In our interview with professional Brawl Stars player, Joker, we ask him questions on what it takes to break into the game’s competitive esports space and how any casual player can develop the skills necessary to become successful.
Turning your passion for Brawl Stars into a professional career might feel like a lofty dream, however, countless players over the years have proven it’s possible with the right approach.
The game itself is known for its seemingly straightforward action, but becoming a competitor in the esports scene requires more than just winning matches. It demands dedication, a strong mindset, and a deep understanding of the game’s mechanics.
In this interview, we speak with Erik "Joker" Granström, a player for SK Gaming who’s had many achievements since his career first began in 2020. From competing in various regional tournaments to the top stage in competitions such as the Brawl Stars World Championship and the Snapdragon Pro Series, he has no shortage of experience in the competitive Brawl Stars space.
Using this wealth of knowledge, Joker shares his insights into this world of mobile esports and offers invaluable tips on how you can make your dreams of turning pro a reality.
MobileMatters: For someone who's been playing Brawl Stars casually, what would you say are the first basic skills they should improve on if they want to turn pro?
Joker: Understanding the counters of each brawler and how to use them in the draft process and in-game. The chance of winning a game can be improved by a significant amount if you start the match on the right side of the map and against a brawler you counter.
Watching pro’s videos about what brawlers are good at against other brawlers can help in that. After that, you can try and select those brawlers in the draft process, and once the match starts you want to follow those brawlers in-game, as it will make things easier for you.
MobileMatters: Understand the basics of Brawl Stars, master a certain Brawler Class, or master a certain set of Brawlers - which do you suggest a player focus on when starting their competitive journey? Is there another thing not listed here that you recommend they do?
Joker: Having a big Brawlerpool is more important than mastering one brawler. By learning as many brawlers as possible you will improve your basic knowledge of the game itself and how the different mechanics work against each other. Trying multiple different interactions will eventually grow your understanding of the game, and by that automatically your skill.
MobileMatters: In your experience, what do you think separates a pro player from a casual player?
Joker: A simple answer to this question would simply be to talk about the individual game mechanics. I personally would go further than that. Experience and in-game decisions also play an important role. You can have the best mechanics in the world but if you don't understand when to do damage on the safe or when to stop shooting and healing up or when to go in aggressively or when to stay back and to defend, you will still lose matches.
MobileMatters: What is a good mentality someone should have when entering Brawl Stars esports? How do they develop it?
Joker: Every Pro Player (including myself) is always trying to win. We don’t just compete for fun, but rather to win everything possible. It’s important to remember that this isn’t always possible - losses are part of the game and will happen to every team. There is no team that won’t lose a game sooner or later. When this happens the most important aspect is to rewatch the match and look back at what went wrong, or what could be improved.
MobileMatters: The Brawler selection phase can be pivotal in deciding the outcome of a competitive match. What advice do you have for players to improve their decision-making process for this phase?
Joker: What I like to do myself is to practice many different brawlers. If you always choose the same ones, people will eventually find out what your preferences are and will find a way how to counter them. Apart from that it's beneficial to watch Pro Tournaments to find out which brawlers are the strongest in the meta. Understanding the meta is the most important thing to master the drafting process.
MobileMatters: What tools and resources do you recommend a casual player use to improve their Brawl Stars skills?
Joker: Many Pro Players use ‘Finger Sleeves’ which can make your movement smoother and more consistent. Personally, I also changed my ingame control buttons to adapt them to my hand and feel more comfortable while playing.
MobileMatters: From your experience as a pro player, what sort of habits, routines, or training schedules can a casual player adopt to develop the skills for competitive play?
Joker: A good way to improve is to play as many tournaments as possible and playing ‘scrim’ (friendly matches against other teams). Especially these last ones can help you develop new strategies without ‘risking’ anything. You can try new strategies and learn from the other team as well. Ideally, you practice every day, this is obviously hard for people who have many things to do, but it can really improve your skills.
MobileMatters: How does someone get noticed by a pro Brawl Stars team? What do pro teams look for in a recruit?
Joker: Brawl esports has many third-party events. These ones give you the chance to showcase yourself and even to compete against the pro teams. Like this, you will get noticed if you do a good job or worst case you just improve a lot. Pro Teams look for committed players who are always willing to work on themselves and improve. You don’t have to be the most skilled player if your attitude and mentality are right.
MobileMatters: It can be intimidating for a casual player to enter Brawl Stars esports as they may worry they might not be good enough. What advice do you have for casual players to overcome this fear?
Joker: As I already mentioned before, losses are part of the game. Every pro player started at the same point that you are in right now. No one instantly became a pro player one day after downloading the game. It's a natural process that takes time and can’t be forced, only accelerated.
MobileMatters: You've participated in many Snapdragon Pro Series tournaments over the years. What makes the series stand out as a premier platform for top-tier competition?
Joker: The Snapdragon Pro Series had many benefits for me. What I enjoyed the most were the in-person tournaments (like the tournaments in Cologne, Valencia, or Tokyo) organized by the SPS. There you get to meet other friends and pro players that you talk with every day. This makes it one of the most fun parts of esports.
MobileMatters: Adding on to this, how did the Snapdragon Pro Series help to push your skills and drive your career forward?
Joker: By competing in these tournaments I was able to play against many other good teams and practice a lot. The atmosphere while playing an important tournament like the SPS is unique and is the best practice a pro player can get. As well as the accomplishments I achieved while competing in the SPS, like becoming the first-ever SPS World Champion last year in Japan.
MobileMatters is in partnership with ESL FACEIT Group, the organizers behind the Snapdragon Pro Series.