Sam Brawl Stars Guide
Sam can be a great pick when the map and matchup fit. This guide combines current meta information with BrawlBetter’s match and draft data to show when to pick Sam — and when not to.
- Tier
- B
- Class
- fighter
- Blind-pick safety
- 5/10
Current meta status
Sam sits in B tier in the current meta (2026-07 Balance Update) with a blind-pick safety of 5/10. See the full tier list for the surrounding context.
Best build
Gadget: Magnetic Field — Pulls enemies toward you: free kill setup for your knuckle busters.
Star Power: Hearty Recovery — Heal on picking up your gauntlets keeps you in the fight.
Gears: Health + Gadget Charge — You fight close-range and need your gadget to force kills.
Throw your gauntlets through the enemy and pick them up for double damage.
More builds: Best Brawl Stars builds
Strengths
As a fighter, Sam is favoured into assassin, artillery, thrower.
- With your magnet gadget that pulls him toward you you focus Barley: Barley can't shoot directly, so standing on him is free damage.
- With your magnet gadget that pulls him toward you you focus Dynamike: Dynamike can't shoot in a straight line and misses everything moving.
- With your magnet gadget that pulls him toward you you focus Tick: Tick has the lowest HP in the game.
- With your magnet gadget that pulls him toward you you focus Penny: Penny is slow and has no escape.
Weaknesses
Sam struggles against marksman, sharpshooter and on maps that do not support the fighter role.
Counters to watch
Strong against
Best modes
- Brawl Ball — fit 6/10
- Hot Zone — fit 6/10
- Gem Grab — fit 5/10
Draft advice
Sam is a reasonable middle pick — check which counters are still open before locking it.
Learn the pick-order logic in the drafting guide.
When not to pick
Skip Sam when the map layout works against the fighter role, when an unfavourable matchup is still open on the enemy side, or when your team already has the same role covered.