Hot Zone draft guide
How to pick and ban for Hot Zone in Brawl Stars Ranked: how the mode is won, the current map pool, what each map type rewards and which brawlers stand out.
How Hot Zone works
Teams score by standing in the zones. Holding a zone fills your team's progress, and the first team to reach 100% wins. Zones force both teams to stand in predictable places, which rewards brawlers who deal damage over an area or can hold space for a long time.
Current Ranked map pool
Of the four Hot Zone maps in the current Ranked pool, one is closed, two are medium, and one is open.
| Map | Type |
|---|---|
| Dueling Beetles | Medium |
| Open Business | Closed |
| Parallel Plays | Medium |
| Ring of Fire | Open |
Drafting for Hot Zone
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 Hot Zone draft can look very different on Open Business and on Ring of Fire. Always pick the map in the assistant before you trust a suggestion.
Hot Zone fights happen in places both teams know in advance, so brawlers who hit groups or deny an area get more value than usual.
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 Hot Zone
- Lou A: top tier after the buff; especially strong in Hot Zone on open maps.
- Fang D: sometimes plays on open maps too via his ult; counters throwers worse than other assassins; decent against clustered picks in Hot Zone, but there are better options.
What the brawler guides say about Hot Zone
- Amber: Best modes: Basket Brawl, Gem Grab, and Hot Zone, where persistent fire control matters most.
- Maisie: Strongest in Last Stand, Hot Zone, Brawl Ball, and Gem Grab.
- Meg: Sits comfortably in Upper B tier — excels in Hot Zone, Brawl Ball, and against assassin-heavy lobbies.
- Poco: Strongest in Hot Zone and Gem Grab, where sustained team fights let his healing matter most.
- Byron: Excels in Payload (84.6% win rate), Hot Zone, and Duo Showdown; struggles in Bounty.
- Grey: Considered A-tier; excels in Knockout, Bounty, Brawl Ball, and Hot Zone, and counters tanks like Draco and Darryl effectively.
- Lumi: Excels in Hot Zone, Gem Grab, and Heist by favoring patience and crowd control over pure aggression.
- Meeple: Excels in Basket Brawl, Deathcap Trap, Gem Grab, and Hot Zone.
- Mina: Currently considered one of the strongest brawlers in the game, dominating Hot Zone with a 60.6% win rate.
- 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.
- Stu: Considered S-tier, with win rates above 55% across major modes; excels in Brawl Ball, Gem Grab, and Hot Zone.
Other Ranked modes
- Brawl Ball6 maps in the pool
- Gem Grab4 maps in the pool
- Heist4 maps in the pool
- Bounty4 maps in the pool
- Knockout4 maps in the pool
Last updated 16 October 2026