Shade Stats & Guide

Shade is currently S tier at rank #2 with a meta score of 92.7 and a 58.1% win rate over 3194 weighted Ranked battles (high confidence). See the full tier list for the surrounding context.

Over the last 21 days, Shade wins far more often than it loses in Ranked: a 58% win rate across 3,143 matches of top players (reliable).

Shade is slipping: 57% over the last 7 days (1,466 matches) against 61% in the 14 days before (6,996 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.

Players take Shade into Brawl Ball most often: 23% of its matches are played there, where it wins 63% (738 matches, reliable). Shade wins far more often than it loses in Brawl Ball: 63% over 738 matches (reliable), 5 points above its overall win rate. Shade wins slightly more often than it loses in Bounty: 51% over 333 matches (reliable), 7 points below its overall win rate.

Shade's strongest measured map is Hot Potato (Heist): 68% over 110 matches (fairly reliable). Its weakest is Ring of Fire (Hot Zone): 39% over 119 matches (fairly reliable). 29 maps have at least 30 Shade matches; maps with fewer are left out.

On these maps Shade loses more often than it wins. The match count tells you how much weight to give each one.

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 is coaching metadata, not a meta ranking: it says how risky Shade is to lock in before you can see the enemy draft. Shade scores 5/10.

Gadget: Vanishing Act — Vanish and get away after a failed engage.

Star Power: Fearful Focus — Extra damage on isolated targets fits perfectly with your flanking role.

Gears: Gadget Charge + Speed — Your value is getting into position unseen.

Flank through bush and take the backline that's standing alone.

More builds: Best Brawl Stars builds

As a assassin, Shade is favoured into marksman, sharpshooter, thrower, artillery, support.

• With your invisible dash past his cover you focus Gene: Gene has low HP and a slow attack.
• With your invisible dash past his cover you focus Barley: Barley can't shoot directly, so standing on him is free damage.
• With your invisible dash past his cover you focus Poco: Poco can barely defend himself.
• With your invisible dash past his cover you focus Pam: Pam lacks mobility and her damage falls off at range.

Shade struggles against tank, controller, fighter and on maps that do not support the assassin role.

GenePocoBoPamTaraSandy

Read the general counters guide for how to actually win those matchups.

GeneBarleyPocoPamTaraSandyMaxGus

This is the coaches' view of which modes suit the assassin role of Shade; the measured win rates per mode are higher up on this page.

• Brawl Ball — fit 6/10
• Gem Grab — fit 5/10
• Knockout — fit 5/10

Shade is a reasonable middle pick — check which counters are still open before locking it.

Learn the pick-order logic in the drafting guide.

Skip Shade when the map layout works against the assassin role, when an unfavourable matchup is still open on the enemy side, or when your team already has the same role covered.