Rey looks powerful, but we don't think he has quite the same potential to break the meta as Thunder Frogs. The new Mythic Marksman has damage that puts him alongside Piper, while his Super automatically picks out visible enemies in range. That Super is the part we're worried about, especially with a Star Power that slows the targets he's marking.
Piper Damage, With a Different Setup
Rey's main attack, Marked for Greatness, builds a mark on an enemy while you aim at them. The meter fills in 1.1 seconds, and a fuller mark means more damage when the shot lands.
At Power 11, that's 1,800 damage without a mark and 3,600 with a full mark. That full-mark hit matches Piper's maximum base damage per shot, making her a natural comparison: both Brawlers have damage that varies with a condition. Rey needs you to keep your aim on the target long enough to build a mark, while Piper needs distance for her strongest shots. Rey's mark bonus doesn't depend on that distance.
That could make him especially punishing when an opponent stays exposed. You can prepare the stronger shot without spending ammo on a first hit, but you still have to land it. If the opponent is about to reach cover, firing sooner might be better than waiting for damage you won't get to use.
Watch Rey build and trigger a mark
Endgame Is the Part That Worries Us
Endgame lets Rey aim for up to three seconds, marking enemies and gaining a 30% shield during the charge. He then fires at each visible enemy in range. You can activate the Super again to shoot early.
He doesn't need to line up a separate shot for every opponent. If several enemies remain visible and in range, one activation can target all of them, with 3,600 damage per full-mark hit at Power 11.
Add Clock Management, and enemies being marked by the Super are slowed as well. That gives them a harder time moving out of range while Rey prepares the shots. The slow requires that Star Power; it isn't part of his basic Super.
We're comparing it with Pierce, and Rey's Super looks even nastier to us. Automatically selecting several targets, slowing them with Clock Management, and having a shield during the charge is a lot to put on one ability. Visibility and range still matter, but this is where most of our concern about his strength comes from.
See Endgame and match gameplay
Level 1 and Power 11 Stats
Rey reaches 7,000 health at Power 11. These are preview-build values, so balance changes are still possible.
| Stat | Level 1 | Power 11 |
|---|---|---|
| Health | 3,500 | 7,000 |
| Main attack, no mark | 900 | 1,800 |
| Main attack, full mark | 1,800 | 3,600 |
| Super, full mark | 1,800 | 3,600 |
His movement and reload speeds are Normal. Both the main attack and Super have Very Long range.
Compare Rey's Level 1 and max stats
Gadgets, En Passant, and Ruby
Queen's Gambit fires five queens in a cone, pushing back enemies they hit. It's the Gadget we'd look at when an opponent keeps getting too close for comfortable aiming.
Rey Lopez throws a knight that fully marks enemies and slows them by 20% for two seconds. That could set up a stronger follow-up shot without waiting for the usual mark to fill. The choice is whether you need the knockback or a way to prepare damage more quickly.
His other Star Power, En Passant, applies a full mark to the closest enemy in range after Rey hits a fully marked enemy with his main attack or Super. When another target is available, one successful full-mark hit could prepare the next. It rewards converting a mark into a hit, while Clock Management helps the Super keep its targets within reach.
Rey also has a specific pairing with his queen, Ruby. His Power Couple trait lets his main attack heal an allied Ruby, and he moves 10% faster toward her. That's a reason to explore them together, although the pair still needs to make sense for the map and opposing team.
His Mastery title is Checkmate, and his Prestige title is Grandmaster.
See Rey's Gadgets and Star Powers
The Hypercharge Arrives Later
Winning Position lets Endgame reveal invisible enemies and apply hyper marks. The preview shows those marks dealing up to 5,400 damage when triggered. That damage belongs to the hyper marks, rather than an ordinary Super projectile.
The Hypercharge is coming in a later update. We're keeping it separate from our first impression of Rey's initial kit, which already looks strong without it.
Preview Winning Position
Jingle Brawls Is a Whole Run to Plan For
Jingle Brawls is the Christmas version of Topple the Tower. You work through multiple stages with a limited Brawler pool, and each Brawler can only be used once during the run. Once all your Brawlers are lost, the run ends.
That makes your choice matter beyond the current game. Using a strong Brawler now means you won't have them for a later stage, so there's a reason to think about the whole run before committing your favorites.
Look For Team now works in the mode, and the pool favors your highest-Trophy Brawlers. We're glad team finding is supported for something that asks players to plan several games together.
See the Jingle Brawls towers
Good Skins, Higher Rarities
We're much happier with the quality of the Brawlidays skins than the Brawl Vice batch. The rarities are harder to get excited about: every skin in this set outside the Brawl Pass lineup is Mythic or Legendary. We like the set, but we'd like to see more good seasonal skins at lower rarities too.
The Pass skins are Santa Squeak and Nutcracker Draco, both Epic, with two chromas each:
| Skin | Chromas |
|---|---|
| Santa Squeak | Frosty Squeak and Elf Squeak |
| Nutcracker Draco | Royal Nutcracker Draco and Candy Nutcracker Draco |
Compare Squeak and Draco's Pass skins
Snowball Bolt, Brawlidays Pam, and Delivery Elf Jessie are Mythic. Gingerbread Starr Nova is Legendary. The season's player title is Happy Brawlidays!
Browse the rest of the Brawlidays skins
Let us know in Discord whether Rey's Super looks stronger than Pierce's to you, and which skin you're hoping to pick up.
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