Willow Brawl Stars: Complete Guide, Best Build & Tips (2026)

Quick answer: Willow is a Mythic Brawler in Brawl Stars classified as a Thrower and Controller. Her main attack, Lantern’s Curse, deals area damage and slows enemies with a ground puddle. Her Super, Hex, takes full control of an enemy Brawler for 4 seconds while granting Willow a damage reduction shield. Her best build runs Honey Molasses + Scorched Earth in most game modes.

Who Is Willow in Brawl Stars?

Willow is a Mythic Brawler developed by Supercell for their multiplayer mobile arena game Brawl Stars. She fills a Controller and Thrower role, combining area-denial attacks with one of the most disruptive Super abilities in the game: the power to take full control of an enemy Brawler and steer them wherever you want for 4 seconds.

Unlike straightforward damage dealers, Willow’s value is strategic. She does not win fights through raw HP or burst damage. She wins them by slowing opponent movement, creating dangerous ground zones with her Lantern’s Curse attack, and using Hex at critical moments to flip the course of a round in objective-based game modes like Brawl Ball or Gem Grab. She works across different maps and team compositions, though she requires practice to time her Super correctly.

As part of the broader Brawl Stars roster of over 80 playable characters, Willow stands out as one of the few Brawlers who can completely neutralize an enemy’s actions mid-fight. That makes her uniquely powerful in the right situation, and a liability if played carelessly.

Willow’s Stats and Base Numbers

Understanding Willow’s numbers at max power level helps you make informed decisions about positioning and engagement range. Here is a summary of her core statistics:

Stat	Value
Rarity	Mythic
Class	Thrower / Controller
HP (health points at max power)	~3,200 HP
Main attack damage per shell	2,400 damage
Puddle damage per second	Moderate damage over time
Movement speed	Normal
Attack range	Medium-long (Thrower arc)
Super charge rate	2 hits to charge Super
Hex duration	4 seconds of enemy control

Her HP is lower than most front-line Brawlers, which reinforces her role as a backline thrower. Keeping Willow at the edge of her range is not a preference, it is a requirement. Engaging enemies directly at close range will get her eliminated quickly given her moderate HP pool. Position her behind walls and use her arcing trajectory to land Lantern’s Curse in areas enemies cannot easily escape.

Lantern’s Curse: Willow’s Main Attack

Lantern’s Curse is Willow’s primary attack. She throws a lantern in a high arc that lands on the ground and deals initial damage on impact. When the projectile lands, it creates a glowing puddle on the ground that persists for several seconds. Any enemy Brawler who steps into or through the puddle takes continuous damage over time and has their movement speed reduced.

How the Puddle Mechanic Works

The puddle is not just a visual effect. It is a persistent area-denial tool that discourages enemies from moving through specific corridors or around objectives. Place puddles in:

• Chokepoints and narrow corridors — enemies must either walk through and take damage or take a longer route, giving your team extra time.
• Near objectives — covering the gem mine in Gem Grab or the goal area in Brawl Ball with puddles punishes enemies who try to contest those spaces.
• Behind enemies — cutting off retreat routes forces opponents into unfavorable positions.
• In bushes — revealing hidden enemies and deterring ambushes simultaneously.

Aiming Tips for Lantern’s Curse

Because Lantern’s Curse has an arcing trajectory like all Thrower attacks, it can clear walls and obstacles. This is Willow’s primary advantage over direct-fire Brawlers. You can fire into enclosed spaces, over cover, and into areas that short-range or medium-range Brawlers cannot reach safely. The trade-off is that aiming requires anticipating where enemies will move, not where they currently stand.

Practice predicting enemy movement patterns. Most players at lower ranks move predictably after taking a hit, retreating in a straight line back through the same corridor they entered from. Landing a puddle on that escape route guarantees follow-up damage without any additional aim required.

Hex: How Willow’s Super Works

Willow’s Super, Hex, is one of the most unique abilities in the game. When activated, Willow targets a nearby enemy Brawler and briefly heals them while taking control of their movement for 4 seconds. During this control period:

• The controlled enemy is untargetable by their own teammates.
• Willow gains a damage reduction shield, making her harder to eliminate while the Super is active.
• You can steer the enemy Brawler directly into danger, off-map hazards, into your teammates’ fire, or away from a critical objective.
• The controlled Brawler cannot use their own attacks or Super during the 4-second duration.

When to Use Hex for Maximum Impact

In Brawl Ball

Hex is devastating in Brawl Ball. Grab control of a defender blocking the goal and steer them clear, then your teammates score uncontested. Alternatively, take control of an enemy ball carrier and steer them away from your goal. Timing Hex around knockout moments completely reshapes the dynamic of a match.

In Gem Grab

Use Hex on the enemy gem carrier. Steering them away from the safety of their base, or directly into a teammate’s attack range, is often an instant knockout. Even if you do not eliminate them, 4 seconds of losing gem-carrier control is usually enough for your team to change the whole situation.

Against Assassins

Willow is vulnerable to dive assassins who can close the gap before she has time to lay puddles. Saving Hex for these moments turns a defensive liability into a punish. An assassin who dives Willow gets controlled and walked back into their own team’s line of fire, effectively reversing the gank.

How to Charge Hex Faster

Willow charges her Super by hitting enemies with Lantern’s Curse. Landing both the initial hit and keeping enemies in the puddle accelerates charge rate. Consistent area coverage with puddles, especially around contested objectives where enemies must pass through, naturally keeps the Super charged at a high rate throughout most matches.

Best Gadget for Willow: Bloom vs Honey Molasses

Willow has access to two gadgets. Choosing the right one for your game mode and team composition is an important part of mastering her.

Gadget	Effect	Best used in
Honey Molasses	Releases a slow field in an area around Willow, significantly reducing enemy movement speed	Brawl Ball, Knockout, any mode where catching or escaping enemies matters
Bloom	Creates a healing flower zone that restores HP for Willow and nearby allies over several seconds	Gem Grab, Siege, or coordinated teams that stay grouped together

The Verdict

Honey Molasses is the better default choice for most players and most game modes. The slow effect compounds with Willow’s existing puddle slow from Lantern’s Curse, effectively locking enemies in place long enough for teammates to follow up with damage. It also helps Willow create distance from assassins diving her, which addresses her primary weakness directly. Bloom is situationally useful but requires teammates to actually stay close to benefit from the healing, which is inconsistent in solo queue.

Best Star Power for Willow: Scorched Earth vs Nest Egg

Willow’s two star powers change her damage profile and utility in different ways.

Star Power	Effect	Best situation
Scorched Earth	After hitting an enemy with Hex, Willow’s attack deals 400 additional damage over the following 4 seconds	Aggressive play, Knockout, Showdown, any mode where eliminating the controlled target is the priority
Nest Egg	Willow’s Lantern’s Curse shells hatch mid-flight, releasing additional projectiles	Maps with wide open areas where the spread can cover more ground

The Verdict

Scorched Earth is the recommended star power for most situations. The 400 bonus damage over 4 seconds after landing a Hex dramatically increases the likelihood of eliminating the controlled Brawler before the Super expires. This turns Hex from a purely disruptive tool into a genuine kill setup. The synergy between landing Hex, gaining the damage shield, and pumping extra damage into the controlled enemy is Willow’s highest-damage window and Scorched Earth maximizes it.

Best Team Compositions with Willow

Willow’s value multiplies when paired with teammates who can capitalize on the chaos she creates. Her control abilities work best when allies can immediately punish controlled or slowed enemies.

Composition 1: Control + Burst (Brawl Ball)

• Willow — area denial, Hex super for disruption and goal scoring
• Chuck — high mobility and burst damage to follow up on Hex-controlled targets
• Piper — long-range damage that capitalizes on slowed or stationary enemies

This composition uses Willow to set up controlled chaos in the Brawl Ball arena, with Chuck providing the aggression to score and Piper punishing any enemy caught in a puddle from range.

Composition 2: Area Denial (Gem Grab)

• Willow — controls the gem mine center with puddles and Hex
• Hank — tanks the front line and pressures enemies trying to contest the mine
• Pam — provides healing sustain that complements Willow’s team-support role

This composition dominates the Gem Grab arena by making the center area extremely dangerous and costly to contest, with Hank absorbing pressure and Pam keeping everyone healthy.

Composition 3: Siege and Zone Control

• Willow — zones the approach lanes with Lantern’s Curse and disrupts enemy pushes with Hex
• Doug — healing support that sustains the team during prolonged engagements
• Barley — additional area denial through throw-based attacks that combo with Willow’s puddles

Running two throwers means every approach lane stays covered with ground hazards. Enemies need to either take consistent damage to push through or completely reroute, buying your siege robot valuable time.

Brawlers to Avoid Pairing with Willow

Avoid running Willow with multiple close-range Brawlers like Edgar or Mortis. These teammates tend to dive the front line and pull fights into close-range exchanges that do not benefit from Willow’s puddle setup. Short-range fighters need a different support structure, not a backline thrower who works best from a distance.

Best Game Modes for Willow in Brawl Stars

Willow’s effectiveness varies significantly across Brawl Stars’ available game modes. Here is how she performs in each major mode and which maps suit her best.

Brawl Ball — Excellent

Willow shines in Brawl Ball. Using Hex on a defending goalkeeper to steer them clear of the goal is a reliable scoring method that most opponents cannot counter unless they anticipate it. Her puddles also cover the central arena, slowing any attacker trying to charge the goal. This is her best mode in most rank brackets.

Gem Grab — Strong

Gem Grab rewards area control above almost everything else. Willow’s ability to make the gem mine area dangerous and to instantly neutralize the enemy gem carrier with Hex makes her a consistent pick here. Position her so she can see the mine from a safe distance and rain puddles on anyone contesting it.

Knockout — Good

In Knockout, the value of Hex increases because eliminated Brawlers cannot respawn. Using Hex to steer a lone enemy into your teammates’ fire for an instant knockout removal gives your team a permanent numbers advantage in that round. The Scorched Earth star power is especially impactful in this mode.

Showdown — Situational

Solo Showdown is not Willow’s best environment. Her low HP makes her vulnerable when isolated, and the lack of teammates to capitalize on her Hex super reduces its impact. In Duo Showdown with a coordinated partner who can follow up on Hex, she becomes significantly stronger.

Siege — Good

Siege benefits from area denial throughout the match while the robot charges. Willow’s puddles zone approach corridors effectively, slowing enemy robot pushes. Save Hex for taking control of a high-damage enemy when they are pushing the siege robot to buy your team extra defense time.

Bounty — Moderate

Bounty rewards kills over time, and Willow’s damage-over-time attacks make it hard to track exactly when she lands the elimination credit. She functions as support here rather than the primary damage dealer. Her survivability thanks to the Hex shield is useful for protecting your high-star-count teammates.

How to Counter Willow in Brawl Stars

Playing against Willow requires understanding her two key windows of power and denying both of them.

Brawlers That Counter Willow

• Sirius — Sirius’s passive defensive abilities and long-range pressure challenge Willow’s ability to set up puddles safely, making him one of the more effective counters in the current meta.
• Leon — Leon’s invisibility lets him close the gap on Willow before she can react with Hex. He can eliminate her in one or two attacks before she positions the Super.
• Mortis — Similar to Leon, Mortis has the mobility to dash directly into melee range faster than Willow can respond. His high damage per hit knocks out her moderate HP pool quickly.
• Colette — Colette’s percentage-based damage deals heavy damage regardless of the target’s HP, which can make her difficult for Willow to survive against.

Counter Strategies

• Deny her Hex charge — Stay out of puddle range. Willow charges Hex by hitting enemies. If you avoid her ground zones, she stays Super-depleted and her impact drops dramatically.
• Spread out as a team — Hex can only target one Brawler at a time. A spread team forces her to choose one target, freeing the rest to push objectives. Grouping up near Willow is exactly what she wants.
• Dive her from multiple angles — Willow cannot lay puddles in every direction simultaneously. Coming from two or more angles forces her to choose which threat to respond to, creating an opening.
• Save healing for post-Hex — If she uses Hex on a teammate, that teammate is briefly untargetable but also unable to act. The rest of the team should push aggressively during those 4 seconds while Willow’s shield is up, rather than standing still.

Willow Skins and Customization in Brawl Stars

Willow has received several cosmetic skins since her release. Skins in Brawl Stars are purely visual and do not affect gameplay mechanics or stats, but they significantly change her character appearance, animation effects, and attack visuals. Current and past skins for Willow include:

Skin Name	Theme	Availability
Gondoliera Willow	Venetian boatwoman aesthetic with water-themed attack effects	Limited event / Shop
Spellbound Willow	Enchanted magical theme with altered attack and Hex visuals	Brawl Pass / Shop
Love is Blind Willow	Valentine’s couples theme with pink and heart-based visual effects	Seasonal event
Swamp Willow	Dark swamp and bog aesthetic with altered puddle color	Limited / Starr Road rewards
Obsession Willow	Alternate dark theme with altered puddle and Hex effects	Shop / Events
Tadpole Willow	Playful aquatic frog and tadpole theme with animated puddle effects	Limited seasonal event

Skin availability rotates through the shop, Brawl Pass seasons, and limited seasonal events. Check the in-game shop regularly for the current rotation. Some skins are permanently available via Starr Road progression while others are limited to specific event challenges and rewards periods.

To check current skin availability, open Brawl Stars on your mobile device, navigate to Willow’s profile in the Brawler collection, and select the Skins tab to see what is currently purchasable or earnable through active events.

Willow Tips and Strategies for Every Skill Level

Beginner Tips

• Never walk into close-range fights. Willow loses nearly every direct close-range exchange. Stay at her maximum effective range and use walls and terrain as shields.
• Aim puddles at chokepoints, not where enemies are standing. Enemies move. Choke points do not. Landing puddles in doorways, corridor exits, and around objectives means they will land value even if your aim is not perfect.
• Use Hex to rescue your team, not just for kills. If an assassin is diving a low-health teammate, Hex the assassin immediately. The 4-second control window often saves the teammate and negates the entire dive.
• Reveal bushes proactively. Before your team pushes a bush-heavy area, land a Lantern’s Curse on the bush. The puddle reveals any hidden Brawlers and deals damage if they are there.

Advanced Strategies

• Stack puddles for amplified slow. Landing multiple Lantern’s Curse puddles in the same area creates an extremely difficult zone for enemies to move through. In a 3v3 fight over an objective, this can completely halt an enemy push.
• Use Hex to score in Brawl Ball. The most decisive use of Hex in Brawl Ball is targeting a goalkeeper and steering them away from the goal area. Practice the timing so you activate Hex right as an enemy is moving to defend, creating a guaranteed open goal for your teammate.
• Pre-charge Hex before key moments. Do not use Hex the moment it charges. Hold it until a decisive moment approaches, such as when the gem carrier appears or when a knockout opportunity opens. A Hex used at the wrong moment wastes its maximum impact.
• Combine Honey Molasses with a puddle for maximum lockdown. Activate Honey Molasses and simultaneously place a Lantern’s Curse puddle on the same location. The stacking slow completely stops most Brawlers in their tracks, giving teammates a free damage window.
• Use Hex’s damage shield proactively. The shield activates when Hex hits. If you are in danger of being eliminated, a Hex on any nearby enemy gives you survivability. Sometimes the tactical choice is using Hex for self-preservation rather than the most impactful target.

Ambush Tactics with Willow

In Showdown and modes with dense bush coverage, Willow’s arc throw allows her to fire into bushes from behind cover. She never needs to reveal her own position to lay a puddle on a bush. This makes her an effective ambush-spotter and bush-checker without the risk of walking into a close-range fight she would lose.

Willow in Competitive Play and Power League

In Power League and competitive multiplayer events, Willow sits in a solid B-tier position for most rank brackets. Her pick rate among top 500 players fluctuates based on the current map pool, as her effectiveness scales significantly with how many chokepoints and objectives are present on a given map.

Where She Excels at High Rank

High-rank Brawl Ball lobbies are where Willow has her strongest competitive standing. In coordinated team play, a well-timed Hex on an opposing goalkeeper in the final seconds of a tied Brawl Ball match is a near-guaranteed win condition that very few other Brawlers can replicate. Teams aware of this will often ban Willow in Power League drafts when Brawl Ball is the active map, which is itself a signal of competitive respect.

Challenges and Weaknesses at High Rank

At higher rank levels, opponents adapt. They maintain better spread formations to minimize Hex targeting options, they select Brawlers with mobility counters, and they avoid puddle zones more consistently. These adaptations reduce Willow’s ceiling, though skilled players can still make her work through map-specific angles and combo timing that lower-ranked players cannot execute against.

Upcoming Events and Challenges

Willow is sometimes featured in Brawl Stars Trophy Challenges, Power League events, and seasonal multiplayer events. She can be a strong pick in club events where team coordination enables maximum Hex impact. Monitor the current events tab in-game and check for Brawl Stars official channels for announcements about upcoming Willow-relevant challenges and rewards.

Frequently Asked Questions About Willow in Brawl Stars

Who is Willow in Brawl Stars?

Willow is a Mythic Brawler in Brawl Stars created by Supercell. She is classified as a Thrower and Controller who deals area damage with her Lantern’s Curse attack and can temporarily hijack enemy movement with her Hex Super. She plays best in objective-based multiplayer modes like Brawl Ball and Gem Grab.

What is Willow’s super attack?

Willow’s Super is called Hex. It takes full control of an enemy Brawler’s movement for 4 seconds. The controlled enemy is untargetable by their own teammates during this period. While Hex is active, Willow gains a damage reduction shield. Hex is one of the few abilities in Brawl Stars that completely removes an enemy from the match for several seconds.

What is the best gadget for Willow?

Honey Molasses is the recommended default gadget for Willow. It deploys a slow field around her, stacking with her existing puddle slow for double movement-speed reduction. This combination of slows is especially powerful in modes where blocking enemy movement is decisive. Bloom is a secondary option for team-sustained play in Gem Grab.

What is the best star power for Willow?

Scorched Earth is Willow’s best star power in most situations. After landing Hex on an enemy, Willow’s attacks deal 400 additional damage over 4 seconds. This bonus amplifies her damage output during the specific window when her Hex target is at its most vulnerable, increasing her knockout potential significantly.

How do I unlock Willow in Brawl Stars?

Willow is a Mythic Brawler and can be unlocked through the Brawl Pass, Starr Road progression, special seasonal events, or direct purchase from the in-game shop. As a Mythic rarity Brawler, she is not available through the standard trophy road but does appear periodically in seasonal offers and challenges with rewards that include her unlock.

What game modes is Willow best suited for?

Willow performs best in Brawl Ball, Gem Grab, and Knockout. Brawl Ball is her top mode because Hex can directly remove defenders from the goal area for a free scoring opportunity. Gem Grab suits her area-denial playstyle and her ability to neutralize gem carriers with Hex.

Who counters Willow effectively?

Leon, Mortis, and Sirius are among Willow’s most effective counters. Leon and Mortis have the mobility to dive past her puddle zones before she can react. Sirius applies sustained pressure that denies her the safe backline positioning she needs. The general counter strategy is maintaining spread positioning and diving from multiple angles simultaneously.

What skins are available for Willow?

Known Willow skins include Gondoliera Willow, Spellbound Willow, Love is Blind Willow, Swamp Willow, and Obsession Willow. Availability varies by season. Check the in-game shop, current Brawl Pass rewards, and active seasonal event challenges for current skin offers and unlock options.

How does Willow compare to other Mythic Brawlers?

Among Mythic Brawlers, Willow occupies a niche that few others share. Most Mythic Brawlers deal direct damage; Willow’s identity is control and disruption rather than raw output. Chuck, for example, is a highly mobile Mythic who excels at rapid repositioning and high burst; Willow plays the opposite style, slowing everything down and controlling space from range. Doug focuses on healing support, while Willow is the only Mythic Brawler who can completely take control of enemy movement through Hex.

Has Willow received any recent updates in Brawl Stars?

Supercell regularly updates Brawl Stars with balance patches that can affect any Brawler’s stats, gadget effectiveness, and star power values. Willow has received several tuning passes since her release affecting her Hex duration, puddle damage values, and star power numbers. Always check the official Brawl Stars update notes in-game or on the Brawl Stars social channels for the most current version of her stats.

Other Mythic Brawlers to Try

If you enjoy Willow’s control playstyle, explore the rest of the Mythic Brawler roster or browse our complete Brawl Stars Characters Guide for a full breakdown of every available Brawler. Related guides:

• Chuck Brawl Stars: Complete Guide
• Doug Brawl Stars: Complete Guide
• Edgar Brawl Stars: Complete Guide
• Colette Brawl Stars: Complete Guide
• Leon Brawl Stars: Complete Guide
• Hank Brawl Stars: Complete Guide