Knockout draft guide
How to pick and ban for Knockout in Brawl Stars Ranked: how the mode is won, the current map pool, what each map type rewards and which brawlers stand out.
How Knockout works
There are no respawns: knock out the whole enemy team to win a round, and win two rounds to take the match. If a round drags on, a poison cloud closes in and forces a fight. One pick the enemy can't answer can decide a round on its own.
Current Ranked map pool
Of the four Knockout maps in the current Ranked pool, one is closed, one is medium, and two are open.
| Map | Type |
|---|---|
| Belle's Rock | Medium |
| Flaring Phoenix | Closed |
| New Horizons | Open |
| Out in the Open | Open |
Drafting for Knockout
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 Knockout draft can look very different on Flaring Phoenix and on New Horizons. Always pick the map in the assistant before you trust a suggestion.
Without respawns, every pick has to survive the whole round, and the last pick is especially valuable: it can counter a lineup that can no longer change.
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 Knockout
- Belle B: a sniper for Knockout/Bounty; countered by assassins, but not picked on open maps.
- Darryl D: mostly played in Knockout and paired with a healer; countered by strong burst antitanks.
- Juju F: mostly played in Knockout on bushy maps.
What the brawler guides say about Knockout
- Gus: Performs best in Bounty, Gem Grab (61.2% win rate), and Knockout.
- Rico: Excels in Bounty, Showdown, and Knockout; his full bounce combo can total 4,480 damage at max power.
- Emz: Adjust gear choice by mode: Shield for objective-based Bounty, Damage for elimination-focused Knockout.
- Grey: Considered A-tier; excels in Knockout, Bounty, Brawl Ball, and Hot Zone, and counters tanks like Draco and Darryl effectively.
- Lou: Excels in Gem Grab, Knockout, and Brawl Ball, especially on maps like Hard Rock Mine, Triple Dribble, and Flaring Phoenix.
- 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.
- Ash: Best on bush-heavy maps in Gem Grab, Knockout, and Brawl Ball; avoid open maps where he can't build Rage safely.
- Barley: Excels in Hot Zone and Knockout through effective puddle-based area control.
- Belle: Excels in Knockout and Bounty on open maps with long sightlines.
- Kenji: A competitively viable C-tier pick (50.76% ranked win rate) despite a low pick rate — excels in Knockout and Brawl Ball.
- Kit: Strongest in Duo Showdown, with Knockout close behind; weakest in Solo Showdown since it removes the "ally" half of his kit.
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
- Hot Zone4 maps in the pool
Last updated 16 October 2026