If you’ve ever been caught off guard by a leaping Edgar wiping your entire team in Showdown or Brawl Ball, you’re not alone. This high-mobility melee brawler has plagued casual and competitive lobbies alike for years, thanks to his fast attack speed, self-healing, and game-changing super that lets him cross entire maps in seconds. If you’re tired of getting deleted before you can even fire a shot, we’re breaking down exactly who counters Edgar in Brawl Stars, plus actionable tips to win every matchup, no matter what game mode you’re playing.
Top 5 Brawlers Who Counter Edgar in Brawl Stars
Edgar’s biggest weaknesses are his short range, low base health before he heals, and vulnerability to burst damage that can take him out before he triggers his life steal. All of the best counters exploit at least one of these gaps, with most bringing multiple tools to shut him down before he gets close. First up is Colt, who has long-range burst damage that can melt Edgar’s entire health bar before he even lands his super jump. If you land all 6 bullets from Colt’s main attack at mid range, Edgar is dead before he can take a single swing.
Next is Emz, whose area-of-effect attack slows enemies and deals consistent damage over time. Even if Edgar jumps on her, her super can push him back far enough to finish him off before he heals up. Then there’s Mr. P, whose porter turrets deal constant chip damage and track Edgar even when he jumps, stopping him from sneaking up on your team. Ruffs is another great pick, as his support buffs let your entire team outrange Edgar, and his knockback super can cancel his mid-air jump entirely. Finally, we have Byron, who has anti-healing mechanics that completely negate Edgar’s biggest advantage: his life steal. A single poison shot from Byron stops Edgar from healing at all, making him incredibly easy to take down even if he gets close. Each of these brawlers is a proven answer to who counters Edgar in Brawl Stars, no matter what rank you’re playing at.
All top Edgar counters share three core traits that make them effective:
- They can either outrange Edgar entirely or deal enough burst to kill him in under a second
- They have some form of crowd control to stop his super jump or slow his advance
- They don’t rely on slow, projectile-based attacks that Edgar can dodge with his fast movement
How to Play Each Edgar Counter for Consistent Wins
Picking the right counter is only half the battle – you have to play the matchup correctly to avoid getting caught out. For Colt, you want to stay at max range at all times, and only peek to fire when Edgar is focused on another teammate. Don’t waste your shots on minions or other brawlers if Edgar is alive on the map, because you’ll need every bullet to take him out when he jumps. For Emz, you want to position yourself behind a wall, and start firing your attack as soon as you see Edgar activate his super. The slow from your attack will make it impossible for him to close the gap fast enough to kill you, and you can use your super to push him back into your team’s line of fire if he gets too close.
For Mr. P, you want to place your porters in high-traffic areas that Edgar is likely to jump through, like around the Brawl Ball goal or Showdown energy drink spawns. The porters will chip away at his health constantly, so even if he does get the jump on you, he’ll already be low enough to take out with one attack. For Byron, you want to prioritize hitting Edgar with your poison attack first before you focus on healing teammates, because stopping his healing will make him a non-threat for the entire fight. You don’t even have to land multiple shots – one poison tick is enough to neutralize his life steal for 4 seconds, which is more than enough time for your team to take him out. For Ruffs, you want to use your super to knock Edgar out of mid-air whenever possible, because this cancels his jump entirely and leaves him stranded out in the open, vulnerable to your team’s attacks.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Fighting Edgar
Even if you pick the perfect counter, small mistakes can let Edgar turn the fight around and wipe your team. The most common mistake we see is players standing out in the open when Edgar has his super charged. Edgar can jump 8 tiles in any direction, which is farther than most players realize, so you always want to be within a step or two of a wall if he’s on the enemy team. Another big mistake is wasting crowd control abilities on other brawlers when Edgar is alive. If you use Emz’s super on a distant Piper, you won’t have it to push Edgar back when he jumps on you, so always save your CC for him first.
Many players also forget that Edgar’s life steal only works when he hits an enemy, so if you can dodge his first two swings, he won’t heal up enough to survive your counter attack. You also never want to fight Edgar alone in a closed space, like a small tunnel or room, because he can use his fast movement to dodge your attacks and heal off of you before you can call for backup. Finally, don’t assume that a high-health brawler can tank Edgar’s attacks. He deals over 1000 damage per second at max level, and his healing lets him outlast even brawlers with high shield or health pools if you don’t have burst damage to back you up. These simple fixes will make even new players confident in knowing who counters Edgar in Brawl Stars, and how to beat him every time.
Edgar Counter Tips for Every Popular Game Mode
The best way to counter Edgar changes a little depending on what game mode you’re playing, so you can adjust your pick and playstyle to fit the situation. In Showdown, you want to pick a long-range counter like Colt or Byron, and stay towards the edge of the map until the final circles. Edgar thrives in chaotic mid-map fights where he can jump on distracted players, so avoiding those fights early will let you save your ammo for when he comes for you. In solo Showdown, you can also use bushes to your advantage, letting Edgar jump on another player first before you jump in to finish both of them off.
In Brawl Ball, you want to pick an area denial counter like Emz or Mr. P, and position yourself near your own goal to stop Edgar from jumping in and scoring last second. You can place Mr. P’s porters right in front of the goal to chip at Edgar if he tries to jump through, and use Emz’s slow to stop him from running the ball past your team. In Gem Grab, you want to pick Ruffs, so you can buff your gem carrier and use your knockback effects to stop Edgar from jumping on them and stealing all your gems. You should always position Ruffs between the gem carrier and Edgar’s spawn point, so you can intercept any jumps before they reach your team.
In Siege, you want to pick Byron, so you can heal your siege robot and poison Edgar every time he tries to jump on it to stop it from attacking the enemy turret. The anti-heal from Byron’s attack will stop Edgar from healing off the robot, so you can take him out quickly before he does any real damage. For Knockout, pick Emz, as her area denial tools can block off entire chokepoints so Edgar can’t sneak up on your team between rounds. You can use her super to push Edgar off the map if he tries to jump on you near the edge, giving you an easy kill without wasting ammo.
At the end of the day, beating Edgar doesn’t require fancy tricks or top-tier mechanical skill – it just requires picking the right brawler and playing to his weaknesses. You don’t have to main any of the counters we listed to get wins, either; even picking them once per game when you see Edgar on the enemy team will drastically boost your win rate. Next time you load into a lobby and see that familiar leather-jacketed brawler on the other side, you’ll know exactly who counters Edgar in Brawl Stars, and how to shut him down before he gets a single kill.