Pine Gangster
Pine Gangster is a cost 3 card in Plants on Fire. Rarity: Epic.
- This Minion gains an extra 5/5/5/20 ATK when promoted.
In practice
Pine Gangster gains 5 permanent ATK when it is promoted (20 at 4★). Each promotion gives the same flat bonus, so the plan is to merge and let it grow with the deck. ATK 5, 2 s interval. Each copy gives the full effect. The community leaves it in tier C. It drops from Harvest Pots, Recruitment and the S-Harvest Farm.
Base stats (1★)
Level progression
Permanent account progress: each level adds ATK and costs Gold plus card copies. Star rank (★) is separate and lasts only one match.
ATK 6 (+1) · 500 Gold · 2 copies
ATK 7 (+1) · 800 Gold · 4 copies
Increases the ATK bonus from promotions to 8/8/8/32. 1200 Gold · 8 copies
ATK 9 (+2) · 1600 Gold · 14 copies
ATK 11 (+2) · 2000 Gold · 25 copies
Increases the ATK bonus from promotions to 12/12/12/48. 4000 Gold · 40 copies
Increases the ATK bonus from promotions to 15/15/15/60. 7000 Gold · 60 copies
Increases the ATK bonus from promotions to 18/18/18/72. 11000 Gold · 75 copies
Sun cost to level up
1× · 3 sun
2× · 6 sun
4× · 12 sun
How star fusion works
2 copies at the same ★ merge into 1 copy at the next ★. 4★ only exists in Rumble Chess. In regular Co-op, your partner's Minions get a blue star and don't merge with yours.How it works
- ATK: +5, permanent.
Read from the game's official data. Numbers are for card level 1, for 1★/2★/3★ when three values are shown.
Card analysis
What this card does inside a deck, from the deck builder's data. It is the same reading the simulator uses to score decks.
Strengths
- Works as Payoff in a deck.
- Each copy delivers the full effect. Merge only if you run out of tiles or in the round before a Boss.
Weaknesses
- It sits in tier C for PvP, according to the community tier list.
Role in the deck
What it plays with
- Turns Promotion into power.
Copies and merging
Each copy delivers the full effect. Merge only if you run out of tiles or in the round before a Boss.
Card data checked against game version 2.0.1021.0.
Rounds: when you can get it
Worked out from the official shop and Sun rules, for players in the 1000–1599 trophy range. It assumes you spend all your Sun on this card, which almost never happens in a real match.
- You can afford 1 copy(ies) (1★) by R1.
- You can afford 2 copy(ies) (2★) by R1.
- You can afford 4 copy(ies) (3★) by R2.
- Chance of showing up at least once in a 3-card shop: R1 97%, R2 96%, R3 95%, R4 94%, R5 93%, R6 91%.
Works well with
Pairs the community and I find good together. The notes come from my own research and player guides (written in English).
Every time Pine Gangster promotes, it gains ATK itself and feeds the same trigger that gives Dr. Kraut ATK.
Named among the cards that benefit from Princeling's "free promotions" engine, since it promotes/demotes itself every Ready on its own.
Pine Gangster's own promotion also triggers Floral Friar.
Pine Gangster's own promotion also triggers Peanut Page.
Pine Gangster's own promotion also grants Prof. Nutter Research.
When Pine Gangster itself gets promoted, besides gaining ATK on its own, the promotion also triggers Sister Cherry.
Pine Gangster's own promotion also makes Bombercarrot drop another Bomb Carrot.
What the community says
CSituational
Gains ATK when promoted, but no deck makes it work without a specific Blessing. Cost 3 rarely carries.
PvP opinion from when the tier list was made; use it as a reference, not as a game number. PvP tier list by NoControlTower (YouTube), 2026-04-02.
Variants
A base card and its Variants (I, II, III) can't be in the same deck. Variants inherit the base card's level. Get them in the Variant Recruit with Sprout Coins.
Builds using this card
Promotion Engine (Gota)
Sister Cherry, Dr. Kraut and Floral Friar grow every time any Minion merges.
Dr. Kraut Starter
A deck for newer accounts without a strong 5- or 8-Cost carry yet: pile promotion buffs onto Dr. Kraut until you get something like Pomblaster or Tomato Twister.
Promotion deck (official guide)
The official promotion guide: Princeling ranks up and down on its own, and every change triggers Sister Cherry, Dr. Kraut and Bombercarrot. Floral Friar closes the game.
Tomato Twister + Prof. Nutter (JitteryKennon)
Pomblaster, Guaca Sage and Pine Gangster hold the front and help Tomato Twister grow, while Prof. Nutter turns promotions into ATK.
Pine Gangster II + Judge Chilius (RoyalRabbit5502)
All the damage sits on the Cost-3 Minions, which scale fast with Judge Chilius. The rest of the deck is support.
Boss deck (Oct 12): Orange Bros clones with Archmandrake
The 9 cards to copy for the Oct 12 Boss, which removes the Minion with the highest ATK at the end of each round. Orange Bros makes temporary clones and Archmandrake makes the clone stronger than the original, so the clone is the one that goes.
Club Race 3/3: Promotion (other phase)
Deck 3 of the Club Race set, for the third phase or any phase without a special rule. It's the official Promotion deck with Chili Chef in place of Muscle Melon, which deck 2 already uses.