In Plants vs Defense, inspect enemy types and lane timing before spending the opening resources. Establish enough economy to scale, but place early damage where the first pressure actually arrives. Combine slowing, area damage, and durable blockers instead of stacking one unit type, and reserve emergency resources for fast or armored waves. Reposition or upgrade according to the level's rules rather than filling every tile. For a balance or bug report, include level, wave, unit levels, upgrades, platform, and the exact enemy interaction.