If you’ve spent any time playing Brawl Stars, you’ve almost certainly tried out Colt. He’s one of the first brawlers new players unlock, with a flashy cowboy design and satisfying burst fire that makes him feel fun right out the gate. But as you start climbing trophy ranks and facing more skilled opponents, you’ve probably wondered is Colt good in Brawl Stars for long-term play, or if he’s just a starter brawler you should replace once you unlock rarer picks. I’ve been playing Brawl Stars for over four years, have hit 1500 trophies with Colt across multiple seasons, and have used him to carry matches in both casual and low-stakes competitive lobbies. I’m breaking down exactly how viable he is, where he works best, and what you need to know to make the most of him if you decide to main him.
Is Colt Good in Brawl Stars? Core Strengths That Make Him Viable
Colt has a set of base stats and abilities that make him a surprisingly strong pick even at higher trophy ranks, as long as you know how to play to his advantages. First, his 8-shot burst can delete most brawlers in under a second if all bullets connect. Even tanky brawlers like Frank or Bull will lose half their health from a full Colt burst at medium range, which gives you a huge advantage in trades. You don’t have to spend multiple clips to take down opponents, which lets you pick off targets fast before they can get to safety or call for backup.
Another huge strength is his range. His base attack range is 10 tiles, longer than 90% of common brawlers, which means you can hit enemies before they’re even in range to attack you back. On open maps, this lets you harass opponents from across the map, chip away at objectives like the Heist safe or Siege robot, and pick off low-health players running away from fights without putting yourself at risk. I’ve won dozens of Solo Showdown matches by sitting at the edge of the circle and picking off brawlers fighting in the center before they even notice I’m there.
His super ability is also incredibly versatile. It fires a long line of piercing bullets that break walls, deal heavy damage to all enemies in its path, and even knocks back opponents that get too close. You can use it to clear cover that enemies are hiding behind, take out multiple opponents lined up in a lane, or create an escape route by breaking a wall behind you if you get caught out of position. It charges pretty quickly too, only requiring 16 connected bullets to fill, which you can hit in just two full bursts if your aim is on point.
Colt’s Biggest Weaknesses You Need to Account For
For all his strengths, Colt has very clear flaws that can make him feel useless if you don’t play around them properly. The most obvious is his low health pool. Colt only has 3200 base health at level 11, making him one of the squishiest brawlers in the entire game. A single max-damage attack from Edgar, Buzz or Piper will take him out instantly, and even a few stray shots from a mid-range brawler like Jessie will leave him one hit away from death. You can never play aggressively with Colt, because any small mistake will get you eliminated immediately.
He also relies almost entirely on good aim to be effective. His bullet spread widens the further they travel, so if you’re not good at leading moving targets or hitting small, strafing opponents, you’ll waste most of your ammo without doing any damage. I’ve seen new players pick Colt and spend entire matches firing at nothing because they can’t adjust for enemy movement, and they end the game with less than 10,000 total damage dealt. If you don’t want to spend time practicing your aim, Colt is probably not the right pick for you.
He also struggles a lot in tight, closed maps with lots of walls and bushes. His long range is useless when you’re only ever fighting at 2-3 tile distance, and he has no way to defend himself if a tank jumps him from a nearby bush. Maps like Snake Prairie or Backyard Bowl are almost unplayable for Colt, because you can’t get the distance you need to use his burst damage effectively without getting jumped by an El Primo or Rosa hiding in a bush. You have to be very selective about which maps you pick him for, or you’ll spend the whole match dying before you can fire a single full clip.
Best Game Modes and Builds for Colt
Colt works best in game modes that have open lanes and give you space to keep your distance from opponents, and he has specific builds that will make him far more effective depending on the mode you’re playing. He’s a top tier pick for Heist, Brawl Ball, Siege and open-map Solo Showdown, and he’s even a solid pick for Hot Zone if the map has long, open lanes. He’s almost never a good pick for Gem Grab or Knockout on closed maps, though, because you’ll be forced into close quarters fights you can’t win.
To get the most out of Colt, you need to pair the right star powers, gadgets and gears for the map and mode you’re playing. These are the three most effective builds I use regularly:
- Standard All-Purpose Build: Use Star Power "Slick Boots" for 13% faster movement speed, Gadget "Speedloader" to reload all ammo instantly, and pair it with Damage Boost and Reload Speed gears. This build works for almost every mode where Colt is viable, giving you the speed to dodge incoming attacks and the extra burst to take out opponents fast if they get too close. I use this build 70% of the time I pick Colt, especially for Brawl Ball where you need to move fast to avoid tackles.
- Long-Range Harass Build: Use Star Power "Magnum Special" to extend your attack range by 10%, Gadget "Bullet Point" to increase your next attack’s damage by 30%, and pair it with Range Boost and Shield gears. This build is perfect for open Heist maps or Siege, where you can sit behind your team’s frontline and hit the safe or Siege robot from across the map without taking any damage. The extra range lets you outrange almost every other brawler in the game, so you can chip away at objectives without ever being in danger.
- Competitive Tournament Build: Pair Slick Boots with Speedloader, and use Damage Boost and Speed gears for maximum mobility and burst. This build is designed for fast-paced competitive matches where you need to reposition constantly and take out opponents quickly. The extra speed lets you run away from counters faster, and the Speedloader gadget lets you get two full bursts in a row to delete tanks before they can reach you.
You don’t need to spend tons of coins upgrading every build right away, either. The standard all-purpose build works for 90% of casual matches, so you can focus on upgrading that first before you invest in the other variants. I didn’t even unlock the long-range build until I hit 800 trophies with Colt, and I still win plenty of matches with the standard build even at 1200+ trophies.
How to Counter Colt and Avoid His Counters
If you’re playing Colt, you need to know exactly which brawlers you can take on and which ones you should run from immediately. His biggest counters are high-mobility tanks that can close the gap between you fast, like Edgar, El Primo and Buzz. These brawlers can jump or run up to you before you can land enough shots to take them out, and they can kill you in one or two hits once they’re close. If you see any of these brawlers on the enemy team, always stay behind at least one of your teammates, and never push into unchecker bushes alone. Save your Speedloader gadget or your super for if they jump you, so you can burst them down before they kill you.
He also struggles against brawlers with longer, more accurate long-range attacks, like Piper, Bea and Brock. These brawlers can outrange you or land one-shot kills before you can get a full burst off, so you need to play around cover when facing them. Strafe side to side constantly when you’re firing at them to make it harder for them to hit you, and use your super to break their cover if they’re hiding behind a wall. I’ve taken out dozens of Pipers by forcing them to move out of their sniping spots by breaking their cover with my super, then picking them off while they’re repositioning.
If you’re playing against a Colt and want to counter him, the easiest way is to pick a high-mobility tank and use bushes to get close to him without him noticing. He has no way to defend himself at close range, so you can take him out before he even has time to react. You can also pick a long-range brawler that can outdamage him from a distance, and focus on picking him off early in the match before he can get any momentum. Never line up with multiple teammates in a straight lane, because a well-placed Colt super can take all of you out at once.
At the end of the day, the answer to whether Colt is worth picking comes down to what you want out of a brawler, and how much time you’re willing to put into practicing his mechanics. If you prefer playing slow, tactical long-range play and don’t mind putting in a few hours to get your aim down, is Colt good in Brawl Stars? Absolutely. He’s one of the most satisfying brawlers to play when you land all your shots, and he can carry matches in almost every open-map mode if you know how to play to his strengths. If you prefer aggressive close-quarters play or don’t want to worry about getting jumped by tanks every two minutes, you’re probably better off picking a different brawler. For me, he’s still one of my go-to picks when I get an open map, and I still have more fun playing him than almost any other brawler in the game.