Quick answer
The September 1, 2026 balance patch (shipped with Update 69 "Brawler Blast" and the start of Season 54 "Royal Academy") is one of the biggest passes of the year: 27 Brawlers buffed and 20 nerfed, per Brawl Planet's balance tracker. The headline story is simple — Supercell reined in the recently-dominant new picks (Wendy, Nori, Max, Rico) and handed tempo to under-used Brawlers (Eve, Tara, Bea, Lola, Buster, Jae-Yong). On top of that, Chuck got a full Super rework, and Poco, El Primo, Amber, Gus and Shade received Buffies + Gadget/Star Power reworks.
The five changes that actually move the meta:
- Wendy — Super Charge Rate −20%, Shield Generator health 3,500 → 2,500, damage reduction 75% → 60%. Her wall-of-shield identity is gutted.
- Nori — Health 3,800 → 3,500, main slash 1,100 → 1,000, Sushi Snack cooldown 12s → 18s. The triple-Nori era is over.
- Max — Super Charge Rate −8%, both mobility Gadgets cooldown 15s → 18s. Slower to snowball.
- Eve — Super now spawns 4 Hatchlings (was 3) and charges 17% faster. A real S-tier candidate again.
- Tara — both shadow Star Powers buffed hard (Black Portal shadow 3,400 → 4,000 HP, 800 → 1,000 dmg). Summon comps are back.
Every number below is pulled from Supercell's official "Release Notes August 2026" (the notes that shipped the Sept 1 patch), cross-checked against Fandom's Version History/2026 and BrawlScope. Numbers are current as of the September 2026 build.
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What patch is this, exactly?
There's a naming quirk worth clearing up first. Supercell titled the blog post "Release Notes August 2026," but it published on September 1, 2026 and it is the patch that launched Update 69 "Brawler Blast" and Season 54 "Royal Academy" — the back-to-school season (with a parallel "Monster Academy" theme) that went live ~September 3, 2026 once Windstock ended.
So when the community says "the September patch," "the Royal Academy patch," "Update 69," or "the August release notes," they all mean the same balance pass. It replaced the previous relevant patch (August 4, 2026) and is the current live balance state.
Two structural things arrived alongside the numbers, and they matter for how you read the buffs:
- Starr Road is retired — it's now Brawler Blast. Unlocking a Brawler with Credits now runs a shooting-gallery mini-game that can also drop bonus Power Levels, Gadgets, Gears, Star Powers, Hypercharges or Buffies.
- Cosmo (#107, Mythic Controller) is releasing this season, and Vince (#108, Mythic) arrives in October for Brawl-O-Ween. That keeps the live roster at 106 Brawlers — trackers that list "108" are pre-listing Cosmo and Vince ahead of their in-game unlocks. See our full Cosmo guide for his kit.
The short version: winners and losers
| Group | Brawlers | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| 🟢 Big winners | Eve, Tara, Bea, Lola, Buster, Melodie, Jae-Yong, Janet, Jessie | Faster Super cycles, tankier summons, or better team sustain |
| 🔴 Big losers | Wendy, Nori, Max, Rico, Meg, Ruffs, Griff | Longer Gadget cooldowns, weaker shields, slower Supers, less HP |
| ⚙️ Reworked | Chuck (full Super rework); Poco, El Primo, Amber, Gus, Shade (Buffies + reworks) | Their best builds change, not just their tier |
The strategic pattern in the buffs is consistent: Supercell rewarded Super charge, summoned-unit durability, and team-proximity effects. That nudges the meta back toward coordinated team modes (Gem Grab, Hot Zone, Brawl Ball) over pure solo-ladder value. The nerfs, meanwhile, almost all attack repeat pressure — a Brawler that could cycle a Gadget or Super too often is the exact profile that got hit.
Every buff (September 1, 2026)
These are the headline main-game buffs from the official notes (the Buffie/rework-only tweaks are covered separately below). Star Power and Gadget names are Supercell's.
- Jae-Yong — Main Attack heal 650 → 750; The Crowd Goes Mild speed boost 10% → 15%.
- Bea — Rattle Hive Gadget cooldown 24s → 20s; Super damage 100 → 130.
- Ziggy — Super Charge Rate +6%.
- Jacky — Hardy Hard Hat Star Power shield 20% → 25%.
- Jessie — Super Turret damage 260 → 300.
- Colette — Super Charge Rate +10%.
- Janet — Main Attack damage 1,000 → 1,100.
- Maisie — Main Attack projectile speed 3,000 → 3,200.
- Clancy — Reload 2,000 → 1,800; Stage 2 tokens 6 → 5; Stage 3 tokens 21 → 24 (faster to Stage 2, slower to Stage 3).
- Bo — Main Attack damage 640 → 700.
- Eve — Super Hatchlings 3 → 4; Super charge from Super +17%.
- Buster — Utility Belt heal 450 → 600; Blockbuster bonus damage 15% → 20%.
- Tara — Black Portal shadow HP 3,400 → 4,000 & damage 800 → 1,000; Healing Shade shadow HP 3,000 → 4,000 & healing 400 → 600.
- Melodie — Health 3,800 → 4,000; Perfect Pitch Gadget cooldown 14s → 10s, movement speed 25% → 35%, range 60% → 70%.
- Lola — Super Ego (clone) movement speed now matches Lola.
- Leon — Clone Projector clone attack range 5 → 25, damage 200 → 800, and movement speed now matches Leon.
- Dynamike — Fidget Spinner Gadget damage 1,200 → 1,400.
- Hank — Health 5,200 → 5,500.
- Shade — Spooky Speedster movement speed 15% → 20%.
Who actually rises: Eve and Tara are the standouts — durable, faster-cycling summons are strong in every objective mode. Buster and Jae-Yong reward grouped play, which fits the patch's team-mode tilt. Melodie's cooldown and speed buffs make her a much slipperier duelist.
Every nerf (September 1, 2026)
- Ash — Tank Trait Super charge from taking damage −15%.
- Wendy — Super Charge Rate −20%; Super charge from Shield damage 50% → 30%; Shield Generator HP 3,500 → 2,500; damage reduction 75% → 60%.
- Nori — Sushi Snack Gadget cooldown 12s → 18s; Health 3,800 → 3,500; main slash damage 1,100 → 1,000.
- Meg — Repurpose (formerly Toolbox) Gadget cooldown 22s → 25s; Force Field Star Power shield 40% → 30%.
- Griff — Coin Shower Gadget cooldown 15s → 18s; Super charge from Super 88 → 70.
- Max — Hypercharge Buffie Super charge 7% → 6%; Phase Shifter 15s → 18s; Sneaky Sneakers 15s → 18s; Super Charge Rate −8%.
- Bolt — Acceleration speed −15%.
- Brock — Hypercharge Buffie damage 60% → 40%.
- Lumi — Main Attack recall damage 900 → 800.
- Rico — Robo Retreat Star Power Buffie max speed 60% → 50%; Multiball Launcher Gadget cooldown 19s → 22s; Multiball damage 980 → 900.
- Ruffs — Super Charge Rate −20%.
Who actually falls: Wendy is the biggest loser by a wide margin — a smaller, weaker, slower-charging Shield Generator strips the exact reason she was a must-ban. Nori loses the durability that made triple-Nori comps oppressive. Max slows down on every axis (Super rate + both mobility Gadgets), and Rico and Griff both eat longer Gadget cooldowns that cut their repeat pressure.
The Chuck rework (biggest single change)
Chuck didn't get a simple buff or nerf — he got a full Super rework that trades infinite charge and raw dash power for a Super that's ready from the start of the match and built around control:
- Health 4,700 → 4,400.
- Super no longer charges over time; you start every match with a full Super and 4 charges baseline (up to 4 Poles).
- Using a Pole or a dash spends one charge; he no longer charges Super automatically.
- Knockback removed from placing Poles.
- Super Shield 50% → 35%; Super Dash damage 1,750 → 800; Super Dash speed 3,700 → 3,200.
- Main Attack damage falloff removed; range 20 → 18; projectile speed 1,750 → 2,700.
The net effect: shorter setup, more consistent early-game trading, and better mobility once he's rolling — at the cost of the huge single-dash burst. He's aimed at more modes than just Heist now. New Gadget on his kit: Rerouting (removes the nearest Post and recharges 50% of his Super; Buffied version adds a 20% damage-reduction shield for 5 seconds).
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Reworks & Buffies: Poco, El Primo, Amber, Gus, Shade
Alongside the numbers, five older Brawlers received Buffies (the upgraded ability layer) with Gadget/Star Power reworks. Highlights:
- Poco — support glow-up: Tuning Fork reworked into a 3-pulse heal (400 HP × 3 over 6s), Protective Tunes now grants cleanse + immunity in a large area, and his Hypercharge Medics Melody turns overheal into a decaying shield.
- El Primo — tankier and more aggressive: Suplex Supplement now grabs and suplexes an enemy behind him; Asteroid Belt destroys incoming projectiles for 2s; Buffied Meteor Rush adds a 30% shield to his speed boost.
- Amber — more map presence: Fire Starters summons a 3,500-HP oil barrel (Buffied = two barrels), and her Hypercharge Oil Spill keeps oil burning 3s after ignition.
- Gus — leans harder into support: Health Bonanza now doubles spirit healing, and Spirit Animal buffs a teammate's damage by 25% for 5s.
- Shade — Gadget/Star Power rebalance so all his options are desirable, plus Jump Scare reworked into a short jump that fears enemies on landing.
There are also two new Hypercharges — Nori (Master Fisherman) and Wendy (Green Energy) — but note Wendy's Hypercharge landing in the same patch that gutted her base kit means you should re-test her before committing, not assume she's back.
Brawl Arena–only changes
A separate set of scaling tweaks applies only in Brawl Arena (they don't affect standard modes):
- Buffs: Crow damage scaling 4 → 6, Mortis 4 → 5, Melodie 4 → 5; Colt damage scaling 3 → 2 (a survivability-oriented tweak).
- Nerfs: Bolt 5 → 3, Wendy (HP scaling 600 → 300, damage 4 → 2), 8-Bit 8 → 4, Nori 5 → 3, Brock 6 → 5, Jessie 2 → 1, Emz (HP scaling 450 → 350, reload 200 → 150).
If you only play the core 3v3/Showdown ladder, you can ignore these — but they explain why an Arena tier list looks different from a Gem Grab one.
New modes shipped with the patch
The patch also added two modes worth knowing before you read any post-patch tier list:
- Hide & Seek — 1 Seeker vs 3 Hiders, 4 rounds of 45 seconds, everyone rotates through the Seeker role. The Seeker gets big stat boosts (speed, damage, HP, size) but can't regenerate health. Played with the Prop Hunt modifier.
- Prop Hunt (modifier) — stop moving and you blend into the map as a random wall or decoration; attack and you're revealed. It can appear in Showdown, Gem Grab, Knockout and Bounty, and works in Friendly Rooms.
What to do before you queue up
- Re-check your Wendy/Nori loadouts. If you were relying on Wendy's shield wall or triple-Nori pressure, both are meaningfully weaker — pivot picks rather than forcing them.
- Give Eve, Tara, Buster and Bea a run. The summon/support buffs are exactly the profile that rises in objective modes, and they're under-picked right now (least contested = easiest climb).
- Relearn Chuck if he's in your pool. He plays completely differently — full Super at match start, no auto-charge, weaker dash. His skill floor moved.
- Don't trust a tier list dated before September 1. This patch reshuffled enough that pre-patch rankings are stale. Pull a fresh read — our September tier list is built on the post-patch meta.
- Cross-check win rates, not just the notes. A number on paper isn't a tier; sites like brawltime.ninja and noff.gg update live win/use rates you should sanity-check against.
FAQ
What day did the September 2026 Brawl Stars balance changes go live? The patch shipped on September 1, 2026, published in Supercell's post confusingly titled "Release Notes August 2026." It launched Update 69 "Brawler Blast," and Season 54 "Royal Academy" began ~September 3, 2026.
How many Brawlers were buffed and nerfed? Per Brawl Planet's tracker, 27 Brawlers were buffed and 20 nerfed in the main game, plus a separate set of Brawl Arena–only scaling changes.
Is Wendy still good after the September nerf? Much weaker. Her Super Charge Rate dropped 20%, and her Shield Generator lost HP (3,500 → 2,500) and damage reduction (75% → 60%). She got a new Hypercharge (Green Energy) in the same patch, so re-test her rather than assuming — but she's no longer the auto-ban she was at launch.
Did Nori get nerfed in September 2026? Yes. Nori lost health (3,800 → 3,500), main slash damage (1,100 → 1,000), and his Sushi Snack Gadget cooldown rose from 12s to 18s. The dominant triple-Nori comps are much weaker now.
Who are the best Brawlers to invest in after this patch? The buff pattern favors Eve, Tara, Bea, Buster, Melodie and Jae-Yong — faster Super cycles, tankier summons, and team-sustain that shines in Gem Grab, Hot Zone and Brawl Ball. Always confirm against a post–September 1 tier list and live win rates.
Is Starr Road gone? Yes. Update 69 replaced Starr Road with Brawler Blast, a shooting-gallery unlock mini-game that can also grant bonus Power Levels, Gadgets, Gears, Star Powers, Hypercharges or Buffies. See our Brawler Blast explainer.
