Ranked Gets a Higher Bar: Power 11, 5,000 Trophies and a Milder Season Reset

Based on Release Notes November 2026 by Supercell, published 3 November 2026. Playing Brawl Stars? See the Brawl Stars page on The Nexus.

Ranked is the story of November. Every rank now wants higher-level Brawlers, the unlock sits at 5,000 Trophies instead of 1,000, and the season reset costs you two ranks where it used to cost six. Shade and Gus take the heaviest balance hits, Shelly, Ziggy and Draco get stronger, Rey and Ruby join the roster, and the Pick & Ban screen gets its first proper overhaul.

Entry requirements for Ranked

Power 11 Brawlers are now required at every rank. From Bronze to Diamond the bar used to be Power 9. Diamond also asks for twelve Brawlers instead of nine, the same count as Mythic. To soften the jump, Supercell doubles the free maxed Brawlers given out each season, from three to six, so the requirement is less of a wall than the raw number suggests.

The Trophy gate rises too. Ranked opens at 5,000 Trophies, while Brawl Arena stays at 1,000. Accounts that already unlocked Ranked keep it and get a Chaos Drop on reaching 5,000 Trophies. Newer accounts will sit in Brawl Arena and Trophy Road for longer before a first Ranked match, which probably thins out low-experience players on the early ladders.

Season resets and Elo

Seasons are still monthly. The drop at the start of each one shrinks to two ranks from six, and the season boost stays as it was. Daily players should spend less time re-climbing to a rank they already earned, and matchmaking should begin nearer their real level; the notes call this better match quality early in the season.

Elo now reads rounds. A 2-0 Epic Win earns extra points, and a 1-2 Close Match costs less. Early and middle ranks gain more Elo overall, and the notes expect more players to reach Pro while the top ranks stay hard. One side effect hits the esports route: reaching Pro no longer qualifies anyone for BSC 2027, so the Challengers Program through the Championship Challenge is the way in.

New Brawlers and the buffs

Rey and Ruby are Mythic Brawlers tied together by a Synergy Trait. Rey's main attack heals Ruby for 800 Health, Ruby's heals Rey for 400, and each moves 10% faster toward the other. The Thunder Frogs are Legendary Artillery; their Super merges three frogs into one large jumping target, and their Hypercharge deals 1050 damage inside the triangle and 1500 at the edges. The notes say nothing about how the pair plays in practice, so their Ranked strength is open.

On the buff side, Shelly's main attack climbs from 300 to 340 and her Super from 320 to 360. Ziggy's main attack goes from 950 to 1050. Draco's Super jumps from 1120 to 1620, Hank's Health from 5500 to 6000, and Cosmo's Health from 3400 to 3600. Most of these raise damage, so expect Shelly, Ziggy and Draco in more Ranked drafts, where one big hit often settles a fight.

The nerfs

Shade takes the biggest cut. Health falls from 3700 to 3400, Super duration from 6s to 4s, and Super charge rate by 12%. Jump Scare cooldown rises from 18s to 24s while its shield drops from 1000 to 400. Gus can hold far fewer spirits on the map, with the cap falling from 10 to 3, and his Knockback Spirit hits for 260 instead of 540.

Smaller cuts follow the same direction. Amber's Super damage over time drops from 480 to 400, and Pierce's last shot from 1500 to 1400. Maisie's main attack goes from 1500 to 1360, and Wendy's main attack projectile shrinks by 20%. Max's Sneaky Sneakers lasts 2s instead of 3s and recharges more slowly. If a Ranked plan leaned on any of these tools, it needs rethinking.

Pick & Ban and Play Again

With a roster of more than 100 Brawlers, the Pick & Ban screen needed room, and it gets it. The grid is bigger, each tile shows Gadgets and Star Powers, classes sort by default, and filters speed up picking. After you ban one Brawler, selecting another suggests it as a ban. Quick chat during picks lets you ask for a class, a counter or a role, and early in the Draft you can offer to swap pick order.

Play Again now works from the Ranked end screen. At Masters and above it can be switched off, and it then turns into Queue Again. It greys out when the rank gap is too wide, when you lack enough Brawlers for your rank, or when the season is over. The notes rejected extra ban phases because the downsides outweighed the upsides. Brawler Blast choice odds are now 100%, and the notes do not say how that will change how often players switch Brawlers.

Who benefits

• Shelly hits harder in close fights: her main attack rises from 300 to 340 and her Super from 320 to 360.
• Ziggy puts the gain into his main attack, which goes from 950 to 1050, while the Great Ziggini bonus falls from 18% to 7%.
• Draco becomes a bigger threat in one engagement: Super damage goes from 1120 to 1620 and Super damage reduction from 20% to 25%.
• Players climbing from Diamond face a twelve-Brawler requirement, but the free maxed Brawlers rise from three to six each season, so a full roster is easier to reach.
• Players with a strong round record gain from Elo that depends on round results, with extra points for a 2-0 Epic Win and smaller losses for a 1-2 Close Match.

Who loses

• Shade falls from 3700 to 3400 Health, his Super charge rate drops by 12%, and the Jump Scare shield is cut from 1000 to 400.
• Gus goes from 10 spirits on the map to 3, and the Knockback Spirit damage falls from 540 to 260, which removes much of his area control.
• Newer accounts below Power 11 wait longer for a first Ranked match, since Power 11 applies at every rank and the Trophy gate moves to 5,000.
• Wendy and Maisie lose reach or punch in long fights: Wendy's main attack projectile shrinks by 20% and Maisie's main attack falls from 1500 to 1360.
• Amber sees the Dancing Flames cooldown rise from 14s to 20s and her Super damage over time drop from 480 to 400.

Getting ready for next season

Start with your Power levels: a Brawler stuck at Power 9 now blocks every rank from Bronze through Diamond. Once you are in, remember that Elo responds to 2-0 and 1-2 results, so a close best-of-three can cost less than a sloppy sweep. Shelly, Ziggy or Draco suit a team that wants one big hit for a quick kill. Test Shade and Gus yourself before building a draft around them, because both lost large parts of their kits and old notes may overrate them. The new Pick & Ban tools let you call for a class or counter before the first pick. Save for Rey and Ruby only if your roster is already at Power 11 or higher, since both are Mythic and Ranked still asks for the level.

Numbers to keep handy

Open questions

The notes do not say how far the Elo changes move the median rank, so the effect on Pro numbers stays unknown until data arrives. Rey and Ruby's real strength is just as open.

Cover: our own design. Third-party pictures on it are credited: Artwork: Supercell