Ketchup Mechanic

Ketchup Mechanic
Statistics
Strength	1
Health	1
Cost	3
Set	Event
Class
Tribe	Fruit Plant
Traits	None
Abilities	When played: For each Zombie, this gets +1/+1 and Heal the Plant Hero for 1.
Catchup mechanics help you get back in a game when you're behind. Ketchup Mechanics fix your fruit.

Ketchup Mechanic is an event plant card in Plants vs. Zombies Heroes and a member of the Solar class. She costs 3 to play and has 1/1.

She does not have any traits, and her ability gives her +1/+1 and heals the plant hero for 1 for every non-gravestone zombie on the field when she is played.

She was introduced in update 1.18.13, along with Transfiguration, Go-Nuts, Witch Hazel, Haunted Pumpking, Fraidy Cat, Sneezing Zombie, Exploding Fruitcake, Unexpected Gifts, and Frankentuar. She became craftable after update 1.22.12.

Origins

She is based on the tomato (Solanum Iycopersicum), the fruit of a plant in the nightshade family; and a mechanic, a person who repairs and maintains machinery.

Her name is a portmanteau of "ketchup," a condiment made from the real-life plant she is based on; and "mechanic," referring to her appearance, as well as catch-up mechanics, which are game rules designed for losing players to catch up with ease, which in this case is exactly what she is intended for.

Statistics

• Class: Solar
• Tribe: Fruit Plant
• Traits: None
• Ability: When played: For each Zombie, this gets +1/+1 and Heal the Plant Hero for 1.
• Set: Event

Card description

Catchup mechanics help you get back in a game when you're behind. Ketchup Mechanics fix your fruit.

Update history

Update 1.18.13

• Added to the game.

Update 1.22.12

• Became craftable.

Strategies

With

Ketchup Mechanic is best played when the field is filled with zombies, as she gets +1/+1 for each zombie on the field. Depending on what opponent you're facing, Ketchup Mechanic can gain +5/+5, allowing her to plow through zombies easily, and heal you for up to 5. Putting a strong plant for 3 sun is already a good play, and this can additionally boost Pepper M.D. or allow Heartichoke to damage the Zombie Hero.

Just make sure that Sneezing Zombie is not on board (she disables all types of healing), and do not play her in Total Eclipse (as it will destroy her instantly before her ability activates).

Each hero has their own way of using Ketchup Mechanic:

• Chompzilla has the best use of Ketchup Mechanic. She has access to Onion Rings, which can raise Ketchup Mechanic's low initial stats, allowing her to have up to 9/9, and since Ketchup Mechanic tends to boost itself, she can boost Potted Powerhouse with it. Chompzilla can also use Umbrella Leaf and Black-Eyed Pea to deter zombie tricks, as Ketchup Mechanic often can accumulate extreme stats. Finally, Plant Food allows her to unleash dangerous bonus attacks that end the game in her favor.
• Wall-Knight is able to use Ketchup Mechanic as a powerful fighter, since many Guardian plants have no consistent way of increasing their strength. He also has a wide array of Team-Up plants to shield Ketchup Mechanic, and does have lots of ways to boost health. His Anti-Gravestone cards makes Ketchup Mechanic's ability much easier to use.
• Rose can use cards to bounce or freeze zombies (and Grave Mistake for Gravestones) that threaten Ketchup Mechanic.
• Solar Flare's damaging tricks can be used to eliminate zombies that get in the way and apply extra pressure to swarm decks

Ketchup Mechanic does have a few minor weaknesses. Sneezing Zombie can deny healing, while Total Eclipse effectively prevents you from playing it under most circumstances unless you have another lane to work with. Gravestones also do not count as Zombies, reducing the effectiveness of her ability.

Against

Tricks are the best way to counter her, as unless you play Teleport, Ketchup Mechanic will still get +1/+1. If she gets out of hand due to being played when there are a lot of zombies on field, Rocket Science and Cut Down to Size can get rid of her easily.

But in other cases, your opponent will hold on until you get more zombies on the field, which will likely happen in the late game anyway so be prepared to destroy her. Rush and swarm strategies are far more vulnerable to this plant if you had too many fighters on the field.

As for the healing ability, Beastly Heroes can use Sneezing Zombie to prevent it.

Gallery

• 

  Ketchup Mechanic's statistics

• 

  Ketchup Mechanic's card

• 

  Ketchup Mechanic's grayed out card

• 

  Ketchup Mechanic's card image

• 

  HD Ketchup Mechanic

• 

  Ketchup Mechanic's sprites

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  Ketchup Mechanic's projectile sprites

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  Ketchup Mechanic activating her ability

• 

  Ketchup Mechanic attacking

• 

  Ketchup Mechanic destroyed

• 

  Time to Shine being played on Ketchup Mechanic

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  Ketchup Mechanic with the
  Strikethrough trait

• 

  Ketchup Mechanic's card as a 4/4 due to Onion Rings' ability

• 

  Ketchup Mechanic on an Advertisement for the Early Access Bundle

• 

  Ketchup Mechanic on an Advertisement for the Early Access Bundle

• 

  Ketchup Mechanic being the featured card on the menu for the September 12th, 2017 Daily Challenge

• 

  Ketchup Mechanic being the featured card on the menu for the September 16th, 2017 Daily Challenge

• 

  Ketchup Mechanic on an advertisement for the Early Access Bundle

• 

  Ketchup Mechanic on the advertisement for the Weekly Events

In other languages

Please note that only official translations are used.

Language	Name	Description
English	Ketchup Mechanic
Simplified Chinese	番茄技工	lit. "Ketchup Mechanic"
Traditional Chinese	番茄技工
French	Panse-tomate
German	Ketchup-Mechanikerin
Italian	Ketchup meccanico
Japanese	ケチャップメカニック
Korean	케첩 기술자
Brazilian Portuguese	Mecânica de Catchup
Russian	Томатный механик
Spanish	Mecánica kétchup

Trivia

• Oddly, it only plays its animation for activating its ability from the player's side. This is likely a bug.
  • The same happens with Hippity Hop Gargantuar and Zombot Sharktronic Sub.
• The bunch of leaves that appears when Ketchup Mechanic activates her ability resembles a monkey wrench.

V · E	Plants in Plants vs. Zombies Heroes