Accurate as of October 15, 2026 — Season 55 "Brawl-O-Ween" (Update 69, "Brawler Blast"). Brawl Stars rebalances every few weeks, so win rates and Star Power picks shift with each patch.
Star Powers are the loadout slot players get the most wrong. Every Brawler has two, you unlock them at Power Level 9, and you equip exactly one before every match — pick the weaker one and you quietly hand the enemy a free edge in every fight. The September 16, 2026 balance pass (22 buffs, 24 nerfs) reshuffled the top of the meta right as Season 55 "Brawl-O-Ween" went live, so an August or early-September "best Star Power" list can steer you wrong today. This guide covers how Star Powers work in the current Brawl-O-Ween meta, which picks the September patch moved, and the single best Star Power for every meta Brawler — with pick rates pulled from live build data, not opinion.
Quick answer (TLDR): Every Brawler has two Star Powers, both unlock at Power Level 9, and you equip exactly one per match — a permanent passive or active upgrade, not a one-time effect. For the current top of the October meta: Shade (the game's most-picked Brawler, ~8.4% pick) runs Hardened Hoodie (picked ~67% on noff.gg); Amber (highest raw win rate at 64.9% on brawltime.ninja) runs Wild Flames (~66%); Gus (most-picked S-tier Support) runs Health Bonanza; Mortis runs Coiled Snake (~70%); and Edgar runs Hard Landing (~55%) for burst. Across the wider roster the rule is the same: pick the Star Power that flips a fight — team heals, clutch survival, or execute damage — over the one that only adds convenience. Full per-Brawler picks below.
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What are Star Powers in Brawl Stars?
A Star Power is a permanent upgrade that changes how a Brawler plays — a passive buff (extra healing, more speed, bonus damage) or a triggered effect baked into your kit. Unlike a Gadget, most are always on; you don't tap a button. Each Brawler has two, and you choose one on the loadout screen before a match.
The details that decide games:
- Two Star Powers per Brawler, one equipped per match. Both unlock at Power Level 9 (Gadgets unlock earlier, at Power 7). You cannot run both at once and you cannot swap mid-match — the pick happens on the loadout screen.
- They are permanent, not consumable. Once unlocked, a Star Power costs nothing to use and never runs out during a match. That's why the right pick compounds: a strong Star Power is working every second you're on the field.
- They stack with your Gadget and Gears. A maxed Brawler runs one of two Gadgets, one of two Star Powers, and two Gears. The Star Power is the slot that most often defines the Brawler's identity — Shelly with Band-Aid is a comeback tank; Shelly with Shell Shock is a control shredder.
Since Update 69, you can also earn Star Powers directly from the Brawler Blast mini-game that replaced Starr Road — unlocking a Brawler with Credits now fires a bonus round that can hand out Power Levels, Gadgets, Gears, Star Powers, Hypercharges or Buffies. That's separate from the loadout choice: Brawler Blast is how you get a Star Power; this guide is about which one to equip.
What changed for Star Powers in the September 16 patch?
The meta you're playing in October is governed by the September 16, 2026 balance update — 22 buffs and 24 nerfs per BrawlScope's patch log, on top of the larger September 1 pass. A few of those moves hit Star Powers directly, which is why re-checking your slot matters this month:
- Chuck — Pit Stop buffed. His Pit Stop Star Power slow increased from 20% → 30%, making his station-to-station control noticeably stickier.
- Shade — nerfed around the edges. Shade's Super charge when near enemies was cut by 15% and his Long Arms gadget cooldown went from 18s → 20s. His best Star Power (Hardened Hoodie) didn't change, but he charges his Super slower now, so you feel the survival value of Hoodie even more.
- Amber — nerfed but still #1 by raw win rate. Amber took a trim in the patch yet still posts the highest win rate in the game (64.9% on brawltime.ninja as of October 15), which tells you how strong Wild Flames + her zone control remained.
The broader theme matches the tier-list shuffle (see our October 2026 tier list): buffs to underused picks, nerfs to the recently dominant ones. If you main a Brawler on that list, re-confirm your Star Power before you spend Coins.
Best Star Powers for the current top-meta Brawlers
These are the Brawlers leading the October meta after the September 16 patch. Pick-rate and win-rate figures come from live build data (noff.gg, brawltime.ninja, brawlmetrics.gg) rather than editorial opinion. Note that brand-new Brawlers sit on small, novelty-inflated samples, so treat their exact numbers as directional.
| Brawler | Role | Best Star Power | Picked | Why it wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shade | Assassin | Hardened Hoodie | ~67% | Survival on the game's most-picked Brawler; matters more after his Super-charge nerf |
| Amber | Controller | Wild Flames | ~66% | Two fuel puddles + extra Super charge; raw-WR #1 at 64.9% |
| Gus | Support | Health Bonanza | majority | Bigger spirit-shield value, the standard pick with Kooky Popper |
| Mortis | Assassin | Coiled Snake | ~70% | Faster dash recharge — the aggression engine for a top Assassin |
| Edgar | Assassin | Hard Landing | ~55% | Super deals burst damage; closes kills faster than Fisticuffs sustain |
| Wendy | Support | Solar Shield | ~69% | +2,000 HP on the biggest team shield in the game |
Shade (Mythic Assassin) — Hardened Hoodie
Shade is the single most-picked Brawler in the October meta (around 8.4% pick rate, 52.56% win rate on noff.gg, higher in Ranked). His two Star Powers are Hardened Hoodie and Super Speedster — and the trackers agree it isn't close: Hardened Hoodie is picked around 67% of the time. After the September 16 nerf slowed his Super charge, the extra durability Hoodie provides is exactly what keeps him alive long enough to charge and dash. Best pick: Hardened Hoodie for essentially every mode; take Super Speedster only if you specifically want the repositioning speed in open maps.
Amber (Legendary Controller) — Wild Flames
Amber survived her September trim as the highest raw-win-rate Brawler in the game (64.9% on brawltime.ninja, October 15). Her Star Powers:
- Wild Flames — her Super lays down two fuel puddles instead of one and charges another Super faster. Picked around 66%.
- Scorchin' Siphon — reloads her ammo faster while she stands in her own flames.
Best pick: Wild Flames. As the Brawl Stars Wiki community put it: "Wild Flames is better, having the ability to put TWO fuel puddles down along with charging another is probably better than just a faster reload speed." Scorchin' Siphon asks you to hover in your own fire, which fights against her safe, long-range zoning. Pair it with the Dancing Flames gadget for the standard build.
Gus (Mythic Support) — Health Bonanza
Gus is the most-picked S-tier Support in the October meta (around 4.75–4.85% use, 51.1% win rate on brawlmetrics.gg). His signature is the spirit-shield he throws on allies, and Health Bonanza is the standard Star Power on live build trackers, paired with the Kooky Popper gadget (used ~86% of the time over Soul Switcher). Best pick: Health Bonanza to maximize the shield value that makes him a premier objective-mode Support.
Mortis (Mythic Assassin) — Coiled Snake
Mortis is a perennial high-skill meta pick and one of the most-picked Brawlers this month. Coiled Snake — which recharges his dash bar faster — is picked around 70% over Creepy Harvest, and it's the correct default: more dashes means more mobility, more escapes, and more repeat strikes. Best pick: Coiled Snake.
Edgar (Epic Assassin) — Hard Landing
Edgar sits in the S+ Ranked tier this month (53.4% Ranked win rate on brawlmetrics.gg, October 14). His pick is a real choice, and the data leans toward burst: Hard Landing (his Super deals damage on landing) is picked around 55% over Fisticuffs (attack-speed sustain). Best pick: Hard Landing for aggressive assassin play; switch to Fisticuffs if you prefer the drawn-out brawl-and-survive style.
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Best Star Power for every meta Brawler (by role)
For the wider roster, the pick rarely changes patch to patch — these are the long-standing best-in-slot answers, with the September changes folded in.
Tanks & brawlers (get in, stay in):
- El Primo — El Fuego. The burn-on-attack adds damage over his brawl-in, the competitive pick over Meteor Rush.
- Rosa — Plant Life. Heals while she stands in a bush, layering onto her Super shield for a nearly unkillable bush fighter.
- Shelly — Band-Aid. Heals 30% of max HP when she drops below 40% — the comeback button that wins 1v1s.
- Bibi — Batting Stance for the reflect-shield that makes her a lane bully.
Assassins (burst and reset):
- Mortis — Coiled Snake. ~70% pick; faster dash recharge, the standard aggressive engine.
- Shade — Hardened Hoodie. ~67% pick; survival on the most-picked Brawler in the game.
- Edgar — Hard Landing. ~55% pick; Super burst damage over sustain.
- Crow — Carrion Crow. Adds extra damage to enemies below 50% HP, the execute that closes out poisoned targets.
- Leon — Smoke Trail. +30% movement speed while invisible, for repositioning and escapes.
- Stu — Zero Drag for escape mobility, or Gaso-Heal for post-dash sustain.
Marksmen & damage dealers (range and pressure):
- Piper — Ambush. Around +800 damage when firing from a bush — the sniper's signature.
- Brock — Incendiary. Rockets leave fire for strong area denial.
- Rico — Robo Retreat for the low-HP speed boost (nerfed to 50% in September, still the default).
- Colt — Slick Boots for the kiting speed that keeps his high DPS safe.
- Spike — Fertilize, which heals the team inside his Super area, a top area-control Star Power.
Supports (keep the team alive):
- Gus — Health Bonanza. Maximizes his ally spirit-shield, the standard with Kooky Popper.
- Wendy — Solar Shield. Adds +2,000 HP to her team shield; swap to Slowing Shield only in coordinated Ranked chokepoints.
- Sandy — Healing Winds. Allies heal inside his sandstorm — one of the best team-heal Star Powers in the game.
- Gene — Magic Puffs. Turns his ally pulls into healing, so he peels and sustains at once.
- Poco — Da Capo! Still the pick over Screeching Solo, but note the earlier September nerf cut its healing — the sustain is weaker than it was in summer.
- Emz — Bad Karma for the stacking damage that makes her a strong area-control Support this month.
Controllers (lock down space):
- Amber — Wild Flames. ~66% pick; two fuel puddles over faster reload.
- Chuck — Pit Stop, buffed to a 30% slow in the September 16 patch — now a genuinely sticky control tool.
- Bo — Circling Eagle for extended bush vision over Snare the Bear.
- Tara — Black Portal for the high-HP shadow summon; Healing Shade if you want sustain instead.
A few picks are genuinely split between trackers and worth confirming in-game before you commit Coins: Nita (brawlify lists Bear With Me; noff.gg shows Faux Fur as most-used) and Jessie (Energize is the area-control default, runner-up varies by source). When two reputable trackers disagree, the tie-breaker is your own mode: take the Star Power whose effect matches how you actually play the Brawler.
How to choose a Star Power: the rule that beats memorizing every card
There are over 200 Star Powers in the game and they change every patch, so don't memorize a static list — learn the priority. In roughly this order, pick the Star Power that:
- Wins or survives a fight. Team heals (Sandy, Gene, Spike), clutch survival (Shelly Band-Aid, Shade Hardened Hoodie) and execute damage (Crow Carrion Crow, Edgar Hard Landing) all directly swing an engagement. The best Star Powers flip a fight — heals, survival, and execute damage — over ones that only add convenience.
- Matches your mode. A slow, area-denial Star Power (Chuck Pit Stop, Wendy Slowing Shield) shines in objective modes like Hot Zone and Gem Grab; a mobility/escape one (Leon Smoke Trail, Mortis Coiled Snake) shines in Showdown and Bounty where positioning is life.
- Fixes your Brawler's weakness. If your Brawler dies too fast, take the survival Star Power; if it can't finish kills, take the execute one.
- Follows the live data — but not blindly. A high pick rate (Mortis's ~70% Coiled Snake, Amber's ~66% Wild Flames) is a strong signal, but a brand-new Brawler's numbers are noisy. Cross-check win-rate trackers against your own experience before spending Coins.
Because Star Powers are permanent and cost Coins to unlock, prioritize the second Star Power only on Brawlers you actually play — a maxed main with the right Star Power beats three half-built Brawlers with the wrong one.
FAQ
When do Star Powers unlock in Brawl Stars? Both of a Brawler's Star Powers become available at Power Level 9. Gadgets unlock earlier at Power 7, and the second Gear slot at Power 10. You unlock them with Coins, or receive them from the Brawler Blast mini-game when you unlock a Brawler with Credits.
Can you use two Star Powers at once? No. Each Brawler has two Star Powers but you equip exactly one before a match, chosen on the loadout screen. You cannot swap mid-match, so pick the Star Power that fits the mode and comp before you queue.
What is the best Star Power for Shade? Hardened Hoodie is the data-backed default — picked around 67% of the time over Super Speedster. After the September 16 patch slowed Shade's Super charge, the extra survivability it gives matters even more. Super Speedster is a niche pick for open maps where you value repositioning speed.
Which Star Powers changed in the latest patch? The September 16, 2026 update buffed Chuck's Pit Stop (slow increased from 20% to 30%) and trimmed the top meta with nerfs to Shade (Super charge near enemies cut 15%, Long Arms gadget cooldown 18s to 20s) and Amber. Re-check your slot if you main any of them.
Are Star Powers the same as Gadgets or Gears? No. A Star Power is a permanent, usually-passive upgrade (one of two, equipped per match, unlocked at Power 9). A Gadget is an active ability you tap during a match, on a cooldown, unlocked at Power 7 — see our best Gadgets guide for the top pick on every Brawler. Gears are passive stat bonuses bought with Coins (slots at Power 8 and Power 10). A maxed Brawler runs one Star Power, one Gadget and two Gears together.
How do I get free Star Powers? Legitimately, Star Powers come from spending Coins, from the Brawler Blast mini-game (which replaced Starr Road in Update 69), and occasionally from Starr Drops — a Legendary Starr Drop has a roughly 42.7% chance to contain a Star Power. There is no such thing as a "free Star Power generator"; those are scams and should be avoided.
