This report covers the Brawl Stars meta from October 10 to October 19, 2026, measured on BrawlUp's sample of ranked and high-trophy battles. Scores are the Meta Index (0 to 100), the same number that drives the live tier list. There was no balance patch in this window, so every move below comes from players adapting, not from Supercell changing numbers.
The top of the meta
Five brawlers are S tier on the live list: Cosmo (95), Shade (83), Amber (77), Gus (72) and Mandy (68). Cosmo has been first every day of the window, peaking at 100; over the last three days his score slipped to 95 as players learned to draft around him.
The A tier is crowded: Maisie, Kenji, Rico, Wendy, Lily, Damian, Brock, Pearl, El Primo, Piper and Nori all sit between 60 and 67, so a good draft matters more than picking from the very top.
Biggest risers
- Emz: 43 to 58 (C to B), the largest gain of the window.
- Spike: 40 to 54 (C to B).
- Gray: 46 to 58.
- Mandy: 56 to 67, and S tier on the live list today.
- Amber: 67 to 77 (A to S), even after the nerfs she took on September 16.
- Rico, El Primo and Brock each climbed into the A tier.
Biggest fallers
- Alli: 73 to 56, from S tier all the way to B.
- Kenji: 78 to 66 (S to A).
- Tick and Crow: both lost 10 points and now sit in C tier. Tick is also the brawler Cosmo beats most often.
- Meeple, Chuck and Frank dropped from B to C. For Chuck this comes after a rework and a follow-up buff in September.
- Shade, Wendy and Lily lost 5 to 7 points each. Shade is still second overall; Wendy and Lily fell from S to A.
Best brawlers by mode
| Mode | Top three (Meta Index) |
|---|---|
| Brawl Ball | Cosmo 99, Amber 88, Gus 78 |
| Knockout | Cosmo 100, Brock 81, Damian 80 |
| Gem Grab | Gus 94, Max 78, Mortis 76 |
| Heist | Mico 95, Colette 88, Shade 86 |
| Hot Zone | Amber 93, Shade 87, Wendy 77 |
| Bounty | Wendy 88, Piper 87, Brock 82 |
Cosmo's lead is concentrated in two modes: he tops Brawl Ball and Knockout but is barely played in the others. Outside those modes the best pick changes completely, so check the mode filter on the tier list before you queue.
What to take into your next draft
- Plan around Cosmo in Brawl Ball and Knockout. Ban him, take him, or bring Amber, the one brawler with a winning record against him in our data. Our analysis of why Cosmo is dominating has the details.
- Do not trust September reputations. Alli and Kenji were top picks a week ago and are not now, while Amber, Mandy and Emz are winning more than their reputation suggests.
- Mode specialists are worth it. Mico in Heist, Gus in Gem Grab and Wendy in Bounty all score higher in their mode than most of the overall S tier.
Numbers come from BrawlUp's own sample and use adjusted win rates, which pull small samples toward 50%; see the methodology. The tier list updates every day, so this report is a snapshot of October 19, 2026.