Willow – Complete Character Review & Tier List Guide (2025)

Willow – Complete Character Review & Tier List Guide (2025)

Willow – Complete Character Review & Tier List Guide (2025)

Overview

Willow is one of the most mysterious and underrated brawlers in Brawl Stars, bringing a psychological twist to the battlefield with her mind-control Super and poison-based attacks. She’s a control brawler who thrives on slowly weakening enemies while manipulating their movements in key moments.

Introduced as part of the “Mystery at the Swamp” update, Willow stands out with her creepy charm and unique Super ability — she can take control of enemy brawlers for a short duration, forcing them to attack their own team. This power makes her one of the most tactically dangerous and unpredictable characters in the game.

With long poison range, area denial, and mind control, Willow is ideal for players who prefer indirect, strategic dominance rather than pure aggression.


Tier Placement

In the 2025 Brawl Stars meta, Willow sits in the A-Tier, performing exceptionally well in Control and Objective modes such as Hot Zone, Gem Grab, and Knockout (source: noff.gg).
Her area control and Super mechanics make her a niche but powerful pick in the right hands (source: mmonster.co).


Pros & Strengths

πŸŒ™ Mind control Super: Can completely turn team fights by forcing an enemy to attack their own teammates.
πŸŒ™ Poison attacks: Continuous damage and healing denial make her great against tanks and healers.
πŸŒ™ Strong zoning potential: Ideal for controlling choke points and objectives.
πŸŒ™ Effective range: Her projectile travels far and has splash potential.
πŸŒ™ Unique playstyle: Excellent for players who enjoy strategy and manipulation over brute force.


Cons & Weaknesses

❌ Low burst damage: Struggles to quickly finish enemies.
❌ Squishy: Low HP makes her vulnerable to assassins like Edgar or Fang.
❌ Super timing sensitivity: Missing her Super can cost key fights.
❌ Difficult to master: Requires timing, positioning, and awareness.
❌ Dependent on map type: Performs best in open or semi-open maps with cover.


Best Star Powers & Gadgets

  1. Star Powers:

    • Obsession: Controlled enemies stay under Willow’s control slightly longer, allowing more damage and chaos.

    • Love is Blind: Enemies poisoned by Willow deal 15% less damage — perfect for defensive playstyles.

  2. Gadgets:

    • Dive: Willow jumps into her lantern, becoming untargetable and healing a portion of her HP — great for escaping or baiting Supers.

    • Lantern’s Curse: Throws her lantern to create an AoE poison zone, excellent for blocking tight passages or controlling objectives.


Best Game Modes for Willow

Game Mode Effectiveness Why?
Hot Zone ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Poison and mind control dominate objective fights.
Gem Grab ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Great for controlling mid and defending the gem carrier.
Knockout ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Super can flip entire rounds if timed well.
Brawl Ball ⭐⭐⭐ Useful for stopping pushes or stealing goals.
Bounty ⭐⭐⭐ Can zone snipers effectively from range.
Heist ⭐⭐ Low safe damage makes her less effective.
Solo Showdown ⭐⭐ Can survive long, but struggles against burst brawlers.

Strategy & Playstyle

πŸͺ„ Early Game: Start by poking enemies from a distance, using poison to chip them down and build up your Super. Focus on map control, not kills.

πŸŒ™ Mid Game: Once your Super is charged, look for isolated enemies or key threats (like healers or carries) to take control of. This can instantly flip a fight in your team’s favor.

πŸ”₯ Late Game: In clutch moments, use your Super to disable high-damage enemies or defend the objective. Use your poison zones to block access routes and force enemies into bad positions.


Pro Tips & Tricks

🎯 Super priority: Target high-impact enemies like Stu, Fang, or Max for maximum disruption.
🎯 Positioning: Stay behind walls or long-range allies — your damage over time will do the work.
🎯 Lantern control: Use your gadget zones to force enemies out of cover or block healing areas.
🎯 Poison pressure: Keep pressure on tanks like Frank or Ash — poison negates healing from Pam or Poco.
🎯 Timing Super: Wait until your target’s ammo is full before controlling them — that way, they attack their teammates immediately.
🎯 Team synergy: Pair with control brawlers (like Gene or Tara) who can capitalize on your chaos.


Example Loadout

  • Star Power: Obsession (longer control = bigger impact)

  • Gadget: Lantern’s Curse (for zoning and area denial)

  • Hypercharge: Increases Super range and control duration — excellent for competitive play

  • Best Teammates: Gene (pull synergy), Sandy (zone control), Byron (heal & poison combo)

  • Best Maps: Dueling Beetles, Split, Temple Ruins, Layer Cake


Strengths in Team Composition

Willow excels as a support-control hybrid, disrupting the enemy team while keeping steady chip pressure.

Example Team Comp (Hot Zone – A-Tier 2025):

  • Willow (Control/Support)

  • Pam (Sustain + Zone Control)

  • Max (Mobility + Pressure)

This trio combines sustain, chaos, and map control, allowing Willow’s Super to create game-winning moments.


Advanced Tactics

🧠 Super chaining: After controlling one enemy, time your next attack to re-poison others for sustained damage.
🧠 Objective lockdown: Use Lantern’s Curse to block choke points before a control fight begins.
🧠 Bait plays: Pretend to retreat, then use Dive to become untargetable and surprise enemies as your team collapses.
🧠 Mind-game zoning: Even the threat of your Super can make enemies scatter and play defensively.
🧠 Vision control: Poisoned enemies stay visible through bushes — use this to track them.


Conclusion

Willow is one of the most unique and tactical brawlers in Brawl Stars, offering unmatched psychological warfare through her mind-control mechanics and area denial gameplay.

While she lacks burst power, her Super can completely shift the outcome of a match when used at the right time. Her ability to manipulate enemies and control zones makes her a top pick for strategic players who love high-IQ plays and indirect dominance.

In the 2025 tier list, Willow firmly holds her place in A-Tier, especially in Hot Zone, Knockout, and Gem Grab, rewarding those who master timing, positioning, and manipulation.


πŸŒ™ “Willow doesn’t just defeat her enemies — she makes them defeat themselves.”

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