Brawl Stars Tier List: Best Control, Marksmen and Tanks

As someone who’s coached, streamed, and argued about the brawl stars tier list for years, here’s my quick take. If you want wins right now: play strong control brawlers, safe long-range marksmen, and one reliable tank. That mix covers most metas, ranked drafts, and Power League weirdness. In my experience, the meta shifts, but the rules don’t. Pick for map, mode, and team comp. Keep star powers, gadgets, and gears in mind. Simple, not easy.

If you’re brand new and somehow found me before the game itself, Brawl Stars is a fast, 3v3 (and sometimes solo) shooter by Supercell. Easy to pick up, sneaky to master. And if you’ve ever wondered why tier debates get so heated, it’s because tiny balance changes move mountains.

Brawler Tier Breakdown

I’ve always found that S-tier brawlers share three traits, they win space, punish mistakes, and don’t need perfect teammates. A-tier fills holes and counters maps. B-tier works if you’re cracked. C-tier is for when you want a challenge, or you’re smurfing your sanity away.

Brawl Stars Tier List

Tier	Typical Roles	Strengths	Notes
S Tier	Control / Marksmen / Utility	Wins lanes, few bad maps	Great in ranked draft
A Tier	Tanks / Throwers / Assassins	Map and comp dependent	Can carry if picked smart
B Tier	Off-meta picks	Need matchup knowledge	Fun but risky in Power League
C Tier	Niche or undertuned	One or two good maps	Play for spice, not win rate

How I Judge Tiers

• Mode fit: Gem Grab needs control. Brawl Ball wants passing and burst. Heist? Melt boxes. Hot Zone is about time-on-tile.
• Map tiles: Long lanes boost snipers. Narrow walls feed tanks and throwers. Bush everywhere? Check your vision and gadget lineup.
• Draft pressure: Can this brawler be first-picked without getting hard-countered? If yes, that’s S/A material.
• Resource curve: Does it work at Power 9 with one gadget? Or do you need max gears and both star powers to feel alive?
• Team forgiveness: Some picks still carry when teammates tilt. That matters more than anyone admits.

When I’m talking builds, people always ask “Is damage gear better than speed?” It’s like the eternal LoL debate about on-hit vs crit builds. The answer is “it depends,” but the real answer is “map, matchup, and your job.” If your role is lane bully, take the gear that wins lane. If you’re chasing, speed. If you’re bursting tanks, damage. Boring? Maybe. True? Yes.

Mode-by-Mode Cheatsheet

Gem Grab

• Play safe control mid, plus a lane bully and a peel/utility side.
• Don’t all-in at 9 gems and then throw at 10. Please. I beg you.

Brawl Ball

• Run one tanky engager, one ranged lane holder, and a flex that can pass/shoot under pressure.
• Save your gadgets for overtime fights. You’ll actually need them then.

Heist

• High safe damage wins. If you’re not shredding the box, you’re playing TDM by accident.
• Flank timing > KDA. Trade yourself for 20% safe damage if it opens the map.

Hot Zone

• Pick area denial and sustain. Hold space, don’t chase kills.
• Rotate. If your lane is won, go win the game, not screenshots.

Knockout / Duels

• High skill-cap picks shine. Vision and patience beat yolo dives.
• Know your breakpoints. Two taps and a gadget is a plan, not a dream.

If you stream or record your ranked grind, you’ll want decent scenes, audio, and alerts. I help friends set up all the time, so here’s a clean primer I like, Twitch beginner’s guide with OBS setup. You’ll thank me when your mic doesn’t sound like a toaster in a wind tunnel.

What Actually Makes a Brawler S-Tier?

• Low counter risk: Few hard counters. Or it can play around them.
• Map coverage: Works on most maps in its modes. No “oh no, this lane again” meltdowns.
• Team fit: Synergizes with common picks. Doesn’t need a galaxy-brain comp to function.
• Clutch tools: A gadget or super that flips fights, not just tickles the air.

People love to debate what a tier list even means. For me, it’s not gospel. It’s a map. You still have to drive. Your skill, your latency, and your teammates named “AFK_Edgar_420” will still exist.

Draft, Bans, and the “Please Don’t First-Pick That” Lecture

Ban Picks

• Ban what punishes your comp or the map. Not just “that brawler made me cry yesterday.”
• If a thrower or sniper terrorizes a specific map, remove it and build your plan.

First-Pick Logic

• Grab safe, flexible power picks that don’t scream “counter me.”
• Hold niche picks for last if you expect counters.

Builds and Gears (the short version)

• If the map is open, vision and speed matter less than raw poke and survivability.
• If it’s bushy, vision decides games. Yes, even in 2025. People still face-check.
• Damage gear shines when you can secure breakpoints (two hits + gadget = delete).

If you care about discoverability, yes, this game belongs on the list of top games to stream in 2025. It’s got short matches, hype moments, and chat-friendly pacing. Also, the salt. People love salt.

Example “Tier Tables” by Mode

Gem Grab Snapshot

• S Tier: Safe mid control, lane bully, peel support and Strong on most gem maps
• A Tier: Thrower control, off-angle assassin and Needs walls/bush
• B Tier: Greedy damage picks and Snowball or flop

Brawl Ball Snapshot

• S Tier: One tanky engager, ranged support and flexible finisher
• A Tier: Double control lanes, utility mid, Safer in solo queue
• B Tier: Double tank, Coinflip city unless your synergy is perfect

Heist Snapshot

• S Tier: Safe-melting DPS, wall break and flanker
• A Tier: Poke + burst mix with lane pressure
• B Tier: High skill snipers, Map dependent, punish mistakes

Hot Zone Snapshot

• S Tier: Area denial, sustain and anti-dive
• A Tier: Balanced poke and peel
• B Tier: Dive comps, Fun, but timer hates you

If you want to watch or post competitive runs, I dump my VODs into a folder like a raccoon. Organized chaos. If you want better, here’s a hub that rounds up streaming games & sports content. Lots of ideas there if you’re building your channel.

Balance Changes and the “Don’t Panic” Rule

I’ve seen metas flip overnight. A small reload tweak. A gadget nerf. Suddenly your comfort pick is mid. Don’t panic. Shift roles. Learn two mains in each archetype: one control, one brawler/assassin, one tank/utility. You’ll ride out patches without rage-uninstalling.

Signs a Nerf Is Coming

• High pick and ban rates across all ranks, not just top tiers.
• Dominates multiple modes, not just one spicy map.
• Streamers mirror it well, it farms clips.

Speaking of clips, if you’re chasing growth, tier debates and “why X is secretly broken” are cheat codes. Use these viral YouTube gaming ideas to package your takes. People love hot takes more than they love accuracy. Sad but true.

Skill Floor vs Skill Ceiling

• Low floor, high ceiling: Best for climbing. You get value early and keep scaling with skill.
• High floor, high ceiling: Great on teams, risky in solo queue. Needs coordination.
• Low ceiling picks: Solid for learning maps and modes. Swap out when you’re comfy.

Climb Smarter

• Two-map rule: If a pick feels rough on two maps in a row, swap. Don’t force it.
• Play with intent: “I’m the lane bully” or “I’m peel.” Vague goals lose games.
• Record your losses: 3 minutes of replay > 30 minutes of denial.

If you’re reading this and thinking “okay but where’s the actual brawl stars tier list,” I get it. I keep one, update it after patches, and I’m happy to argue. But truth: the best list is the one you can actually play. Map knowledge, drafts, and counters beat blind pick “S-tier” any day.

Also, yeah, the dev behind this chaos is Supercell. They nudge numbers and the whole ladder melts down for a week. It’s kind of hilarious. Kind of not.

Streaming-Friendly Settings

• Lock in a stable frame rate. Battery saver modes can mess with inputs.
• Use wired or low-latency audio if you’re calling plays with friends.
• Test your scenes before ranked. Mic checks save friendships.

When I’m coaching new streamers, I send them this starter to avoid the common landmines, Twitch beginner’s guide with OBS setup. Clean overlays, clean audio, fewer “can you hear me?” moments.

Common Mistakes I See

• Picking comfort into hard counters and blaming teammates.
• Ignoring gadgets. They exist for a reason. Press the button.
• Forcing assassin dives on open maps where vision ruins you.
• Not swapping when your lane is unplayable. Pride is not MMR.

If you’re trying to sprint up the ladder fast, treat each section above like a mini checklist. Pick for the mode, check the map, draft smart, lock the gear that fits the job. That’s how I’ve stayed sane (mostly) through years of patches and salt.

FAQs

Q: What’s the fastest way to learn matchups?

Scrim a friend on a private map and rotate picks. Ten minutes of focused 1v1 beats an hour of random ladder.

Q: Are throwers still worth it?

On wall-heavy maps, yes. In open maps, they’re coinflip. Draft them, don’t blind pick them.

Q: Is it okay to one-trick my favorite brawler?

Sure, but learn a backup in the same role. When a balance patch hits, you’ll still have a climb path.

Q: Which modes are easiest to climb?

Gem Grab and Hot Zone are consistent if you like control. Brawl Ball is fast but chaotic. Heist rewards map knowledge and safe damage.

Q: Do I need max gears and both star powers to hit high ranks?

No. They help, but map sense, positioning, and draft matter more. I’ve climbed on budget accounts by playing the right role.

If you actually made it this far, you probably care. Same. I’ll revisit this after the next patch, shuffle a few picks, and pretend I didn’t call last month’s nerf “no big deal.” It’s fine. We’re fine. The meta will chill. Probably.