Brawl Stars is a mini MOBA that pits two teams of three against each other in a number of objective-based modes. Its game types currently include kill-count Bounty, gem-collecting Smash & Grab, attack versus defense Heist, soccer-esque Brawl Ball, and …
Brawl Stars is a mini MOBA that pits two teams of three against each other in a number of objective-based modes. Its game types currently include kill-count Bounty, gem-collecting Smash & Grab, attack versus defense Heist, soccer-esque Brawl Ball, and the free-for-all solo mode Showdown. While its different modes and maps keep the event rotation fresh, Brawl Stars’ many different characters offer even more variety through their unique playstyles and strengths.
In this series, we’ll provide tips on how to effectively use each character and play to those strengths. Whether you’re new to the game entirely or are just looking for tips on a recent unlock, we hope these guides will help you find your next favorite brawler.
Note: Brawl Stars is currently in soft-launch and receiving frequent balance adjustments. Some of the specific data below may change as Supercell updates the game, but the overall advice—based on a brawler’s core abilities and playstyle—should remain valid.
Dynamike has seen a resurgence in selection lately thanks to a number of recent buffs to his health, damage, and attack deploy time. These boosts have made him slightly easier to play, but his style of attack still requires practice and planning to nail down. Although Dynamike is best learned on objective-based modes or when you have a team of heavy-hitting distractors like El Primo or Bull, he can hold his own in most game types and team compositions.
Dynamike’s primary attack is a pair of dynamite sticks tossed in an arc. Upon landing, the sticks have a 1.4 second delay before they explode, allowing nearby opponents a brief moment to escape the blast radius. Players take damage according to where they are standing when the explosion occurs: getting caught in the middle of the two will result in the full amount of Dynamike’s attack power, while being clipped by only one stick will halve the damage done. Even at half damage, Dynamike can quickly incapacitate one opponent or even an entire team thanks to his explosives’ high attack power and ability to hit multiple enemies at the same time.
As one of only two throwers currently in the game—Barley is the other—proper positioning can allow Dynamike free reign over the battlefield. Since his dynamite can be thrown over obstacles, he can post up behind a wall or other blockade and attack enemies who cannot hit him. Even a single mushroom can provide Dynamike enough protection to take out an enemy first, especially if you maneuver around the obstacle to keep it between you and your opponent.
Dynamike’s Super, Big Barrel o’ Boom, is similar to his standard attack: it can be tossed over walls and produces an explosion that damages anyone caught in its wake. Unlike his standard sticks, however, his Super has no drop-off point—it will do max damage whether someone is caught directly in the middle or just barely touching the edge of the blast radius—and it can destroy walls and other environmental objects. This ability is extremely useful in game modes like Brawl Ball where crates are often blocking the path to the goal, but Dynamike needs to be careful not to destroy his own protective walls in modes like Bounty.
Dynamike is viable in almost every game type, but his strongest are objective-based modes where the enemy’s focus will be directed to an obvious target as in Brawl Ball, Heist, and Smash & Grab. His delayed explosions and attack radius allow him to control an area and push an enemy back just by tossing sticks in that general direction. His high attack power allows him to wipe entire teams that are grouped up on an objective while safely defending from behind cover.
Dynamike and Barley are both staples in Heist for good reason: as defenders, they can post up behind a wall and toss at the limited paths the enemy team has to travel to reach the safe. Even if their cover is destroyed, their ability to control an area with spaced-out throws can prevent opponents from getting too close. As an attacker, Dynamike can reach the safe without having to walk all the way around its protective line of crates, as well as any enemies hiding out behind cover. His Super’s ability to destroy walls allows him to open up new paths for the attacking team to reach the safe.
Brawl Ball’s small maps and scattered crates provide Dynamike an ideal setting: he can stand behind protection while lobbing dynamite at ball carriers and defenders alike. His Super stuns enemies the same way Shelly’s does, allowing him to knock the ball out of an opponent’s hands, providing a counter to high health tanks like El Primo that often attempt to walk straight into the goal.
Our least favorite mode for Dynamike is Bounty: while he does enough damage to reasonably take out enemies consistently, the majority of Bounty maps favor long range brawlers who can snipe Dynamike from a distance. He excels in areas with lots of walls to dance around and very few Bounty maps provide this protection—and those that do will often see them destroyed before the three-minute timer expires.
Our favorite maps in each mode to use Dynamike:
When stationed behind cover at a safe distance, Dynamike has an advantage over any other brawler except Barley. His greatest strength is being able to hit enemies who cannot hit him, and this strength is extremely useful against Jessie’s turret or Pam’s healing station when they’re deployed in hard-to-reach locations. His dynamite sticks can be lobbed to medium range—farther than or equal to about half the brawlers in the game—allowing him to poke at short-ranged attackers before they can reach him.
Dynamike is weakest when caught by a melee brawler up close. Since his primary attack takes 1.4 seconds to explode after being dropped, it’s very difficult for Dynamike to defend himself against an El Primo or Mortis that has reached his location. Although he can drop his dynamite where he stands, unlike Barley—whose attack time is based on the distance it’s thrown—Dynamike’s explosives always take the same amount of time to detonate, leaving him little hope of stopping an up-close attacker before they finish him off. On long-range maps without cover, Dynamike will be at a disadvantage against snipers like Piper and Brock: it’s difficult for him to get within range and pull off a successful attack without getting picked off.
Because of this, proper positioning and map awareness is critical for Dynamike. He should use the sides of the map to covertly move up when cover is unavailable, keeping any piece of environment available between him and his opponents. While cover is beneficial to him, being caught off-guard by a stealthy Shelly or Nita bear is devastating for the miner. He can flush out enemies hiding in bushes or behind walls with well-placed throws, but long swatches of grass make it difficult since it’s easy to dodge Dynamike’s explosives while remaining hidden. If you’re trying to figure out where an enemy went, stagger your throws so they paint a larger area instead of focusing fire on one spot.
With his attack delay and reliance on cover, Dynamike is a fairly difficult brawler to master. Skilled players will be aware of and able to dodge your projectiles while closing the critical gap between you. When first learning Dynamike, we recommend sticking to Smash & Grab or Brawl Ball, where you can often safely assume the enemy’s location and aim for it from a safe distance. Despite the learning curve, Dynamike is a blast to play, and he’s one of the few characters that can often turn the tide of battle with a single well-placed throw.
