Shooting Range in Gardenscapes: How the New Element Works

Pumpkin-headed Shooting Range scarecrows recreate a penalty kick in a Gardenscapes-inspired stadium, with a goalkeeper, referee, pumpkin ball, cheering Playrix fans, and themed stadium banners.

Learn how the Shooting Range works in Gardenscapes. Discover how to clear the 10 Pumpkins, defeat the Scarecrow, and use boosters and power-ups effectively.

The Shooting Range is a two-stage element in Gardenscapes. To remove it from the board, you must first clear all 10 Pumpkins and then destroy the Scarecrow, which appears afterward.

Each stage follows different mechanics. The Pumpkins can be cleared with regular match-3 moves, boosters, and power-ups, while the Scarecrow can only be damaged by boosters or power-ups.

How the Shooting Range Works

The Shooting Range begins as a shelf holding 10 Pumpkins. Each Pumpkin requires one hit to be removed.

Once the last Pumpkin is cleared, the element transforms and the Scarecrow appears in its place. From that point on, regular match-3 moves no longer affect the element.

Stage One: The 10 Pumpkins

The Pumpkins can be cleared by making regular match-3 combinations next to them. They can also be hit by boosters and power-ups as long as the explosion or effect reaches the Shooting Range.

Each Pumpkin disappears after a single hit. There are no additional durability stages.

Although there are 10 Pumpkins in total, that does not mean you need 10 separate moves. A single match or explosion can hit multiple Pumpkins at the same time.

For example, if one match-3 touches two or more Pumpkins, every Pumpkin affected by that move is removed immediately.

The Best Strategy for the Pumpkins

Instead of clearing one Pumpkin at a time, try to create matches that reach as many Pumpkins as possible with each move.

Bombs and Dynamite are especially effective when their blast covers a large section of the Shooting Range, allowing multiple Pumpkins to be cleared with a single activation.

Horizontal and vertical matches that run alongside the element can also reduce the total number of moves needed to complete the first stage.

When the Scarecrow Appears

The Scarecrow does not appear until every Pumpkin has been removed. Even one remaining Pumpkin keeps the first stage active.

As soon as the tenth Pumpkin disappears, the Scarecrow replaces it and the second stage begins. If you want to compare this mechanic with other obstacles introduced in recent updates, see how the new Gardenscapes elements work.

Stage Two: The Scarecrow

The Scarecrow has five destruction stages. Each successful hit changes its appearance as parts of it gradually disappear.

Unlike the Pumpkins, the Scarecrow is completely unaffected by regular match-3 moves. Even if a match is made directly next to it, no damage is dealt.

Only boosters and power-ups can damage the Scarecrow. Each separate activation that reaches its position removes one of its five stages.

Which Power-Ups Can Damage the Scarecrow?

The Scarecrow can be hit by any booster or power-up whose effect reaches the Shooting Range. This design also explains why many new Gardenscapes levels contain more boosters than older levels.

Firecracker
Bomb
Dynamite
Rainbow Blast or Super Rainbow Blast when they activate power-ups
Power-up combinations
Tools or boosters that deal a direct hit to the element

Simply creating a power-up nearby is not enough. It must actually be activated so its effect reaches the Scarecrow.

Each Activation Removes Only One Stage

A powerful explosion does not destroy the Scarecrow instantly. Every separate booster or power-up activation removes only one destruction stage.

However, power-up combinations can trigger several consecutive activations during the same move. If five separate activations reach the Scarecrow one after another, all five stages can be removed without spending five individual moves.

The Scarecrow still requires five successful hits in total. The difference is that those hits can happen back-to-back during the same chain reaction.

The Best Strategy for the Scarecrow

Whenever possible, prepare power-ups before clearing the final Pumpkin.

That way, as soon as the Scarecrow appears, you can immediately start damaging it instead of spending extra moves creating new power-ups.

Bomb, Dynamite, and other power-up combinations are especially effective because they can trigger multiple consecutive explosions. Each activation that reaches the Scarecrow removes the next destruction stage.

How Many Hits Does the Shooting Range Need?

Removing the entire Shooting Range requires a total of 15 successful hits.

Pumpkins: 10 hits, one for each Pumpkin.
Scarecrow: 5 hits, one for each destruction stage.

Those 15 hits do not necessarily mean 15 separate moves. Multiple Pumpkins can be cleared at once, and several hits on the Scarecrow can occur during a single chain reaction.

Why the Shooting Range Can Be Challenging

The main challenge comes from the sudden change in mechanics between the two stages.

During the first stage, regular match-3 moves work perfectly against the Pumpkins. Once the Scarecrow appears, those same moves become completely ineffective.

If you do not have boosters or power-ups ready, you may have to spend several extra moves creating them before you can finish the element.

Planning ahead before the Scarecrow appears can make the second stage much easier. This design reflects a broader trend in recent updates, where new Gardenscapes elements have become increasingly complex.

Conclusion

The Shooting Range is a two-stage element that must be completed in order. First, clear all 10 Pumpkins using regular match-3 moves, boosters, or power-ups.

After that, the Scarecrow appears with five destruction stages and can only be damaged by boosters or power-ups.

In total, the Shooting Range requires 15 successful hits. In practice, however, the number of moves is usually much lower because multiple Pumpkins can be cleared at once and chain reactions can remove several Scarecrow stages in rapid succession.

Watch the Shooting Range in Action

If you would like to see exactly how the Shooting Range behaves during an actual level, the video below shows every stage of the element in gameplay. You can watch how the Pumpkins are cleared first, how the Scarecrow appears afterward, and how boosters and power-ups are used to remove its five destruction stages.

If you would like to see every new Gardenscapes element in real gameplay, visit our YouTube playlist. It includes videos demonstrating each element in action, making it easier to understand how every mechanic works inside actual levels.

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