to 65% ATK inheritance at Lv. 12.
It’s a solid option for players who want to build around summoned units and additional bodies on the board.
Garlic Brigade
Role: High-Speed Rush Decimator
Garlic Brigade deploys an ultra-fast rush squad with high bonus Move SPD.
The goal is simple: overwhelm enemy lanes before the opponent has enough time to respond.
Seed Peon
Role: Ultra-Cheap Fusion Cycling
Seed Peon costs only 1 Suncoin, making it ideal for quickly filling the board, triggering merge synergies, and cycling shop slots.
Its low cost gives it value even when you don’t plan to keep it around for the entire run.
Greenkeeper
Role: Frontline Healer & Buffer
Greenkeeper restores Captain HP every round while also providing steady permanent ATK buffs to friendly allies.
This combination of healing and gradual scaling gives it useful defensive value in longer battles.
5-Cost
Sunkeeper
Role: Passive Gold Generator
Sunkeeper generates +1 to +2 Suncoins every round.
The additional income can create a significant long-term economic advantage, especially if you can keep the card active for multiple rounds.
Grape Gatsby
Role: Shop ATK Inflator
Grape Gatsby permanently boosts the ATK of all minions in the shop whenever you sell cards from your board.
It works particularly well for players who frequently cycle units and continuously refresh their shop.
Limejito
Role: Team-Wide Purchase Buffer
Limejito provides team-wide attack buffs across deployed units whenever you purchase minions from the shop.
This rewards active shopping and can steadily increase the strength of your board as you continue building your team.
Holly Bat
Role: Vampiric Carry Drain
Holly Bat can siphon up to 50% ATK from the strongest enemy minion.
This makes it an effective counter against an opposing hypercarry, especially when one enemy unit is significantly stronger than everything else.
Judge Chilius
Role: Targeted Demoter & Crippler
Judge Chilius demotes a 2★ or higher enemy by 1★ and reduces its ATK.
At Lv. 10+, the effect triggers instantly at battle start, allowing it to weaken an important enemy before the fight properly gets going.
8-Cost
Sunny Banker
Role: Free High-Star Summoner
Sunny Banker summons a free random 3-cost or 5-cost minion matching his star rank.
The summoned unit can inherit up to 105% ATK, giving Sunny Banker strong value when you can take advantage of the extra high-star unit.
Rosen Death
Role: Mass Demotion Reaper
Rosen Death temporarily demotes up to 5 enemy minions by 1★ and can reduce the entire enemy attack speed by up to 44%.
This makes it particularly useful when facing boards that rely on several high-star units.
Valkyris
Role: Team Deficit Equalizer
Valkyris absorbs up to 140% of the team’s ATK deficit.
In other words, the further behind your team is in attack power, the more useful Valkyris can become as a comeback carry.
Archmandrake
Role: Summon Swarm Multiplier
Archmandrake empowers summoned rush units with between +20% and +116% ATK.
At 3★ Lv. 12, it can provide a minimum of +140 permanent ATK, making it a strong choice for summon-heavy teams.
Tree of Light
Role: Rapid Mana Gatling Laser
Tree of Light unleashes a rapid-fire laser barrage, attacking every 0.25 seconds once fully charged.
It is particularly effective when supported by high-tempo attack teams that can help it reach its charged state quickly.
TIER C – Trap Units
These cards aren’t necessarily useless, but they have major limitations in their base forms or require such specific conditions that they can become poor investments compared with stronger alternatives.
Muscle Melon
8-Cost
In its base form, Muscle Melon deals 500% damage strictly to the highest-HP target, making it particularly suited for bosses.
The problem is that it is far too slow against regular rush waves. Spending heavily on a card that struggles to handle normal waves can leave your board vulnerable.
Mangotello
5-Cost
Mangotello requires an entirely unique board through the Highlander strategy.
The problem is that it falls behind Shamaness and other 5-cost options in practical DPS, making the investment harder to justify in most situations.
Dragon Hoarder & Coco Coinhog
5-Cost / 3-Cost
The base versions of Dragon Hoarder and Coco Coinhog require you to hold onto a large amount of unspent gold.
While saving money can be useful for certain strategies, hoarding too much gold can weaken your combat board during the early rounds. That trade-off makes these cards less attractive compared with options that immediately contribute to your board.
Raw 8-Cost Minions
Purchasing an un-upgraded 8-cost minion at Level 1–3 during battle is mathematically inferior to fielding a Level 7–10 3-cost or 5-cost minion with its passive talent tree unlocked.
This is an important point to remember when spending your Suncoins. A higher price tag does not automatically mean a stronger unit, especially when the cheaper card already has several levels of its passive mechanics unlocked.
The biggest takeaway from this Plants on Fire tier list is that a card’s value isn’t determined by its cost alone. Some of the strongest units become exceptional because they interact with several other cards at once, while others need a specific economy or positioning strategy before they really start showing their strength.
Princeling, Apple Sheriff, Chomper, Prof. Nutter, Chili Chef, Eggydjinn, and Cashew Sage stand out in Tier S because they can create huge advantages when their mechanics are used correctly. Meanwhile, many Tier A and Tier B cards can still be excellent choices when you build your board around their strengths.
Also keep an eye on the Level 10 and Level 12 upgrades. Those later power spikes can completely change how a minion performs, so don’t judge a card only by its early-game stats.
Use this list as a starting point for your builds, but remember that team composition and synergy can sometimes matter more than the individual tier of a card.