Picking the right Star Power is the single biggest free power spike your account gets after Power 9 — and picking the wrong one quietly caps a brawler two full tiers below where it should be. This is the best Brawl Stars star powers tier list for August 2026, updated for the August 4, 2026 balance patch and the live Season 53 "Windstock" meta, with the exact pick to run on every top-tier brawler.
Star Powers are passive, always-on upgrades, so unlike Gadgets there's no button to press — you just get stronger. But each brawler owns two of them and can only equip one per match, so the choice matters. Below you'll find a game-wide S/A/B tier list of the strongest star powers, the correct pick for each meta brawler, and an unlock-priority order if you're free-to-play.
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Key Takeaways
- Star Powers unlock at Power Level 9. Each brawler has 2, you equip 1 per match, and you can buy either one directly for 2,000 Coins (they also drop from Starr Drops).
- The best star powers flip a fight: team heals (Spike Fertilize, Gene Magic Puffs, Sandy Healing Winds), clutch survival (Shelly Band-Aid heals 30% max HP), and execute damage (Crow Carrion Crow).
- The August 4, 2026 patch touched star powers directly — 8-Bit's Plugged In was cut from 15% to 10%, Griff's Keep the Change spread went up 55%, and Starr Nova's Power Level: Maximum! damage cap was reduced.
- Unlock order for F2P: prioritize the star power that changes how a brawler plays (heals, extra ammo, execute damage) over flat stat boosts.
Quick answer: As of August 2026, the highest-impact star powers in Brawl Stars are Spike – Fertilize, Gene – Magic Puffs, Crow – Carrion Crow, Shelly – Band-Aid, Tara – Black Portal, and Sandy – Healing Winds. For the current meta brawlers, run Surge – Serve Ice Cold, Mortis – Coiled Snake, Brock – Incendiary, Colette – Push It, and Leon – Smoke Trail. Star Powers unlock at Power 9 and cost 2,000 Coins each. Full per-brawler table below.
What is a Star Power in Brawl Stars?
A Star Power is a permanent passive ability that upgrades a brawler once it reaches Power Level 9. Every brawler has two star powers, but you can only equip one at a time in a match, so half the skill is knowing which one to run for the mode you're playing.
Unlike a Gadget — which you manually activate a few times per match — a Star Power has no button and no charges. It's always on. That makes strong star powers deceptively important: they work every second you're alive, for free, once equipped.
How you get them: star powers come from Starr Drops (the reward-drop system that replaced Brawl Boxes back in the June 2023 update), or you can buy either of a brawler's two star powers outright in the shop for 2,000 Coins each (Brawl Stars support). Because Coins are the same currency you use to level brawlers, unlocking a star power is a real trade-off — which is exactly why the tier list below matters.
If you're still working out where star powers sit next to your other upgrades, see our Brawl Stars gears guide and hypercharge tier list for the full upgrade order.
How did the August 4 patch change star powers?
The August 4, 2026 maintenance break was almost entirely a nerf patch, and it hit three star powers by name. The official patch notes list, among the general balance changes:
"8-Bit's Buffied Plugged In Star Power movement speed boost to allies was decreased to 10% (from 15%)." — Brawl Stars, August 4, 2026 patch notes (@BrawlStars on X)
That single change dropped 8-Bit out of the "must-pick support anchor" slot he held in July. In the same patch, Griff's Keep the Change star power spread was increased by 55% (a buff), and Starr Nova's Power Level: Maximum! damage buff cap was reduced, walking back the strongest scaling star power in the game (sportsdunia, BrawlScope).
The takeaway: star power value moves with every patch. A pick that was mandatory last season can quietly become the wrong choice. Everything below is current for the post-August-4 meta.
Best Star Powers Tier List (August 2026)
These are the highest-impact star powers game-wide — the ones that change a fight, not just a stat line. Rankings weight how much the star power swings win-rate on brawlers who are already meta-relevant.
| Tier | Star Power (Brawler) | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| S | Fertilize (Spike) | Spike and nearby teammates heal 1,000 HP/second inside his Super — a defining objective/team-fight tool |
| S | Magic Puffs (Gene) | Gene's pulls heal allies, turning him into a support/peel enabler for tanks |
| S | Carrion Crow (Crow) | +120 damage to any enemy below 50% HP — a brutal execute, best-in-class in Heist |
| S | Band-Aid (Shelly) | Below 40% health, instantly heals 30% of max HP; ~15s charge — a free second life |
| S | Black Portal (Tara) | Super summons a fast shadow that scouts bushes and applies pressure |
| A | Healing Winds (Sandy) | Allies inside his sandstorm heal 250 HP/second |
| A | Serve Ice Cold (Surge) | Surge's most-run star power; keeps his damage output online |
| A | Incendiary (Brock) | Rockets leave a fire zone dealing 600 damage/second |
| A | Smoke Trail (Leon) | +30% movement speed while invisible — controls every engage |
| A | Coiled Snake (Mortis) | Recharges his dash bar faster, so he's never stuck without an escape |
| B | Push It (Colette) | Drags hit enemies to the end of her Super — huge in Gem Grab |
| B | Ambush (Piper) | +800 damage at max range while standing in a bush |
| B | Fresh Kicks (Fang) | Instantly recharges his Super after a Super kill for chain resets |
Sources: Brawl Stars Wiki star power effects; meta relevance cross-checked vs brawltime.ninja and noff.gg, August 2026.
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What's the best star power for each top brawler?
Many meta brawlers have one clearly correct star power and one situational pick. Here's the right default for the strongest brawlers in the current Windstock meta, plus when to switch:
| Brawler | Best pick | When to run the other |
|---|---|---|
| Surge | Serve Ice Cold | To The Max in heavy stage-rush comps |
| Mortis | Coiled Snake | Creepy Harvest (heals 20% max HP on takedown) for aggressive elimination modes |
| Brock | Incendiary | Rocket No. Four (+1 ammo) for consistent wall-break DPS |
| Colette | Push It | Mass Tax (Super shield) for survivability builds |
| Crow | Carrion Crow | Extra Toxic (poisoned enemies deal 15% less damage) vs aggro comps |
| Colt | Slick Boots (kiting) | Magnum Special for extra range/poke |
| Piper | Ambush | Snappy Sniping (faster reload) for closer maps |
| Leon | Smoke Trail | Invisiheal (1,440 HP/s while Super active) for sustained duels |
| Sandy | Healing Winds (team) | Rude Sands (120 dmg/s) for solo/damage play |
| Gene | Magic Puffs (support) | Spirit Slap for pure solo damage |
| Tara | Black Portal | Healing Shade in dedicated heal comps |
| Spike | Fertilize | Curveball for harder-to-dodge aim denial |
| Max | Run n' Gun | Super Charged for extended-dash builds |
| Bea | Insta Beeload | Honeycomb (shield) for survivability |
| Bibi | Batting Stance (shield) | Home Run (speed) for aggressive Brawl Ball rushes |
| Fang | Fresh Kicks | Divine Soles for a survivability shield |
| Kit | Overly Attached (duo support) | Power Hungry for solo Showdown |
| 8-Bit | Boosted Booster | Plugged In (nerfed to 10% in August) only in mobility comps |
Star power names and effects verified against the Brawl Stars Wiki; default picks reflect August 2026 build data from noff.gg.
A note on Edgar: his star powers are Hardcore (a shield on Super use) and Fisticuffs (more healing per punch), and the correct pick is genuinely build- and mode-dependent — competitive comps lean Hardcore, sustained close-range duels lean Fisticuffs. Don't trust any list that calls one objectively best.
Which star powers should you unlock first?
Coins are your bottleneck, so spend the 2,000-Coin unlocks where they change the most. Priority order for a free-to-play account:
- Game-changing effects first. A star power that heals a team (Spike Fertilize, Sandy Healing Winds), adds ammo (Brock Rocket No. Four), or executes low-HP enemies (Crow Carrion Crow) is worth more than any flat stat bump.
- Star powers on brawlers you actually push. Match your unlocks to your trophy push and ranked roster, not to whichever brawler you happened to draw.
- Survival star powers on aggressive brawlers. Shelly Band-Aid, Leon Invisiheal, and Bibi Batting Stance keep divers alive long enough to trade up.
- Skip flat +damage/+speed star powers until the impactful ones on your main brawlers are done.
Star Powers vs Gadgets vs Gears — what should you prioritize?
All three unlock in the Power 7–10 range and all cost Coins, so order matters. The rough priority for a competitive brawler: Star Power → Gadget → Gears. The star power is always-on and often defines the brawler's role, a gadget gives you a burst tool on demand, and gears (see the gears guide) are smaller passive top-ups. If your goal is climbing, get the meta brawlers to Power 9 with the correct star power before spreading Coins thin across your whole roster — and check the full August tier list so you're investing in brawlers that are actually strong this season.
FAQ
What is the best star power in Brawl Stars right now? There's no single "best" — it depends on the brawler. Game-wide, the highest-impact star powers in August 2026 are team-heal and execute effects: Spike's Fertilize (1,000 HP/s team heal), Crow's Carrion Crow (+120 damage to low-HP enemies), Gene's Magic Puffs (ally heal), and Shelly's Band-Aid (heals 30% of max HP when she drops below 40%).
At what level do star powers unlock? Star powers unlock at Power Level 9. Below that you can own them but not equip them. Gadgets unlock earlier, at Power 7.
How many star powers can I use at once? Each brawler has two star powers, but you can only equip one per match. Switch between them in the brawler's loadout screen depending on the mode you're playing.
How do I get star powers? They drop from Starr Drops, or you can buy either of a brawler's two star powers directly in the shop for 2,000 Coins each. Both routes are legitimate — ignore any site promising "free" star powers through generators, they're scams.
Did the August 2026 patch change any star powers? Yes. The August 4, 2026 balance patch nerfed 8-Bit's Plugged In (ally speed 15% → 10%), reduced Starr Nova's Power Level: Maximum! damage cap, and buffed Griff's Keep the Change spread by 55%. Always run the current pick for the live patch.
Should I unlock a star power or a gadget first? For a brawler you're actively pushing, unlock the star power first — it's always-on and usually defines the brawler's role. Gadgets are strong but situational, and gears come last.
