How to Win at Power League – The Essential Guide

I first started playing Brawl Stars in 2019, a few months after the game launched. What drew me to the game was the casualness of it – I could get into a game and finish a satisfying game inside 3 or 4 minutes.

This simple game has now evolved into a game with surprising depth – with more than 50 Brawlers, Star Powers, multiple Gadgets, new and evolving maps, game modes and Brawler types. Playing Brawl Stars has never required more finesse and strategy – and this is especially true in the newly launched Power League – a ‘serious’ mode launched in late 2020/early 2021. With features like banning Brawlers, turn-by-turn Brawler selection and thankfully, penalties for leavers (I honestly had no idea why Supercell didn’t include this feature at launch), this is THE mode to get into if you wanted to play Brawl Stars more seriously and at a higher level.

This brings us to today’s post. Many players who first get into Power League start off as casual players, and while you can still be successful in the lower tiers this way (up to Gold or Diamond), it quickly gets much more competitive. Strategy, matchups and counters become the key to winning from this point onwards.

In this first post of a new series on Power League, let me take you through a guide on how to speed up your climb through Power League. Coming from a Diamond III / Mythic I player.

Power League Basics

Power League is a competitive way of playing Brawl Stars with 2 modes – Solo vs Team mode. You can play by yourself on Solo mode, but you will need 2 other friends/team mates to play in Team mode.

There are 6 Ranks in Power League you can climb, each with 3 sub tiers within. In ascending order: Bronze 1/2/3, Silver, 1/2/3, Gold 1/2/3, Diamond 1/2/3, Mythic 1/2/3, Legendary 1/2/3. Beyond Legendary 3, you’ll reach the coveted throne of the Masters rank.

In Solo mode, you will be matched (on your team and the opposing team) with players who are within 1 Rank of your own. However, on Team mode, the matching will be based on whoever has the highest Rank on your team.

To win a Power League match, be the first team to win 2 games (i.e. best-of-3).

Power League Format

Here is how every Power League match goes. Power League 

1. When the match starts, a map from the current rotation will be randomly selected.

2. A random coin toss will determine which team chooses first.

3. Team leaders (the highest ranked player on the team in Solo mode, or the party leader in Team mode) each select a Brawler to be banned from the game

4. Drafting begins! Team 1 picks their first Brawler.

5. Team 2 picks their first and second Brawlers.

6. Team 1 picks their second and last Brawlers.

7. Team 2 picks their last Brawler.

8. Before the match starts, both teams have 15 seconds to choose their Star Powers and Gadgets, which cannot be changed during the entirety of the match.

Power League Survival Tips

In my experience, you can climb reasonably easily in Power League up to the Gold 3 or Diamond 1 Ranks – choosing your favorite Brawlers in every match, relying on just your individual skill and paying no attention to advanced stuff such as drafting strategy and counters. 

However, playing in that same style guarantees that you’ll hit a snag at that point. You’ll really need to be deliberate throughout at that point. Here are some survival tips we can share:

Survival Tip #1: Know the game’s fundamentals
To succeed in Brawl Stars and especially the higher tiers of Power League, it goes without saying you have to have a fundamental knowledge of the game’s mechanics.
This includes knowing the mechanics of most Brawlers, understanding each Brawler’s abilities and their roles within a team, and also which Brawlers are strong and/or weak against which.
Survival Tip #2: If you pick first, pick a strong Brawler for the map. If the opposing team picks first, ban the strongest Brawlers for that map.
Sure, Brawl Stars is a game of individual skill, but in such a competitive mode, team play matters possibly even more. Instead of defaulting to your favorite Brawler, what almost always works well is to try to get the strongest Brawler for each map – if your team gets the first Brawler pick.
On the flip side, if the opposing team gets the first pick, you probably should ban that.
Survival Tip #3: Make adjustments
A key thing you need to succeed in Power League is the ability to be flexible. 
Sure, you might have had plans to use a certain strong Brawler on a map – but as the drafting continues, you’ll have to pay close attention to what Brawlers your teammates and the opposing team chooses, in particular focusing on your team’s synergy as well as how to counter the opposing teams.
 

Final Notes

Power League has a welcome addition to Brawl Stars that serves as the pinnacle of its competitive play, and is here to stay. Have fun, improve your game and till the next guide or post from Brawl Stars Arena!