If you’ve spent any time digging into Brawl Stars’ early development history, or even just argued with friends about the game’s oldest characters, you’ve probably asked what was the first brawler in Brawl Stars at some point. Most new players assume the answer is whichever starter character they got when they first downloaded the game, but there’s way more dev history and fun trivia tied to the first brawler than you might expect. I’ve been playing Brawl Stars since its 2017 soft launch, and I still remember when the entire roster only had 15 characters, so I’ve gotten to watch the first brawler evolve alongside the game for years. This guide breaks down everything you need to know about the original Brawl Stars brawler, from her scrapped prototype kit to how she holds up in today’s meta.
What Was the First Brawler in Brawl Stars, Exactly?
The first brawler ever created for Brawl Stars is Shelly, the cowboy-themed shotgun wielder that still acts as the default starter character for every new player today. She was designed and added to the very first internal Brawl Stars prototype in late 2016, months before the game even had its official name, and she predates every other current brawler by at least three months of development time. Shelly was the very first brawler ever created for Brawl Stars, predating every other character on the current roster by at least 3 months of development time.
Supercell’s dev team first tested Shelly in internal playtests before the game’s soft launch, and 90% of playtesters reported she was the easiest character to learn within their first 10 minutes of playing, which is part of why she stuck around as the first brawler. Other early prototype characters included a melee brawler with a baseball bat that later evolved into El Primo, a long-range sniper that became Colt, and a zombie brawler that was scrapped entirely before the soft launch. None of those other concepts hit the balance of approachability and fun that the dev team was looking for, so Shelly stayed at the top of the roster from day one.
The Original Shelly Kit That Never Made It to Full Launch
The Shelly you play today is pretty different from the original prototype version that existed in pre-launch tests. Early Shelly was designed to be a hyper close-range brawler, with almost no utility outside of point-blank fights, and she was wildly unbalanced for most game modes. Early Shelly had a 70% win rate on small, closed maps like Heist, but a 32% win rate on open Brawl Ball maps, making her one of the most unbalanced brawlers in test history.
Devs ran multiple rounds of playtests to adjust her kit before the official global launch, and the three biggest changes they made are:
- Reduced her shotgun spread by 40% to give her consistent mid-range damage for casual players who hadn’t mastered close-range positioning yet
- Expanded her super’s blast radius and added a 60% slow effect for 2 seconds to make her more viable in team fights and open map modes
- Lowered her reload speed from 1.8 seconds per shell to 1.2 seconds to reduce downtime between attacks and make her feel less punishing for new players
One of the funniest bugs from the early Shelly prototype was that her super would occasionally destroy her own team’s safe in Heist mode, leading to dozens of accidental losses in playtests before the devs fixed the friendly fire issue. A few of her scrapped voice lines also leaked online a couple of years ago, including a line where she made fun of El Primo’s costume that got cut for being too mean.
Why Shelly Was Chosen as the First Brawler Over Other Concepts
You might be wondering why the devs went with a shotgun-wielding cowboy as the face of the game’s early roster instead of a more flashy character, and the answer comes down to three core rules the team set for the first brawler. Supercell’s 3 non-negotiable rules for the first brawler were approachability, cross-mode viability, and recognizable personality.
Shelly checked all three boxes perfectly. Her core gameplay loop is super easy to understand: you get close to enemies, shoot them, and use your super to deal massive damage or break walls. You don’t have to master complex mechanics like aiming long-range shots or managing deployables to play her well, which makes her perfect for brand new players. She also works in every game mode, from Showdown to Gem Grab to Heist, so new players don’t have to unlock a new character just to play the mode they want.
Her personality also played a big role in the decision. The devs wanted the first brawler to feel welcoming and fun, so they gave her a casual, snarky voice line set that hasn’t changed much since the original prototype. If you’ve heard her say “Let’s go!” or “Bullseye!” after a good shot, those lines are the exact same recordings used in the 2017 internal playtests. She feels like a character you’d want to play as your first introduction to the game, instead of a overly edgy or overly cutesy character that might turn off some players.
How the First Brawler Holds Up in Today's Brawl Stars Meta
Shelly isn’t a top-tier competitive brawler these days, and you won’t see her picked very often in the highest ranks of professional tournaments, but she’s still a surprisingly solid pick for most casual players, and she’s received regular small buffs over the years to keep her relevant. Shelly currently has a 52% average win rate across all ranks, making her one of the most consistently balanced brawlers in the entire game.
She’s still the first brawler every new player gets when they download the game, and she’s the perfect character to learn basic mechanics like positioning, distance management, and super timing. If you learn how to play Shelly well early on, you’ll have a way easier time picking up other shotgun brawlers like Bull or Buster later, since they all follow the same core play pattern. If you’re just starting out, mastering Shelly’s attack range will make it far easier to pick up other shotgun brawlers like Bull or Buster later on.
Shelly also has a dedicated fan base that runs annual “Shelly-only” community tournaments, where every player can only use Shelly for every match, and prize pools usually include free skins and gem codes. Even pro players will pick her for specific closed Heist maps from time to time, since she can melt a full-health safe in just a couple of super shots if she gets close enough. She might not be the flashiest brawler on the roster, but she’s still a fan favorite for a lot of long-time players.
If you’ve ever gone down the rabbit hole of Brawl Stars’ early history, asking what was the first brawler in Brawl Stars usually leads you to a lot more fun lore and development facts than you expect. Shelly isn’t just a throwaway starter brawler, she’s the foundation of the entire game’s character design philosophy, and she’s still a beloved part of the roster for long-time and new players alike. Next time you load into a quick casual match, give her a spin – you might be surprised how much fun she still is, even after all these years of updates and new character releases.