Barley Stats & Guide
Barley wins 47% of its Ranked matches at the top level (711 matches in the last 21 days). This page shows exactly where Barley wins and loses: per mode, per map, and how that is moving.
- Tier
- B tier
- Win rate
- 47% · 711 matches
- Class
- thrower
- Blind-pick safety
- 7/10
Current meta status
Barley is currently B tier at rank #63 with a meta score of 36.2 and a 47% win rate over 711 weighted Ranked battles (high confidence). See the full tier list for the surrounding context.
How Barley performs in Ranked right now
Over the last 21 days, Barley loses clearly more often than it wins in Ranked: a 47% win rate across 711 matches of top players (reliable).
Barley is on the way up: 54% over the last 7 days (196 matches) against 44% in the 14 days before (515 matches).
Counted from Ranked matches of top players over the last 21 days, last updated 2026-09-27. Matches played before the latest balance change count for less.
Barley win rate per mode
Players take Barley into Brawl Ball most often: 42% of its matches are played there, where it wins 46% (297 matches, reliable). Barley wins clearly more often than it loses in Hot Zone: 54% over 283 matches (reliable), 7 points above its overall win rate. Barley loses far more often than it wins in Bounty: 34% over 32 matches (early signal), 13 points below its overall win rate. Too few matches to show a win rate: Gem Grab (24 matches).
Best maps for Barley
Barley's strongest measured map is Dueling Beetles (Hot Zone): 62% over 128 matches (fairly reliable). Its weakest is Triple Dribble (Brawl Ball): 41% over 138 matches (fairly reliable). Hot Potato looks even worse at 40%, but 30 matches is only an early signal. 6 maps have at least 30 Barley matches; maps with fewer are left out.
Maps to avoid with Barley
On these maps Barley loses more often than it wins. The match count tells you how much weight to give each one.
How to read these numbers
A win rate only means something when enough matches sit behind it. Next to every number we say how sure we are:
- reliable — 200 matches or more: a solid basis for a verdict.
- fairly reliable — 80 to 199 matches: enough to spot a real pattern.
- early signal — 30 to 79 matches: a hint, not a verdict.
- too few matches — fewer than 30 matches, so we do not show a win rate yet.
A 60% win rate over 40 matches can easily be luck; a 54% win rate over 800 matches is a real edge. Maps and modes with fewer than 30 matches are listed without a win rate on purpose.
Blind-pick safety
Blind-pick safety is coaching metadata, not a meta ranking: it says how risky Barley is to lock in before you can see the enemy draft. Barley scores 7/10.
Best build
Gadget: Sticky Syrup Mixer — Slows everything in the puddle: your answer to an assassin jumping you.
Star Power: Extra Noxious — More damage per bottle makes your zone pressure genuinely lethal instead of just annoying.
Gears: Gadget Charge + Shield — Having your slow available more often literally means surviving more often.
Block the gate and force the opponent to walk through your puddle.
More builds: Best Brawl Stars builds
Strengths
As a thrower, Barley is favoured into tank, controller, fighter.
- With your Sticky Syrup gadget that slows him down you focus Bo: controllers have low burst and go down fast under focus.
- With your Sticky Syrup gadget that slows him down you focus Lou: controllers have low burst and go down fast under focus.
- With your Sticky Syrup gadget that slows him down you focus Shelly: fighters lose once you keep them outside their effective range.
- With your Sticky Syrup gadget that slows him down you focus Jessie: Jessie relies on her turret and is weak herself.
Weaknesses
Barley struggles against assassin, marksman, sharpshooter and on maps that do not support the thrower role.
Counters to watch
Strong against
Mode fit for Barley in our coaching model
Maps where our coaches rate Barley highly
Map fit from the coaching model, next to the measured best maps above. When the two disagree, trust the one with more matches behind it.
Draft advice
Barley is safe enough to pick early: few open Brawlers punish this pick hard.
Learn the pick-order logic in the drafting guide.
When not to pick
Skip Barley when the map layout works against the thrower role, when an unfavourable matchup is still open on the enemy side, or when your team already has the same role covered.