If you’ve recently unlocked Gene from a Brawl Box or watched a competitive player pull off a wild game-winning hook with him, you’ve almost certainly asked is Gene good in Brawl Stars. The mystical support brawler has divided the player base for years, with some fans calling him one of the most underrated picks in the meta and others writing him off as too situational to be worth upgrading. The truth sits somewhere in the middle, and his value depends almost entirely on how you play him, what modes you prefer, and who you team up with. This guide breaks down every part of his kit to help you decide if he’s the right fit for your roster.
Is Gene Good in Brawl Stars? Core Strengths That Make Him a Meta Contender
When played correctly, Gene can single-handedly turn losing matches around, thanks to a kit that blends support utility and game-changing pick potential that almost no other brawler can match. His biggest asset is his long-range magic hook super, which pulls any enemy it hits straight to his position, no matter how far away they are. In team modes, this lets you eliminate high-priority targets like enemy healers or damage dealers before they can contribute to a fight, even if they’re hiding behind their team. I’ve won dozens of close Siege matches by hooking the enemy bolt carrier straight into my team’s line of fire before they can turn in their bolts, and that’s a move almost no other support can pull off.
His base attack is another underrated strength: it’s a slow-moving magic projectile that bounces off walls up to two times, and can hit multiple enemies in a single shot. That means you can deal damage to enemies hiding behind cover without exposing yourself, which is perfect for holding objectives in modes like Hot Zone or Gem Grab. If you run his Healing Touch star power, every hit from his attack also heals the nearest teammate for 300 HP, so you can act as a secondary healer while you deal damage and charge your super. Unlike most support brawlers that have to stay close to teammates to heal them, Gene can sit safely at mid-range and contribute to fights without putting himself at unnecessary risk.
He also has one of the most flexible gadget kits in the game, with options that fit almost any playstyle. His first gadget, Lamp Blowout, pushes all nearby enemies back and heals him for 1000 HP, which is perfect for escaping close-range assassins that get the drop on you. His second gadget, Super Jump, lets him launch himself across the map, so you can reposition fast to hook a priority target or escape a losing fight without wasting your super. That flexibility means he can adapt to almost any team composition, as long as you pick the right loadout for the mode you’re playing.
Key Weaknesses That Limit Gene’s Viability in Some Comps
For all his strengths, Gene has some very clear flaws that make him a bad pick for certain scenarios, and that’s why a lot of casual players end up frustrated when they first try him out. His biggest downside is his low base damage output – each of his attacks only deals 800 damage at max level, which means it takes four full hits to take down even a moderately squishy brawler like Colt. You will almost never get a solo kill with Gene unless the enemy is already at very low health, so you are entirely dependent on your teammates to follow up on your hooks and finish off targets you pull in. If you’re playing with randoms who don’t pay attention to your plays, you’ll waste a lot of supers pulling enemies right into a team that doesn’t react fast enough to kill them.
His super also charges very slowly, because of that low base damage. You need to land 7 full hits on enemies to charge your hook, which can take a full minute of consistent play if you’re struggling to land your shots. If you miss your hook once it’s charged, you’re stuck waiting another few minutes to get it back, and you have almost no way to turn fights around in the meantime. I’ve had matches where I missed a single hook on an enemy ball carrier in Brawl Ball, and we lost the match because I couldn’t charge another super in time to stop them from scoring.
He also has a very low health pool for a mid-range brawler, with only 3200 HP at max level. Close-range brawlers like Edgar, Mortis, or Buzz can delete him in one or two hits if he’s out of position, and he has no way to fight back if they get within range of him. That means you have to be constantly aware of your positioning, and you can’t push forward with your team the same way you would with a tankier support like Pam. He’s also basically unplayable in Solo Showdown, where there are no teammates to follow up on your hooks and every player is looking to pick off squishy low-damage targets first.
Best Game Modes and Team Comps for Gene
Gene’s performance varies wildly depending on what game mode you’re playing, so you’ll get the most value out of him if you only pick him in modes that play to his strengths. His best fits are 3v3 team modes where you have consistent teammates to coordinate with, and he’s almost never a good pick for solo modes or modes that require high burst damage. These are the modes where he shines the most:
- Brawl Ball: His hook can pull enemy goalkeepers away from the net right as your teammate shoots, and his Healing Touch star power lets you keep your forward healed up as they push the ball up the field. He’s also great for stopping fast breaks, since you can hook enemy ball carriers from halfway across the map before they can get to your goal.
- Siege: Pulling the enemy bolt carrier into your team eliminates their chance to build their Siege bot, and his bounce attack can clear out clustered enemies guarding the bolt spawn. He can also heal your team while you defend your own Siege bot as it pushes the enemy turret.
- Hot Zone: He can heal teammates holding the zone from a safe distance, and hook enemies that try to sneak onto the point before they can cap it. His bounce attack can also hit multiple enemies trying to push the zone at once, slowing their advance while your team deals damage.
When it comes to team comps, Gene works best when paired with high burst damage brawlers that can finish off targets he pulls in. Colt, Rico, and Edgar are all great picks to pair with him, since they can delete any enemy you hook in less than a second. He also works well with tanky frontline brawlers like Frank or El Primo, who can protect him from close-range assassins while he sits at mid-range dealing damage and healing. You should avoid pairing him with other low-damage supports like Piper or Byron, since you’ll end up with almost no kill pressure on your team and no way to finish off targets you pull.
If your team already has a main healer like Pam or Poco, Gene works perfectly as a secondary support with pick potential. You don’t have to worry about keeping your team fully healed, so you can focus on landing hooks and dealing chip damage to enemies across the map. That’s the comp I run most often in ranked matches, and I’ve climbed 300 trophies this season alone with that setup.
Pro Tips to Make Gene Work for Your Roster
If you decide to invest in Gene, there are a few small tweaks you can make to your playstyle that will drastically improve your win rate with him, even if you’re playing with random teammates. The first and most important tip is to always aim your hook at high-priority targets first. Don’t waste your super on a low-health tank that your team is already focusing, save it for the enemy’s main damage dealer or healer, since taking those targets out will win fights far faster than finishing off a tank that’s already about to die. You should also wait for your team to be in position to kill the target before you hook them, otherwise you’ll just pull an angry enemy straight into your own face with no one to help you finish them off.
You should also learn to use his bounce attack to hit enemies hiding behind cover, instead of only aiming directly at targets. If you see an enemy hiding behind a wall, aim your attack at the wall next to them so it bounces off and hits them, even if you don’t have a direct line of sight. This will help you charge your super far faster, and you can catch a lot of players off guard who think they’re safe behind cover. I’ve gotten so many easy kills by bouncing shots off walls to finish off low health enemies who are running away to heal.
Make sure you pick the right star power and gadget for the mode you’re playing, instead of sticking to the same loadout every match. Use Healing Touch for team modes where your teammates are grouped up close together, so you can heal them consistently while you deal damage. Use his other star power, Spare Ladle, which extends his super range by 33%, for modes like Brawl Ball where you need to hook targets from across the map. Use Lamp Blowout if you’re playing against a lot of close-range brawlers, and Super Jump if you need to reposition often to get good hook angles.
Finally, practice your hook aim in friendly matches before you take him into ranked play. His hook moves slower than most projectiles, so you have to lead your shots if you’re aiming at a moving target, which takes a little time to get used to. Spend 10 to 15 matches practicing against friends or bots, and you’ll have a way higher hit rate when you start playing for trophies. It took me about a week of practice to get consistent with my hooks, and once I did, my win rate with him jumped from 40% to over 65%.
At the end of the day, the answer to is Gene good in Brawl Stars depends entirely on what you’re looking for in a brawler. If you prefer playing support, love making high-impact plays that win matches, and mostly play 3v3 team modes with friends, he’s one of the best picks you can add to your roster. If you prefer playing solo modes or like running high-damage brawlers that can get solo kills easily, he’s probably not the right fit for you. Take him for a spin in a few friendly matches first to see if his playstyle clicks, and if it does, he’s well worth the investment of coins and power points to upgrade him to max level.