Buffies are Brawl Stars’ per-brawler upgrade system, and once one is unlocked its effect is permanent, so it counts in every mode including ranked. The system launched back in December 2025; the end-of-June update added two more claw machines and six more brawlers: Rico, Brock and 8-Bit in the Arcade machine, and Max, Surge and Meg in Super City. The real question is which of the six are worth chasing, and our live data answers it. Five of these six are already A-tier or better, and only Rico is still stuck below the 50% line.
What a Buffy actually is
A Buffy is a permanent upgrade to one of a brawler’s abilities. Each brawler in the system gets three: a Gadget Buffie, a Star Buffie and a Hyper Buffie. Gadget and Star Buffies either add a second effect or strengthen the existing one. Hyper Buffies are more uniform: every one adds two seconds of Hypercharge duration and boosts the brawler’s main attack, on top of a reworked Super.
The point the whole meta hangs on: once you unlock a Buffy its effect is always on, in every mode, ranked included. It is not a limited event modifier. That is why the tier data further down speaks directly to whether a Buffy is worth your coins.
Buffies are not new: what this update added
Buffies launched back in December 2025, so six claw machines already existed. The end-of-June update, the same one behind the June balance changes, simply added two more machines and their brawlers. Each machine holds one trio: three Buffies per brawler, nine per machine.
- Arcade machine: Rico, Brock and 8-Bit.
- Super City machine: Max, Surge and Meg.
How to unlock Buffies
This is what most people actually want to know, and the notes are specific about it.
- Buffies unlock at 1,000 Trophies, or instantly through a gacha pull or an Ultra Chaos Drop.
- A random pull from a claw machine costs 1,000 Coins plus 2,000 Power Points, but you do not get to choose which Buffie you get.
- To pick a specific Buffie, pay Gems: 149 for a Gadget Buffie, 179 for a Star Buffie, 199 for a Hyper Buffie. A single Buffie Key also unlocks one specific Buffie.
- Buffies can also drop at random from Ultra Chaos Drops.
- After you complete a machine you can buy Bling Buffies for 10,000 Bling each. These are purely cosmetic and change nothing about gameplay.
What the six new Buffies do
The end-of-June notes spell out each rework:
- Rico: reworked Multiball Launcher and Bouncy Castle.
- Brock: Rocket Rain now tracks his movement.
- 8-Bit: Extra Credits reworked into 18 projectiles you can aim, usable during his main attack.
- Meg: Mega Machina reworked to deal 3,000 damage at Power 11 when she enters her Mecha.
- Max: Phase Shifter is now aimable.
- Surge: a reworked Stage 5 Hypercharge.
Notice where the reworks land. 8-Bit’s aimable 18-shot Extra Credits and Surge’s reworked Stage 5 Hypercharge sit on brawlers that are already S-tier, so a Buffy there compounds a pick that already wins at 56%. Meg’s Mega Machina rework, 3,000 damage the moment she enters her Mecha, hands an A-tier tank a real burst tool. Rico’s reworks are the flashiest on paper, but they arrive on a 45.9% C-tier brawler, so they change how he plays without changing whether he wins. That gap between a good Buffy and a good brawler is exactly why the tier data below matters more than the ability text.
Which of the six are worth it
Because Buffies are permanent and count in ranked, the question is just which of the six brawlers are worth playing at all. Here is where they sit, strongest first.
| Brawler | Machine | Class | Win rate | Use rate | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Surge | Super City | Damage Dealer | 56.3% | 4.75% | S+ |
 8-Bit | Arcade | Damage Dealer | 56.0% | 1.46% | S |
 Brock | Arcade | Marksman | 52.0% | 2.80% | S |
 Max | Super City | Support | 53.1% | 1.38% | A |
 Meg | Super City | Tank | 52.3% | 1.17% | A |
 Rico | Arcade | Damage Dealer | 45.9% | 2.87% | C |
Start with the easy call. Surge is the second-best brawler in the game right now at a 56.3% win rate and S+ tier, and the most-picked of this group at 4.75% use. His Buffies are the first to chase. 8-Bit (56.0%, S) and Brock (52.0%, S) are right behind, both S-tier staples that were already winning at those rates before their Buffies landed.
Max and Meg are the solid middle. Max sits at 53.1% and A-tier, a top-ten support whose whole value is the speed he hands his team. Meg is 52.3% and A-tier. Neither Buffy is wasted, but neither jumps ahead of Surge or 8-Bit.
Rico is the one to skip for now. At 45.9% and C-tier he is the only recipient under the 50% line, and a Buffy does not drag him back over it. Players clearly still like him, he is the second most-picked in this group at 2.87% use, but the wins are not there. Get his Buffies for completion, not for a power spike.
If you are deciding where to spend, rank by tier, not by novelty: Surge and 8-Bit first, then Brock, then Max and Meg, and Rico last. Because Buffies are permanent and count in ranked, coins spent on a brawler you actually queue pay off every game.