Gem Grab basics: rules, roles and protecting the countdown
Gem Grab is one of the oldest 3v3 modes in Brawl Stars. The rules are simple, yet "we had more gems and still lost" happens all the time. That's because the mode is decided less by kills and more by who holds the gems and when they back off.
The rules
- Two teams of three.
- A gem mine in the middle spawns a purple gem every 7 seconds.
- When a team holds 10 or more gems, a 15-second countdown starts. Survive it and you win.
- A defeated brawler drops all the gems they carry.
- If a team drops below 10, or the other team matches their count, the countdown stops and resets.
- The match lasts 3:30. When time runs out, the team with more gems wins.
- When 15 gems are lying on the ground the mine pauses until someone picks one up, and there are never more than 29 gems in play.
Rules are based on the Brawl Stars Wiki. Updates can change details, so check the in-game mode description too.
Three roles
Most Gem Grab teams split into three roles. Decide the roles before the brawlers.
- Gem carrier (middle): picks up gems near the mine and holds the most. Survival is everything, so pick a brawler with good health or a reliable escape.
- Aggressor (one lane): pushes the enemy back so the carrier can collect safely, and hunts the enemy carrier.
- Support (other lane): healing, vision and poke to keep the team alive, sometimes stepping in front of the carrier.
Principles winning teams follow
The carrier doesn't fight
If the carrier dies, the team's gems vanish at once. Holding seven or eight gems, help from one step back even when a kill looks tempting. A carrier dying at the front is the most common comeback in this mode.
When the countdown starts, fall back
Once the countdown begins, the carrier retreats to safety and the other two block the path. You only need 15 seconds, so there's no reason to chase.
Losing a countdown? Target only the carrier
If the enemy is counting down, focus the one brawler holding the most gems. Take them down and the countdown stops; pick up the dropped gems and the game flips. That beats three people spreading damage randomly.
Take the space around the mine first
Early on, the team that controls the area around the mine collects gems almost for free. Treat the first minute as a fight for space, not kills.
Choosing brawlers
It depends on the map, but strong Gem Grab picks usually share these traits:
- They can hold the tight space near the mine for a long time (area damage, summons, zone control).
- Carriers that don't go down easily or can escape quickly.
- On bush-heavy maps, brawlers that can check or clear bushes.
Below are the top brawlers across all current ranked Gem Grab maps, from PickStudy data. It updates every morning.
Rankings differ a lot between maps, so check the page for the map that's live today. On the home page, tap a Gem Grab map to see its ranking and a quick tip.
Summary
Gem Grab is won by the team that doesn't lose its gems, not the team that collects the most. Keep the carrier alive, protect them, and when the enemy is counting down, focus their carrier.