When choosing a Brawler to practice, read the play pattern alongside the rank. Even a strong pick loses value if you waste its Super or use a Gadget at the wrong moment.
The seven picks in this guide are Shade, Gus, Nori, El Primo, Amber, Wendy, and Stu. The supplied evaluation presents Wendy and Amber as more accessible options, while Shade and Nori offer potential that asks for more practice.
This is an opinion ranking published on September 14, 2026, not official win-rate data. Later balance changes and the map or mode can change each pick’s value. The explanations below focus on strengths and habits worth improving.
The Seven Picks at a Glance
| Source Rank | Brawler | Main Strength | First Practice Goal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shade | High ceiling and Gadget-based matchup responses | Position to sustain Super pressure |
| 2 | Gus | Ranged pressure, sustain, and close-range responses | Manage healing and defensive tools separately |
| 3 | Nori | Strong Hypercharge windows and frequent cycling | Preserve health while charging; judge entries |
| 4 | El Primo | Gadget-assisted pressure with allied support | Time the Gadget against focused fire |
| 5 | Amber | Control routes with Fire Fluid | Decide when to leave fluid unlit or ignite it |
| 6 | Wendy | Accessible controls and allied protection | Shield the teammate who needs it |
| 7 | Stu | Mobility against short-range enemies | Maintain spacing instead of forcing combos |
This is not a beginner practice order. Execution demands, allied picks, and opposing Brawlers change what suits you best.
7. Stu: Spacing Before Combos
Stu can pressure short-range opponents while denying them a useful attack distance. That is especially relevant against a Brawler such as El Primo, who needs to get close.
Attack-into-Super sequencing matters, but the goal is not rapid button presses. Use it to avoid attacks while preserving your own effective range.
If you are already safely positioned, do not force a Super just to complete a combo. Dashing toward the enemy or into a worse lane can surrender your advantage.
Against El Primo, relevant options include removing useful approach walls with the appropriate tool or building Super off him before pressuring another opponent. Review whether each Super improved your position, not simply how many you used.
6. Wendy: Shield With a Purpose
The source describes Wendy as a relatively accessible way to support the team, with forgiving attacks and shield-based help for allied fights.
A shield is more useful when it changes an outcome: for example, protecting an ally about to enter or one under real health pressure. Using it whenever available is not the same as using it well.
Plan Super placement around holding the front near walls or surviving danger, rather than simply pressing the ready button.
Spacing with allies also matters. Stacking too closely can complicate aiming at the intended teammate. Stay within support range while leaving some separation.
Wendy’s value comes from enabling allied fights, not only trying to secure every elimination herself.
5. Amber: Use Fire Fluid to Shape Routes
Look beyond her main attack and plan where to place Fire Fluid. Limiting enemy movement can give teammates room to establish position and attack.
Use routes enemies have a reason to take: narrow passages or lanes they must cross to advance. Good placement makes avoiding the threat costly.
Then decide whether to ignite immediately or leave it temporarily. Route denial may favor waiting; a chance to pressure several enemies may favor burning it.
If an ignition can finish a low-health opponent, do not preserve the fluid automatically. Compare the value of denying the route with securing the elimination.
Fluid-related Star Powers and Buffies are patch-sensitive. Read the current client when choosing a loadout.
4. El Primo: Time the Gadget Against Real Pressure
The evaluation favors pushing with his Gadget and allied support, then getting a useful outcome after a Super entry.
Avoid spending a defensive tool on every small poke. Doing so can leave you without it when several attacks arrive together.
Practice recognizing committed enemy fire and check whether teammates can support your position after entry.
El Primo cannot push every matchup indiscriminately. Stu, Cordelius, and Colette are examples of opponents who can complicate his approach or fight.
Being able to enter is different from gaining value once there. Check your landing target and allied support range before using the Super.
3. Nori: Protect Health While Charging
Nori’s strong Hypercharge moments and cycling rate drove the supplied rating. Mistakes can be more punishing than on the more accessible picks discussed earlier.
One recurring error is stepping forward while preparing an attack and taking excessive damage. Finishing the charge does not help if you no longer have the health to commit.
Use walls to limit exposure and check how much the enemy can hit you during preparation. Do not force initiative by absorbing avoidable shots.
If your health is low or the opening disappears, cancel and recover when appropriate. A prepared attack is not a reason to keep advancing into a losing fight.
A useful first goal is fewer avoidable hits before an entry, rather than more entries overall.
2. Gus: Manage Healing and Survival Tools
The source values Gus for ranged pressure, sustain, and responses to nearby enemies. He must balance personal survival with allied support.
Avoid consuming healing at every minor health loss. Keep resources for meaningful need, and do not take avoidable damage merely because spirits are available.
After spending a Gadget to save an ally, reassess your own defense. An assassin may pressure you immediately afterward. Prepare Super or reposition to meet that next threat.
Surviving alone is not the whole job. Support the teammate who needs help while keeping yourself from collapsing easily.
Ask not only whether healing is available, but whether now is the right time to use it.
1. Shade: Preserve Useful Super Pressure
Shade topped the supplied evaluation for practiced potential and Gadget-based responses. Timing a Gadget can change a difficult matchup.
Repeatedly spending Super only to escape can interrupt the pressure you wanted to sustain.
Sometimes escape is necessary. The lesson is to reduce the positioning errors that repeatedly create that emergency. Review whether a Gadget response or a shallower entry would have avoided it.
A potentially decisive Hypercharge is not permission to overextend. The team still has to hold the front until that opportunity arrives.
Alongside eliminations, review why your Super pressure ended. Did you create an attack opportunity, or spend it repairing an overcommitment?
Which Pick Fits Your Goal?
These are practice directions based on the strengths and execution demands discussed above.
| Goal | Candidate | Practice |
|---|---|---|
| Contribute with a more accessible support plan | Wendy | Shield targets and timing |
| Limit opposing movement and pushes | Amber | Fire Fluid placement at key routes |
| Support allies while staying stable | Gus | Healing and defensive-resource management |
| Use mobility against short-range opponents | Stu | Spacing within your effective range |
| Commit with allied support | El Primo | Gadget timing and post-entry decisions |
| Develop execution and entry judgment | Nori, Shade | Health management and sustained pressure |
Choose one role and one Brawler rather than practicing all seven immediately. Reducing repeated mistakes on one pick makes progress easier to identify.
FAQ
Should a Beginner Start With Number-One Shade?
Not necessarily. His potential comes with Super-management and positioning demands. Wendy or Amber’s basic patterns may be a more comfortable starting point, depending on what you enjoy.
Should Stu Constantly Repeat Attack and Super?
Chain them when the movement dodges an attack or improves position. If your position already works, repeating a combo is not a goal by itself.
Should Amber Ignite Fluid Immediately?
It depends. Leave it if route control is more valuable, or ignite when finishing a low-health opponent or another timely payoff is worth more.
Does Following the Ranking Work on Every Map?
No. Consider walls, range, teammates, and enemy responses. This is a dated recommendation, not a fixed ordering for every map and mode.
Pick one habit to review next match: fewer unnecessary Stu Supers, less damage while Nori charges, or fewer wasted Gus heals. Making a Brawler’s strengths visible in your own play helps reveal the next useful practice goal.
Regional and version notes
The September 14 opinion ranking predates September 16 maintenance. Later changes affected Shade, Gus, El Primo, Amber, Nori, and Wendy, so the order is historical. Practice themes remain conditional; this is not a current tier list. Check the later balance section before choosing or upgrading a Brawler. Some illustrations are retained from the Korean edition and may include Korean labels. Use the English article text for instructions.
Localization sources checked October 23, 2026 (Korea time):