Brawl Stars is at a hinge point. Season 52 "NanoNoodles" is winding down, Season 53 "Windstock" flips live on August 6, 2026, and a brand-new Mythic Brawler is days away — but the meta itself has actually settled since July. The top-ladder win-rate trackers agree on the best Brawlers more than they have all season, which makes right now a great moment to decide who to upgrade, draft and ban. This tier list ranks the best Brawlers in Brawl Stars as of early August 2026, using live top-player data — not vibes — with the reasoning behind every placement and the best picks per mode.
Quick answer (TLDR): As of early August 2026 (end of Season 52 "NanoNoodles"), the strongest all-round Brawlers are Edgar, Surge, Sirius, Nori, Starr Nova and Brock — the S-tier core that top-ladder trackers (noff.gg, Brawl Time Ninja) agree on. Nori, July's new Legendary Assassin, has now proven it: triple-Nori is the single most-winning team composition in the game right now (54k recorded wins on Brawl Time Ninja). The current confirmed balance state is still the July 2026 patch — there is no new August balance update yet — so this is a stable snapshot. Watch two dates: August 6, when Windstock (Season 53) starts, and the second week of August, when the 106th Brawler, Wendy (a Mythic Support), goes live.
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What's changing in Brawl Stars right now (Season 52 → Windstock)?
We're in the final stretch of Season 52, "NanoNoodles," the first half of the two-season Update 68: "Ramen Rebellion" arc that runs through September 3, 2026 (Brawl Stars official). Three things frame this tier list:
- The season flips on August 6. NanoNoodles ends and Season 53 "Windstock" takes over, bringing a new Brawl Pass, a fresh skin line (the Windstock skins pictured above) and a rotation reset. A season change doesn't rebalance Brawlers by itself, but it resets Ranked and the reward tracks.
- A new Brawler is imminent — but not out yet. Wendy, the 106th Brawler, arrives with Windstock in the second week of August 2026. She's a Mythic Support with the lowest health of any Brawler in the game, offset by long range, fast reload and team shields. Until she drops, the live roster is 105 Brawlers, with Nori the newest playable pick.
- The balance state is stable. The last — and still current — balance patch is the July 2026 update. There is no confirmed August balance change yet, and the community has openly noted the lull ("still no balance changes," per r/BrawlStarsCompetitive threads this week). That stability is exactly why the trackers now agree at the top.
The July patch is why the meta looks the way it does. It buffed several mid-tier and control Brawlers while trimming a couple of dominant aggressors. Per the July 2026 balance notes, the buffs included Mandy's attack raised from 2,600 to 2,960, Starr Nova's health lifted from 7,400 to 8,000 (with far stronger Super healing), and a huge R-T attack jump from 1,480 to 2,480. The nerfs hit Bolt (max attack cut from 1,800 to 1,520, slower Super charge) and Crow (health dropped from 6,000 to 5,600, shorter poison) — a net trim even though Crow's raw damage went up.
The state of the meta in one line
Aggressive dive Brawlers still define the top of the ladder, but July's buffs widened the strong pool and the new Legendary (Nori) has cemented himself — so the S-tier is broader and steadier than the July list. That's the lens for everything below.
Brawl Stars tier list (August 2026)
This ranking synthesizes the leading live-data trackers — Brawl Time Ninja and noff.gg (both sampled from top players and updated in real time) — cross-checked against editorial lists from buffhub, ldshop and skycoach. It's weighted toward Brawlers that perform across multiple modes in Ranked, not one-map specialists. Brawlers not listed sit in the lower tiers.
| Tier | Brawlers |
|---|---|
| S | Edgar, Surge, Sirius, Nori, Starr Nova, Brock |
| A | 8-Bit, Damian, Mortis, Griff, Emz, Bibi, Bolt, Piper, Mandy, Byron, Frank, Kit, Colette, Crow, Colt, Chester, Otis, Meg |
| B | Kenji, Cordelius, Melodie, Juju, Gene, Bea, Larry & Lawrie, Buzz, Stu, Mina, Shade, Leon, Lumi, Pearl, Rico, Penny, Tara, Max, Mico, Chuck, Berry |
| C | Belle, Angelo, Willow, Sandy, Amber, Gus, Darryl, El Primo, Jessie, Sprout, Carl, Fang, Rosa, Najia, Bull, Nita, Bo, Eve, Poco |
| D | Barley, Dynamike, Tick, Grom, Mr. P, Sam, Jacky, Bonnie, Doug, Hank, Pam, Ollie, Trunk, Squeak |
A few honest caveats. The trackers agree more than usual this month — noff.gg's August top-10 (Edgar, Surge, Sirius, 8-Bit, Starr Nova, Griff, Damian, Brock, Mortis, Emz) overlaps heavily with Brawl Time Ninja's live team data, which is why the S-tier is a confident six. Nori has graduated to S: last month he sat in A on release hype; now the single most-recorded winning team in the game is Nori + Nori + Nori (54k wins on Brawl Time Ninja, ahead of Edgar/Emz/Nori at 26k). Individual high-win-rate outliers like R-T and Ash post huge adjusted win rates on tiny pick rates — strong if you main them, but too niche to crack the all-mode S-tier here.
Who are the best S-tier Brawlers right now?
Edgar is back to being the meta's most-contested dive pick and the usual first ban in Ranked. His speed, sustain and objective pressure make him a safe, high-impact pick on almost any close-quarters map. If a draft lets Edgar through, he's a problem.
Surge remains the live-data king of the all-mode charts. His ammo-and-range scaling lets him out-trade nearly anyone once he hits Stage 2, and he's stayed elite across the whole NanoNoodles season. If you learn one meta carry, make it Surge.
Sirius — the Ultra Legendary Controller (Brawler #100) — is a high-ceiling damage-and-utility monster that spikes hard when the map and draft suit him, and he's a fixture in every top-10 this month. Starr Nova was a July-patch winner (more health, much stronger Super heal) and now anchors free-to-play accessibility with genuine S-tier control. Brock is the poster child of the current sniper-friendly, elimination-heavy meta: long-range poke and anti-tank damage that punishes open maps.
Nori, the new Legendary Assassin, is the story of the month. His fishing-rod kit (close slash, ranged projectile, wall-pull) has proven itself with real data, not hype — he's the connective tissue of the top team comps and a legitimate S-tier assassin. He's the 105th Brawler and, for now, the newest one you can actually play.
Which A-tier Brawlers are worth picking up?
A-tier is where flexibility lives — strong picks that are slightly more map-, matchup- or skill-dependent than the S-tier locks.
The sniper-and-control meta keeps 8-Bit, Brock's understudies Piper and Byron, Colette, Crow, Colt and Meg relevant: long range and anti-tank damage are premium right now. Damian is still one of the safest first picks for holding an objective, and Mortis remains the best aggressive assassin for backline pressure and clean-up. Griff and Emz both spike hard in the right draft (noff.gg has both inside its August top-10), Bibi is a menace on close-range Brawl Ball maps, and Bolt — even post-nerf — is still a viable speed-scaling aggressor. Frank and Kit show up together in top team comps as a tanky control package, and Mandy climbed on her July attack buff. Any of these is worth maxing if it fits your role gaps.
Best Brawlers by mode (August 2026)
Tiers tell you raw strength; modes tell you who to actually draft. Here's where the meta picks shine right now:
- Ranked (climbing overall): Edgar, Surge, Sirius, Nori and Damian as top picks; supported by Bibi, Starr Nova, Emz, Bolt and Shade. Draft-safe, high-win-rate Brawlers that hold value across the map pool. (Edgar is the most common first ban.)
- Brawl Ball: Mortis, Bibi, Max, Surge and Nori — mobility and control win the football maps.
- Showdown (solo/duo): Edgar, Leon, Crow, Cordelius, Mortis, Chester, Bibi and Bull. Assassins and self-sufficient bruisers that win 1v1s and snowball power cubes.
- Gem Grab: Byron and Berry for sustain, plus a mid-control anchor like Damian, Sirius or Gene.
- Knockout & Bounty: Brock, Piper and Bo for long-range vision and poke, with Starr Nova or Damian as the bruiser anchor. The sniper-friendly meta makes these elimination modes especially poke-heavy.
- Heist: Chuck, Bibi and throwers (Sprout, Larry & Lawrie) for burst damage and safe zoning against the safe.
If you only have resources to max a couple of Brawlers, prioritize the ones that appear in multiple rows above — flexibility is what actually carries you up the ladder. (For the full draft, bans and rank thresholds, see our Brawl Stars Ranked guide.)
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What about Wendy and the Windstock season?
Wendy is the 106th Brawler and the first big addition of the Windstock era. She's a Mythic Support with the lowest health pool in the game, balanced by long range, fast movement and reload, and the ability to shield allies — her Super deploys the biggest team shield in Brawl Stars. Per Supercell's June 2026 release notes, her Trait reads: "This Brawler can walk over Water AND Charges Super when taking shield damage." That water-walking plus shield-charging combo is unusual, and it's why early theorycrafting pegs her as a strong objective-mode support.
Two practical notes. First, she is not playable yet — some tracker sites already list and even rank her, but that's a data-page pre-listing ahead of her second-week-of-August in-game release. Don't let a tier list convince you she's live. Second, she'll be free to unlock via Wendy Boxes during her release event (14 boxes guarantee her), so there's no need to spend to get her — bank your resources and grind the event when it starts.
How to read this tier list (and how often it changes)
Brawl Stars rebalances roughly every few weeks, and a single patch can move a Brawler two full tiers. A tier list is a starting point, not a rulebook. Three things override it:
- Map and mode. A C-tier Brawler can be the single best pick on the right map. Walls favor Rico and Bea; open maps favor snipers; objective modes favor tanks and control.
- Your mastery. A Brawler you've played 500 games on will out-perform a "better" Brawler you've barely touched. Comfort and aim beat a letter grade.
- Draft and bans. In Diamond and above, the draft-and-ban format means the best available pick beats the best overall pick. Learn two or three Brawlers per role so you're never forced into a bad blind pick.
Use the tier list to decide who to upgrade and learn first, then let map, mode and draft decide who you actually lock in each game. If you want a shorter shortlist of safe all-rounders, our best Brawlers by mode breakdown covers the picks that carry across the map pool, and the Hypercharge tier list covers which Supers are worth the upgrade.
A note on "free gems"
Tier lists drive a lot of "how do I unlock my favorite Brawler" searches, so one warning: the only legitimate ways to earn Gems and unlock Brawlers are in-game — the Brawl Pass, Starr Drops, events, the Starr Road, and official Supercell offers. For reference, a standard Starr Drop's rarity odds are Rare 50% / Super Rare 28% / Epic 15% / Mythic 5% / Legendary 2% (per Supercell's official drop-chance disclosure). Third-party "free gem generators" are scams. They don't work, they violate Supercell's terms, and they routinely steal account credentials. There is no shortcut, and chasing one is how accounts get stolen.
FAQ
Who is the best Brawler in Brawl Stars right now (August 2026)? By live top-ladder data, Edgar, Surge and Sirius headline the S-tier, alongside Nori, Starr Nova and Brock. Surge tops most all-mode win-rate charts, Edgar is the most-banned Ranked pick, and Nori has proven himself as the connective piece of the strongest team comps in the game.
Is Nori still worth it — did he hold up after release? Yes. Last month Nori was an A-tier "hype" pick with one week of data; now he's genuinely S-tier. The single most-recorded winning team composition in Brawl Stars right now is triple-Nori (54k wins on Brawl Time Ninja), and he appears across the top team lists. If you unlocked him, he's a smart Brawler to max.
Did an August 2026 update change the meta? Not yet. The current confirmed balance state is still the July 2026 patch (Mandy, Starr Nova and R-T buffed; Bolt and Crow nerfed). Season 53 "Windstock" starts August 6, but a season change resets Ranked and rewards — it doesn't rebalance Brawlers on its own. Expect the next balance patch to land with or shortly after Windstock.
When does Wendy come out, and is she good? Wendy, the 106th Brawler (a Mythic Support), releases in the second week of August 2026 with the Windstock season — she is not playable yet despite some sites pre-listing her. She has the lowest health in the game but long range and strong team-shield utility, and she'll be free via Wendy Boxes (14 guarantee her). Judge her real strength only after a week of live data.
How many Brawlers are in Brawl Stars now? As of August 2026 there are 105 Brawlers live, with Nori the newest. The 106th, Wendy, arrives with Season 53 "Windstock" in the second week of August — she's not playable yet.
How often does the Brawl Stars tier list change? Roughly every balance patch — about every few weeks — plus whenever a new Brawler or Hypercharge launches. Always check the patch date on any tier list; a list from before the latest update can be badly out of date, which is why this one is stamped August 2026.
Meta verified against Supercell's June/July 2026 patch and release notes and live top-ladder tier data from Brawl Time Ninja, noff.gg, buffhub, ldshop and skycoach as of August 2, 2026. Brawl Stars rebalances frequently — re-check the current patch before locking in your picks. Brought to you by the timesaver.gg team.
This content is not affiliated with, endorsed, sponsored, or specifically approved by Supercell, and Supercell is not responsible for it.
