Gardenscapes Pinata: How the New Blocker Works

Austin dressed as a cowboy rides the colorful Pinata in a dusty rodeo arena as an international crowd cheers from the stands.

Learn how the new Pinata blocker works in Gardenscapes, why regular matches cannot damage it, and which power-ups and tools clear its five layers.

The Pinata is a new five-layer blocker in Gardenscapes. Regular matches do not damage it, so players must use power-ups, the Super Rainbow Blast, or certain tools to clear it from the board.

What the Pinata Looks Like

The Pinata is one of the new Gardenscapes elements and is shaped like a colorful horse hanging from a rope. It has a large round eye, a white snout, a multicolored tail, and a rounded body covered with red, orange, green, light blue, blue, and purple paper strips.

Each Pinata occupies a dark blue square on the board. Every hit removes part of its colorful outer covering, gradually revealing the yellow and orange body underneath.

How Many Hits Does It Take?

The Pinata takes a total of five hits to clear. Each valid hit removes one layer. The fifth hit clears it from the board immediately, and it does not release any Candy or other items.

A regular match next to the Pinata does not remove a layer. Matches only help when they create a power-up or set one up in the right position.

Which Power-Ups Can Damage It?

The Pinata can be damaged by explosions from the following power-ups:

Firecracker
Bomb
Dynamite
TNT

For a hit to count, the Pinata must be within the explosion’s range. Each explosion removes one layer, regardless of the size of the power-up.

You can watch Pinata gameplay on our YouTube channel to see how it works in a level.

Multiple Explosions in a Single Move

A Pinata can lose more than one layer during the same move. If several separate explosions reach it, each one counts as an individual hit.

For example, three explosions that reach the Pinata will remove three layers. Despite the growing complexity of new elements, the rule here is straightforward: if a chain reaction delivers all five required hits, the blocker can be completely cleared in a single move.

Super Rainbow Blast and Tools

The Super Rainbow Blast can also be used against the Pinata.

Three tools can remove layers as well:

The Shovel removes one layer from the Pinata you select.
The Dart removes one layer when it passes through the Pinata’s row.
The Kettlebell removes one layer when it passes through the Pinata’s column.

Each tool use counts as one hit. Tools are especially useful when the Pinata has only one layer left or when there is no way to create an explosion with the available moves.

The Best Strategy for Clearing the Pinata

Colorful Pinata blocker in Gardenscapes with a large round eye, white muzzle, rainbow-colored layers, purple tail and four legs.

The most effective approach is to create chain reactions near the Pinata. The range of a power-up matters, but the number of separate explosions that reach the blocker matters even more.

If several Pinatas are close together, a Bomb, Dynamite, or TNT can remove one layer from each of them. The extra power-ups found in newer levels can make these chain reactions easier to build, while Firecrackers triggered along the way can deliver additional hits.

Avoid making regular matches next to a Pinata unless they help create a power-up. Otherwise, they use up moves without damaging the blocker.

How the Pinata Differs from Candy

Gardenscapes already has an older element with a similar piñata design: Candy. According to Playrix, the candies are hidden inside piñatas shaped like colorful horses.

With the Candy element, the piñata opens after three matches or explosions next to it. Once opened, it scatters candies across random spaces on the board. The new Pinata works differently. It has five layers, regular matches do not affect it, and it does not release candies when cleared.

Although they look similar, Candy and Pinata are two separate elements. In the Candy element, the piñata is a container holding the candies. With the new Pinata, the horse-shaped object is the blocker itself.