Heist draft guide
How to pick and ban for Heist in Brawl Stars Ranked: how the mode is won, the current map pool, what each map type rewards and which brawlers stand out.
How Heist works
Each team defends its own safe and attacks the enemy's. Destroy the enemy safe, or deal more damage to it before time runs out, and you win. Because damage to the safe is the win condition, a few brawlers who are niche everywhere else become strong picks here.
Current Ranked map pool
Of the four Heist maps in the current Ranked pool, one is closed, one is medium, and two are open.
| Map | Type |
|---|---|
| Bridge Too Far | Open |
| Hot Potato | Closed |
| Kaboom Canyon | Medium |
| Safe Zone | Open |
Drafting for Heist
The map type decides a lot here. Closed maps have lots of walls and short sightlines. Point-blank burst damage is at its strongest here, while brawlers whose damage is fixed at range underperform. Medium maps mix cover with open lanes. Fixed ranged damage is strong here, and point-blank burst loses much of its value. Open maps have few walls and long sightlines. Range pays off, tanks struggle to close the distance, and on some open maps the assistant rules tanks out entirely.
Because the pool mixes types, the same Heist draft can look very different on Hot Potato and on Bridge Too Far. Always pick the map in the assistant before you trust a suggestion.
Heist is the mode where niche picks matter most. A brawler who deals big damage to the safe can be worth more than a stronger all-rounder, and some top supports simply don't work here.
The pick order still applies on top of all this: a strong, safe brawler first, the missing role on the double pick, and counters for picks 4 to 6. The Ranked draft guide walks through each slot.
The author's notes on Heist
- Max S: the strongest support; high mobility lets her run from assassins — counters them; doesn't work in Heist.
- Chuck A: played almost only in Heist for safe damage — his ban rate is noticeably higher there too.
- Grey A: only good in Heist with hypercharge — two portals give a fast route to the safe.
- Penny C: situational — good against clustered enemies, strong in Heist.
- Mico D: afraid of point-blank burst damage (Shelly, Griff, etc.); mostly picked in Heist.
What the brawler guides say about Heist
- Grey: Avoid Heist, where his win rates are consistently poor against clustered defenses.
- Griff: Excels in Gem Grab and Heist when maintaining mid-range positioning.
- Lumi: Excels in Hot Zone, Gem Grab, and Heist by favoring patience and crowd control over pure aggression.
- Mina: Also strong in Brawl Ball, Heist, and Gem Grab; avoid Knockout and Solo Showdown.
- Pierce: Excels in Hot Zone, Knockout, Gem Grab, Brawl Ball, and Heist thanks to his long attack range.
- Sirius: Excels in Hot Zone, Gem Grab, and Heist, using shadows to control objectives and pressure enemies.
- Carl: Excels in Showdown and Heist, with strong Brawl Ball mobility.
- Colt: Thrives in Bounty, Heist, and open maps; achieves a 72.4% win rate in Solo Showdown.
- Finx: Best on maps like Spiraling Out and Ring of Fire; avoid grass-heavy maps, Heist, and Bounty due to wall limitations.
- Nadia: Excels in Hot Zone, Knockout, Bounty, and Brawl Ball; struggles in Heist and Showdown due to low DPS.
- Alli: Excels on bush-heavy, water-rich maps in Duo Showdown and Gem Grab; avoid Heist and wall-heavy maps.
- Angelo: Excels in Knockout and Heist; avoid close-range-heavy game modes.
Other Ranked modes
- Brawl Ball6 maps in the pool
- Gem Grab4 maps in the pool
- Bounty4 maps in the pool
- Knockout4 maps in the pool
- Hot Zone4 maps in the pool
Last updated 16 October 2026