Ruby, the new Mythic Damage Dealer in Brawl Stars, excels at pressuring high-health opponents and reopening the gap when enemies try to get close. That kit deserves attention if you enjoy melee Brawlers. Still, judging from the abilities alone that Ruby will make every melee Brawler unusable overlooks the need to land main attacks properly and time defensive tools well.
What interests me most about Ruby is less her maximum damage than whether an opponent can stay close after successfully reaching her. Percentage-based damage combined with knockback can cost tanks not only health but also the time spent approaching. Conversely, opponents can find opportunities by moving in after Ruby spends her defensive tools.
When does Ruby arrive, and how does the free Rey or Ruby choice work?
Ruby and Rey were revealed as a couple arriving during December's Brawlidays season. Their inclusion in the November update information does not mean Ruby is immediately obtainable. The announcement says you can choose one of the two Brawlers for free during Brawlidays. That is different from receiving both for free.
For that choice, start with their individual roles rather than their shared synergy. Rey is a Marksman built around aiming and marks, while Ruby is a Damage Dealer who lines up two cards and pressures enemy approaches and positioning. Even with a regular teammate, their synergy can be difficult to use if your preferred combat ranges differ.
The precise claim window and requirements need the actual event announcement. For now, deciding which combat style suits you is more useful than adding an exact date or an unconfirmed purchase requirement.
Main attacks depend on where both cards overlap
Ruby throws a Club and a Diamond in a figure-eight pattern. Landing both projectiles simultaneously adds extra damage. An enemy merely being in range therefore does not guarantee a strong hit: their position along the cards' paths matters.
This changes how you aim. With a straight projectile, you generally lead the target's movement, but Ruby also has to account for the distance where both cards connect. If only one regularly lands, you may keep attacking without applying as much pressure as expected.
That does not mean always avoiding auto-aim. Handling an enemy who suddenly gets close differs from harassing a moving opponent at range. Still, assessing Ruby should focus on how reliably you land both cards together rather than how often you attack.
This condition also gives opponents a way to respond. Maintaining the same distance from Ruby while moving in one direction may make aiming easier for her. Changing direction around cover or pressuring from a different angle can make it harder to keep you at the ideal hit position.
Why max-health damage puts pressure on tanks
Ruby's Super creates a zone lasting four seconds and fills it with swirling projectiles. The official description gives those projectiles damage equal to 15% of the enemy's maximum health. That is why high-health Brawlers have reason to worry.
For a simple example, 15% of 6,000 maximum health is 900, while 15% of 12,000 is 1,800. This arithmetic excludes shields, healing, and other effects, but shows why the same percentage produces a bigger number against a tank. More health does not, by itself, let you survive more hits of this attack.
The maximum-health basis matters too. Damage based on a percentage of remaining health becomes smaller as health falls; damage based on maximum health starts from a different value. It can stay threatening even to an already injured opponent.
Avoid using 15% alone to calculate a guaranteed number of hits to a kill. Actual fights vary in how many projectiles connect, how long someone stays in the zone, and whether allied healing or protection intervenes. More important than total damage is whether an enemy can keep fighting there.
If a tank assigned to defend an objective has to retreat from Ruby's zone, Ruby can help her team without earning a kill. In an open space where enemies can easily leave, the same Super applies pressure for less time. Percentage damage gains meaning when the situation keeps opponents in the affected area.
Restricting movement abilities is different from rooting an enemy
The official description says enemies inside Ruby's Super are grounded. Understand that as a restriction on movement abilities, distinct from a root that also prevents normal movement and holds an enemy in place. Specific Brawler movement mechanics and exceptions need confirmation in actual implementation.
That distinction changes the melee matchup. Even with plenty of health, a plan to dash in or escape can fall apart when the movement ability is blocked. Conversely, if an enemy can walk out of the zone, leaving the dangerous space first is an option instead of immediately continuing the fight.
Ruby also does not always need to place it directly under an enemy. A required passage or a position her teammates can focus may create more pressure. Narrow terrain is not automatically favorable, however. Walls, exits, and the directions from which allies can apply pressure all affect how effectively the zone works.
Choose between percentage damage and knockback Gadgets
The first Gadget launches a Heart that splits into five when it hits an enemy or reaches maximum range. It deals max-health damage to enemies and heals allies. Supporting teammates while pressuring high-health opponents is a reason to choose it.
The second Gadget fires four bouncing Spades in succession to knock enemies back. Its main value is space rather than the damage number. A melee Brawler pushed away just after finally reaching Ruby loses an attack opportunity and has to find another approach.
The right choice depends on what the enemy wants to do. Against a composition using high health to hold its ground, consider the first Gadget's damage and healing. If you need to stop enemies from sticking to Ruby, the second has a clearer purpose. Look at whether a tank is holding position or charging in, rather than choosing from the role label alone.
Even with the knockback Gadget, Ruby is not always safe. Spending it on harassment leaves fewer defensive options for the next approach. Whether this Gadget has already been used should be valuable information for both Ruby and her opponents.
Think of Star Powers and Hypercharge in terms of accuracy and area control
The second Star Power adds max-health damage when both main-attack cards hit. If you consistently land them together in ordinary fights, you can threaten opponents more even without a Super. If one-card hits are common, the described effect is much harder to use fully.
The first Star Power adds projectiles to the Super, increasing pressure inside the zone. Hypercharge enlarges the Super and makes enemies struck by its projectiles release additional shots. That area control can be more valuable when enemies have to stay close together.
When choosing a setup, first decide whether you want steady damage against one target or to restrict several enemies in an important space. A spectacular chain reaction alone does not establish Hypercharge's practical value. If enemies spread out or avoid Ruby's zone, the situation you hoped for may never occur.
Counter Ruby by drawing out her defenses before committing
Against Ruby, reducing head-on attempts to overpower her with health looks sensible. Letting her land both cards, place her Super, and reopen the gap with knockback in one sequence gives melee Brawlers every unfavorable condition at once.
Before approaching, see whether allied ranged pressure can force Ruby to move or spend a defensive Gadget. Then threatening a different direction may work better than repeating the same route. Knocking back one side does not simultaneously make the other safe. These are principles inferred from her kit, rather than a confirmed matchup chart for particular Brawlers.
Ruby has difficult situations too. Enemies who keep leaving the cards' overlap point, pressure from a safe distance, or enter after she uses her defenses are hard to handle alone. A difficult tank matchup does not require the whole team to fight in the same way.
Playing with Rey does not mean staying grouped all the time
The pair can heal each other with main attacks and move faster toward their partner. That synergy can help them support each other between fights or regroup.
Staying together constantly to exchange healing can expose both to area damage or leave another lane uncovered. The sightlines Rey needs as a Marksman and the space Ruby needs to control do not always coincide. The goal is to perform their individual roles and connect when necessary, rather than simply stand beside each other.
Ultimately, I would judge Ruby by her ability to deny opponents their preferred fighting distance. Consider whether you need tools against tanks, enjoy learning simultaneous card hits, and can turn your team's pressure into area control. How difficult she makes the timing of an approach is a more useful way to understand Ruby than predicting that all melee Brawlers will disappear.
