As a competitive Brawl Stars analyst and content creator, I have played and studied the game at the highest levels, including qualifying for the 2022 World Finals. With Season 24 now underway, I have compiled extensive data from top player matchups and tournaments, as well as drawing from my own experience in solo queue and team play across various modes. This has enabled me to produce the most accurate brawler tier list ranking all 49 brawlers from the worst F tier to the elite S+ tier.
While the S and A tier brawlers make up the upper echelon that dominate competitive and high trophy play, even those in C or D tier can shine given the right teammates, game mode, and map. No brawler is completely irrelevant if their strengths align with the match conditions. Nonetheless, some clearly outclass others in the current stage of balance changes and shifting meta trends in gameplay.
Below I reveal my 2023 brawler tier list along with in-depth analysis on notable risers, fallers, overrated and underrated brawlers, as well as optimal playstyles, star powers, synergies, and counters across various competitive modes. Let the debate commence!
F Tier Brawlers: Edgar
The lone occupant of the bottom F tier sits Edgar who has struggled to keep up with the evolving meta after his initial peak in late 2020. His abysmal base attack range of 2.33 tiles puts him firmly in melee range, which proves extremely punishing in a meta dominated by mid to long range brawlers who can easily kite, poke, and burst him down. Playing Edgar well hinges almost entirely on perfectly sneaking in clever flanks and ambushes – extremely difficult to pull off in competitive play where teams position themselves wisely to deny that.
While support brawlers can enable Edgar by grabbing aggros or forcing clumping which opens assassination opportunities, there are simply far better options to invest that utility towards in the current meta. Both star powers provide mild sustain but fail to offset Edgar‘s crippling range issues. His supers can still generate quick wipes against lower HP teams, but savvy opponents will avoid tightly clumping as Edgar lacks AoE damage outside his super. With no utility and poor matchups into 80% of the meta brawlers, Edgar has remained firmly anchored to the distant F tier for over 18 months now.
Recommended Game Modes: Bounty, Knockout (situationally)
Position: Flank Assassin
Star Powers: Hard Landing, Self-Heal
D Tier Brawlers: Mortis, Jacky, Frank
Joining Edgar in the bottom tiers, we have three melee range brawlers in Mortis, Jacky, and Frank who similarly struggle in the current long range sustain meta. Starting with Mortis, the monocled vampire simply gets outraged too heavily by most meta brawlers who easily keep him at bay. His only hope becomes chaining supers to rapidly gain his Coiled Snake star power dash range – and even then throwers can gadget/super interrupt his approach. Squeak and Gale matchups are miserable as they persistently blast and reposition Mortis outside his modest main attack range. With no sustained DPS or durability, Mortis fails to find a reliable niche beyond novelty trick shot montages.
Jacky suffers from similar woes with a very limited role to force close-quarters brawls using counters like Grom and Primo to cover her approach. Unlike Mortis though, she packs huge damage once in range – it is just extremely difficult to push past mid range brawlers peppering her non-stop. Likewise, Frank puts out great burst but is too easily kited due to pathetic movement speed. Their viability depends almost wholly on bush-heavy maps to conceal approach.
Recommended Game Modes: Bounty, Heist, Knockout
Position: Mid, occasional lane
Star Powers: Coiled Snake, Survival Shovel/Spike It/Power Grab
C Tier Brawlers: Shelly, El Primo, Bull, Darryl
Edging up from the struggling bottom tiers we have Shelly, El Primo, Bull, and Darryl making up the C tier – a collect of short range tanks and burst assassins. In the right hands, comps, and bush-rich maps, they can overwhelm teams with brute force plays, but the current meta strongly discourages all-in aggression into the prevalent DPS threats.
Shelly sits at the top of this tier grouping, as she still boasts potent burst potential with Shell Shock slows and Clay Pigeons execute damage enabling her to cash in on kills. Her Fast Forward star power also enables some repositioning not afforded to other tanks. A well-played Shelly can still shred teams caught slipping.
The other shotgun tanks (Bull, Primo, Darryl) all struggle to approach at higher competitive levels when opponents deny them favorable engages through consistent poke damage and evasion. All three essentially hope to steamroll weaker teams off the back of a single overextended mistake granting them super charge access. Bull has the easiest time forcing isolation 1v1s with Stomper stunning gadget, while Darryl can play more passively using Steel Hoops shielding. Primo mostly hopes his Meteor Rush super chains into a team wipe – but often ends up feeding without support.
Recommended Game Modes: Bounty, Heist, Knockout
Position: Mid, occasional lane
Star Powers: Shell Shock, Magnum Special/Berserker/Rolling Reload
B Tier Brawlers: Gale, Penny, 8-BIT, Janet
Now reaching the middle B tier we find a mixture of once prominent meta brawlers who have fallen from grace as well as improving sleepers. Gale now struggles to make the same dominant lane impact he achieved on release as sharper movements and wider threat ranges contest his snowstorm area control. A well-aimed Spring Eject gadget can still reposition the entire enemy team into danger however, so he still brings unique utility if you master his skillshots.
Penny tumbles down from her previous A tier dominance as the dialed back Last Blast radius limits her zone control capacity while still lacking DPS up close to compete with the top meta gunners. She can still enable wildcard team wipes with a well-placed Hot Potato plus Mortar gadget, but has less solo carry potential now.
8-BIT occupies an awkward spot where map specific turret placements enable him to melt teams from safety, while also remaining tremendously vulnerable to assassination without his super charged up. He presents a low skill floor for players who enjoy holding down shoot mindlessly, but struggles into more aggro comps.
Finally Janet slides into B tier as the deserved nerfs to her Drop the Bass radius still greatly limit her early game kill confirm potential that terrorized mid ladder for months. She maintains potent disruption tools with her gadget-enhanced float mobility and area denial super charges. But Janet now feels more reasonable to counterplay once you deny that initial Drop the Bass burst.
Recommended Game Modes: Hot Zone, Bounty
Position: Mid, Lane
Star Powers: Spring Ejector, Last Blast, Cheat Cartridges, Drop the Bass
A Tier Brawlers: Bonnie, Max, Byron, Fang, Leon
Now moving up to the A tier class we find more meta and off-meta staples that have stood the test of time with overloaded kits enabling their continued dominance across the evolving metas. Speedster Max maintains her permanent spot as one of the best Brawl Ball carriers with unmatched mobility for scoring goals and fleeing danger. Her frequent Phase Shifter dashes and health Tax gadget sustain make her extremely slippery while steadily applying damage over time. Team utility comes from her Max Energy super charge speed boosts – take advantage by synergyzing with Impact Gadget slows into burst threats like Squeak, Spike, Crow for mauling tanks and assassins.
For raw healing and enabler value, Byron has no equal due to his potent cocktail mixes sustaining teammates from range while also unleashing their power through marked damage boosts. He thrives most alongside other squishier high DPS brawlers who benefit greatly from his range support pocket – forming vicious trios with the likes of Tara, Piper, Bea, and Stu. Position yourself to avoid enemy splashes while routinely hosing shots into the main fight. Both star powers have situational advantages.
If you seek a deadly combination of bursts, disruption and sustain then Bonnie is your girl. Despite gradual balance tweaks, she has avoided severe nerfs due to her high skill ceiling from ammo consumption management across her mech form switching. In the hands of experts, Bonnie dominates through her sheer versatility – able to shred tanks up close, poke from range, and deny areas for long durations. Her Temper Tantrum gadget bats away melee assassins with ease while Exploding Good provides excellent versatility to check bushes and chain supers. Partner with a gem carrier like Poco or Gene to truly enable her aggression.
Living up to his vampire persona, Fang drains away enemy HP bars with ruthless efficiency through long range poke and mid-range assassinations. Triggering the salivating Fresh Kicks heal sustain gives him great uptime to repeatedly threaten fragile enemies. Bait opponents into your carefully placed Smoke Trails super before circling into their backline for a vicious double team wipe combo. With easy mechanics but high skill cap maneuvers, Fang regularly dominates both ladder and competitive matches in the hands of experts who manipulate player psychology.
Lastly we have Leon who fluctuates in and out of meta contention as balance changes shift the viability of tanks and squishies alike. His Smoke Bomb gadget has defined an entire era of competitive play with coordinated ambush tactics. Natural quick recharge supers further enable Leon‘s persecuting pressure through repeated stealth assassinations once the first Invisiheal takedown triggers. With Clone Projector copies and Lollipop Drop slow support, advancing on a Leon often proves too risky at high level play as he punishes overextensions with overwhelming burst damage.
Recommended Game Modes: Gem Grab, Bounty, Brawl Ball
Position: Mid, occasional lane
Star Powers: Phase Shifter, Injection, Exploding Good, Smoke Trails, Invisiheal
S Tier Brawlers: Eve, Squeak, Spike
Finally we reach the elite S tier, home of the absolute cream of the crop brawlers excelling across game modes and skill levels. Topping the meta since her introduction last summer, Eve provides unparalleled synergy value through spawning pesky cloney minions. Her top lane pressure is immense given monumental area denial potential and constant chip damage forcing teams back. Natural sustain keeps Eve healthy while she rotates lanes. Knowing when to manually detonate Seedlings prevents free super charging. Her well-rounded base kit, no true counters, and unique harassment utility solidify Eve as a permanent competitive and ladder menace banned routinely for good reason!
If you enjoy watching opponents futilely attempt to heal away endless DoT from untouchable range, then Squeak is your champion. Already a monster in previous metas, his recent explosion radius buff has cemented Squeak as the undisputed damage overlord. Chain Reaction bounces decimate bloated tank HP pools while preventing melee brawlers from ever closing distance safely. Squeak forces weaker opponents back to their spawn with oppressive mid control thanks to frequent super cycling. Savvy use of Windup gadget adds disruption to the unhealable poke attrition. Partner with aggro tanks like Grom, Frank, or Ash to force team clumping for even more devastating Chain Reaction spreads wiping teams in seconds.
Last but never least, Spike maintains his competitive relevance across ever-shifting metas as the quintessential mid lane gem carrier thanks to potent lane pressure, area denial, and passive sustain in one spiky package. Clever quarter tile shots behind walls apply constant damage while keeping Spike healthy via Fertilize healing. The threat of sticker poke prevents shorter range brawlers from pressuring him out of position. Spawn dense possessive vines with Garden Mulcher for added disruption. And his Stick Around star power enables clutch escapes or can chain supers to decisively win late game team fights with mass CC.
Recommended Game Modes: Gem Grab, Hot Zone
Position: Mid, occasional lane
Star Powers: Hatchlings, Chain Reaction, Fertilize
Competitive Meta & Solo Queue Considerations
The ranked distribution above covers overall power levels across ladder climbing and team play. But it is worth noting key differences that emerge within the competitive tournament meta compared to more casual solo matchmaking.
In coordinated team play with voice communication, certain brawlers like Max, Gene, Tara and Squeak shine brighter thanks to playmaking combos and stacked supers to confirm trophy winning team wipes. Whereas mechanically intensive solo carriers like Stu and Crow fall off a bit as raw kill power matters less than utility and area control.
Additionally the draft format enables counterpicking niche specialists like Grom, Bonnie and Leon more reactively. This explains their heavy presence among the most banned and contested picks compared to their lack of dominance in everyday play.
Conversely, solo queue meta priorities lean towards self-sufficient brawlers like Gale and Janet who can both enable teammates while also clutching out 1v2s thanks to disengage tools. Solo success also often demands high sustain to offsetpoor random healing. This explains the ladder prevalence of Fang, Emz, and Poco compared to more professional preferences.
Either way, there exist top tier effective brawlers to fit every potential team composition, game mode, and playstyle. You unlock greater strategic freedom once your brawler pool expands across various categories. Understanding these key meta differences will help guide your advancement both competitively and on the trophy road!
Final Thoughts
And there you have it – my complete brawler power tier list for the dedicated Brawl Stars competitor! Let me know which takes you found spicy. I welcome debate over any perceived placement controversies like Colt and Crow down in A tier. The meta always shifts week to week.
When compiling these rankings, I aimed to showcase not only the established premium meta staples, but also the situations and comps where C or D tier specialists can thrive. No brawler is irrelevant if you truly master their mechanics and matchups. Except maybe Edgar…
Jokes aside, a well-rounded brawler pool with mastery over 5-6 picks offers far more draft flexibility than one tricking top tiers alone. Build your skills across various archetypes while keeping up with the meta by following myself and other pro analysts. Best of luck grinding the ranks this season!