If you want to build a rush deck in Plants vs. Zombies Heroes, you’re looking at the right Plant hero for the job. Nightcap excels at rush decks, but you may find him lacking in ant other department.
Nightcap is compatible with Kabloom and Smarty cards. This makes him come out swinging in the first few turns of a match with low cost Plants to outsmart and whittle down the Zombie Hero before they can get their own strategy up and running.
This hero is all focused on doing early game damage, which is exactly what a “rush deck” implies. Unlike some other heroes where a running long game strategy will work, Nightcap will only get worse as a match continues. If a match is still going by the time your opponent is throwing out 8 Brain Zombies and some friends, you’re going to have a bad time.
There are a few ways you can build a Nightcap deck, but in order to be truly effective you have to aim for lower cost cards. A few high-cost for emergency long games are a must but you want to be able to deal with your opponents quickly.
Nightcap decks are best geared toward Mushrooms, Berries, or Beans depending on what you have. You may want to make good use of Kabloom’s variety of Anti-Hero Plants, as the faster you whittle down your opponent the better.
Superpowers
Signature Superpower (Only Nightcap can use this Superpower)
Mush-Boom
Make a 1 Strength/1 Health Poison Mushroom with Anti-Hero 2. Do 2 damage to a Zombie there.
Compatible Superpowers
Storm Front
All Plants get +1 Strength and +1 Health.
More Spore
Make two 1 Strength/1 Health Button Mushrooms in random lanes.
Whirlwind
Bounce a random Zombie.
Notable card combinations
These combinations are laid out with the most important card bolded and followed by a plus sign (+) with cards the important card will either affect or be affected by. You can look at the card specifics in the tables below this section.
Below each combination briefly explains why these cards are good friends. Always remember card synergy when building a deck.
- Sergeant Strongberry + Wild Berry, Sour Grapes, Bluesberry, Grapes of Wrath, Hibernating Bear, Berry Blast, Cherry Bomb
- Sergeant Strongberry grants other Berries and Berry Tricks +2 damage. These Plants and Tricks are Berries.
- Buff-Shroom + Button Mushroom, Poison Mushroom, Shroom for Two, Mushroom Ringleader, Punish-Shroom, Smoosh-Shroom
- Buff-Shroom grants +1 Health and +1 Strength to all Mushrooms when played. These Plants are all Mushrooms.
- Mushroom Ringleader + Pair of Pears, Shroom for Two, Poppin’ Poppies, Smoosh-Shroom, Admiral Navy Bean, Shellery, Carrotillery, Navy Bean
- Mushroom Ringleader gets +2 Strength for each other Plant. These Plants either have Team-Up or spawn more Plants with Team-Up.
- Snowdrop + Chilly Pepper, Snow Pea, Winter Melon, Iceberg Lettuce, Winter Squash
- Snowdrop gains +2 Strength and +2 Health when a Zombie is frozen. These Plants and Tricks all freeze.
- Winter Squash + Chilly Pepper, Snow Pea, Winter Melon, Iceberg Lettuce
- Winter Squash destroys frozen Zombies. These Plants all freeze.
- Admiral Navy Bean + Weenie Beanie, Bean Counter, Navy Bean, Jumping Bean, Sting Bean, Sow Magic Beans
- Admiral Navy Bean does 2 damage to the Zombie Hero when you play other Beans. These are all Beans.
- Punish-Shroom + Button Mushroom, Poison Mushroom, Shroom for Two, Buff-Shroom, Mushroom Ringleader, Smoosh-Shroom
- Punish-Shroom deals 2 damage to either a random Zombie or the Zombie Hero when another Mushroom dies. These are all Mushrooms.
- Bean Counter + Weenie Beanie, Admiral Navy Bean, Navy Bean, Jumping Bean, Sting Bean, Sow Magic Beans
- Bean Counter gains +1 Strength and +1 Health when you play another Bean and adds two 1STR/1HP Weenie Beanies to your hand when played. These are all Beans.
- Navy Bean + Admiral Navy Bean, Lightning Reed, Cattail, Brainana, The Great Zucchini
- Navy Bean grants all Amphibious Plants +1 Strength and +1 Health when played. These are all Amphibious Plants.
Don’t ignore these cards if you have them!
These cards may not all have synergy on their side like the ones mentioned above, but they are notable and worth considering adding to your decks.
Nightcap is tricky to use so this section is longer than for the other heroes.
Poison Mushroom – A very cheap (1 Sun) cost card with Anti-Hero 2. If played at the right time this little guy is an affordable 3 damage to the Zombie Hero. As Nightcap, this is invaluable.
Shroom for Two – Another 1 Sun cost mushroom, and this one spawns an identical buddy in the same lane. Another reasonable card for a rush deck.
Seedling – This 2 Sun cost Plant may not seem like a great investment for other Heroes, but with Nightcap Seedling can be a trusty ally. It only costs 2 Sun but will turn into a random Plant of 6 Sun or less on the next turn — and that can be a total gamechanger.
Wild Berry – Another Plant that may not seem like much, but 4 Strength for only 2 Sun is no joke. Wild Berry may bounce to another lane when played, but it’s worth the inclusion in your Nightcap decks.
Poison Ivy – An absolute must-have! Poison Ivy only has a cost of 3 Sun and comes with Anti-Hero 4, making it a total Zombie Hero-shredder early in a match.
Punish-Shroom – This card is listed in notable combinations but I cannot stress enough how important/powerful it is for a good Nightcap deck if you’re going the Mushroom route. 2 damage to the Zombie Hero each time a Mushroom is destroyed is no joke, but you have to keep it alive long enough to be useful.
Smoosh-Shroom – If you’re going the Mushroom route, seriously consider this 5 Sun, 5 Strength, 4 Health bad boy for your deck. It’s a big help mid-game when you’re starting to struggle.
Cattail – A reasonably powerful Amphibious card, with 3 Sun cost, 3 Strength, and 2 Health. It may not synergize but it’s an easy and safe water card for when you need a quick fix.
Carrotillery – Another rare offensive-use Team-Up card. A worthy addition to most decks, and maybe even your rush deck.
Shellery – One of the few offense-oriented cards with Team-Up. Shellery’s 1 Sun cost and 2 Strength plus Team-Up is a nice deal for a lot of decks.
Sweet Potato – She only cost 1 Sun, she has 3 Health, and she moves a Zombie to her lane when played. She’s got her uses, and those uses are all saving your more important Plants.
Whipvine – An important card when you are trying to protect your important Plants like Sergeant Strongberry or Punish-Shroom.
Zapricot – A simple card, but with 4 Strength at 3 Sun cost you can’t really complain.
Pineclone – If a match is going on too long, Pineclone can make your weak low-cost plants more useful. A niche card and not necessary for every deck, but worth considering.
Sour Grapes – If you’re going the Berry route, Sour Grapes is a great addition. This card does 1 damage to each Zombie when played, which can be a huge help during midgame.
Poison Oak – This big guy may have a high cost of 6, but with 4 Strength, 5 Health, and Anti-Hero 5 it’s a great addition to any Nightcap deck as long as you also pack Zombie-clearing Tricks.
Grapes of Wrath – This card is amazing to have on-hand for when a match goes on too long for Nightcap to be comfortable with. Generally you should be hitting the Zombie Hero several times before it gets up and running. Once midgame rolls around and you’re starting to have trouble, hopefully Grapes of Wrath’s 6 damage to the Zombie Hero when destroyed will finish the job you started.
Berry Blast – (Trick) It does 3 damage for 2 Sun. You need that 3 damage, all the time.
Berry Angry – (Trick) This grants all Plants +2 Strength for a mere 3 Sun. Amazing for rushing!
Petal-Morphosis – (Trick) Great for making weaker plants more useful in the lategame if you’ve made it that far.. as long as it gives you a good plant.
Cherry Bomb – (Trick) Lategame is hard for Nightcap. Cherry Bomb makes it much easier. Even with 6 Sun cost, it’s a good idea to have 1 or 2 of these in your deck.
Spring Bean – (Trick) Only 3 Sun cost and can save your more useful Plants from a bad spot. Great for Nightcap.
Compatible cards
Below are all the Mega-Grow and Smarty cards currently available in Plants vs. Zombies Heroes that you can use with Green Shadow. There are separate tables for Plants and Tricks.
A card’s rarity is noted next to their name in parenthesis. The more rare a card is, the less likely you are to get it from a pack and the more it costs to craft. The rarities are Common (C), Uncommon (UC) , Rare (R), Super Rare (SR), and Legendary (L).
| Plant | Type | Special Effects | Unique Ability |
|---|---|---|---|
 Button Mushroom (C) | Mushroom | ||
 Poison Mushroom (UC) | Mushroom | Anti-Hero 2 | |
 Shroom for Two (C) | Mushroom | Make a 1 Strength/1 Health Puff-Shroom with Team-Up here. | |
 Buff-Shroom (C) | Mushroom | When played: All Mushrooms get +1 Health and +1 Strength. | |
 Seedling (C) | Seed | At the start of next turn: This transforms into a random Plant that costs 6 Sun or less. | |
 Wild Berry (UC) | Berry | When played: This moves to another random lane. | |
 Mushroom Ringleader (UC) | Mushroom | When played: This gets +2 Strength for each other Plant. | |
 Poison Ivy (C) | Leafy | Anti-Hero 4 | |
 Punish-Shroom (R) | Mushroom | When a Mushroom is destroyed, do 2 damage to a random Zombie or Zombie Hero. | |
 Zapricot (C) | Fruit | ||
 Pair of Pears (C) | Fruit | When played: Make a 2 Health/2 Strength Pear Pal with Team-Up here. | |
 Pineclone (SR) | Pinecone | When played: Transform all Plants into 3 Strengh and 4 Health Pineclones. | |
 Sergeant Strongberry (SR) | Berry | When another Berry does damage, do 2 extra damage. | |
 Sour Grapes (C) | Berry | When played: Do 1 damage to each Zombie. | |
 Bluesberry (UC) | Berry | When played: Do 2 Damage. | |
 Poison Oak (R) | Tree | Anti-Hero 5 | |
 Dandy Lion King (L) | Flower Animal | When played: Damage the Zombie Hero for half their Health. | |
 Grapes of Wrath (SR) | Berry | When destroyed: Do 6 damage to the Zombie Hero. | |
 Kernel Corn (L) | Corn | When played: Do 4 damage to each Zombie. |
| Trick | Effect |
|---|---|
 Berry Blast (C) | Do 3 damage. |
 Berry Angry (C) | All Plants get +2 Strength. |
 Petal-Morphosis (R) | Transform a Plant into a random Plant. Draw a card. |
 Sizzle (UC) | Do 5 damage to a Zombie. |
 Cherry Bomb (R) | Do 4 damage to each Zombie here and next door. |
| Plant | Type | Special Effects | Unique Ability |
|---|---|---|---|
 Admiral Navy Bean (C) | Bean | Amphibious, Team-Up | When you play another Bean, do 2 damage to the Zombie Hero. |
 Shellery (C) | Leafy | Team-Up | |
 Snowdrop (C) | Flower | This gets +2 Strength and +2 Health when a Zombie is frozen. | |
 Weenie Beanie (C) | Bean | ||
 Lightning Reed (R) | Leafy | Amphibious, Splash Damage 1 | |
 Snow Pea (C) | Pea | When this hurts a Zombie, Freeze that Zombie. | |
 Cattail (C) | Animal | Amphibious | |
 Chilly Pepper (UC) | Pepper | When played: Freeze a Zombie. | |
 Vanilla (C) | Flower | ||
 Rescue Radish (UC) | Root | When played: Bounce another Plant. | |
 Bean Counter (SR) | Bean | This gets +1 Strength and +1 Health when you play another Bean. When played: Add two 1 Health/1 Strength Weenie Beanies to your hand. | |
 Carrotillery (C) | Root | Team-Up | |
 Navy Bean (UC) | Bean | Amphibious, Team-Up | When played: All Amphibious Plants get +1 Strength and +1 Health. |
 Snapdragon (SR) | Dragon Flower | Splash Damage 3 | |
 Winter Squash (R) | Squash | When a Zombie becomes frozen, destroy that Zombie. | |
 Jumping Bean (R) | Bean | When played: Bounce a Zombie. | |
 Smoosh-Shroom (C) | Mushroom | ||
 Threepeater (C) | Pea | Attacks here and next door. | |
 Brainana (SR) | Banana | Amphibious | When played: The Zombie Hero loses their Brains. |
 Winter Melon (L) | Fruit | Splash Damage 4 | When this hurts a Zombie, Freeze that Zombie. |
 The Great Zucchini (L) | Squash | Amphibious | When played: Transform all Zombies into 1 Health/1 Strength Zombies. |
| Trick | Effect |
|---|---|
 Iceberg Lettuce (UC) | Freeze a Zombie. |
 Sow Magic Beans (R) | Shuffle four 4 Strength/4 Health Magic Beanstalks into your deck that cost 1 Sun and say “When played: Draw a card.” |
 Spring Bean (C) | Bounce a Zombie. |
If you enjoyed this guide and would like to see other heroes given the same treatment, worry not! Every Plant hero in Plants vs. Zombies Heroes is getting the same treatment. As a matter of fact, here are the links to a few. The others are in progress!
- PvZ Heroes Wall-Knight deck resource guide
- PvZ Heroes Citron deck resource guide
- PvZ Heroes Grass Knuckles deck resource
- PvZ Heroes Solar Flare deck resource guide
- PvZ Heroes Green Shadow deck resource guide
