I’ll be honest: when Clancy first scuttled into my Brawl Stars roster, I thought someone had left a lobster in the microwave too long. But after a few matches, I realized this Mythic Brawler is less a seafood dinner and more a pressure gauge bolted to a crab trap. He rewards patience, punishes panic, and can absolutely melt a Heist safe if you let him reach Stage 3. In 2026, he may not be the shiny new toy he was back in Season 28, but this guide is here to make sure you aren’t still playing him like a random button-mashing crustacean.

Let me get the unlock stuff out of the way first. When Clancy released on August 1, 2024, he cost 1,900 credits or 349 gems, and you had to make sure he was your selected Brawler on Starr Road or your credits would vanish into someone else’s pockets. There was also an early-access bundle for $19.99 that tossed in 8 pins, 4,000 coins, 2,200 Power Points, 80 gems, and the High Stakes Clancy skin. By 2026, the exact bundle may have rotated, but Starr Road remains the most reliable path. Aim your credits like you’re feeding a very picky, very armed crab.

Now, the heart of Clancy: his stage system. He does not use a Super to evolve like Surge. Instead, Clancy’s trait fills a token meter as you deal damage, and when the meter pops, he upgrades instantly. The best part? He respawns at the same stage, and your progress toward the next stage does not reset on death. That’s like a crustacean shedding its shell, except instead of growing softer armor, he grows extra barrels. You should still try to hit Stage 3 early because his damage becomes genuinely silly.

Main Attack: Power Wash

• Stage 1: Clancy fires one bullet forward. It feels like throwing a single pebble at a tank.

• Stage 2: Clancy fires two bullets forward. Now we are talking.

• Stage 3: Clancy fires two bullets forward plus two diagonal bullets. This turns him into a walking pressure washer.

Super: Torrent

• Stage 1: A cone of bullets in front of him.

• Stage 2: Increased range.

• Stage 3: Bullets deal 50% additional damage.

At launch, Clancy did not have a Hypercharge. I won’t pretend to know every 2026 patch note by heart, but his core loop has not changed: farm tokens, survive, and then spray damage like an angry sprinkler.

Now for the toys. Clancy arrived with two Gadgets and two Star Powers.

Gadgets:

• Snappy Shooting: not bad, but a bit like a spare umbrella on a sunny day.

• Tactical Retreat: my pick. It gets you out of trouble and refills ammo. An escape plan is never wasted.

Star Powers:

• Recon: helps at match start, then sits around like a forgotten side dish.

• Pumping Up: my confident recommendation. Defeating an enemy fully reloads your ammo. In tight fights, this is a pocket reload that turns Clancy into a perpetual-motion sprinkler.

Gears:

Clancy can equip Speed, Vision, Health, Shield, Damage, and Gadget Charge. I recommend pairing a Shield or Health Gear with a Damage Gear. Extra durability keeps you alive long enough to farm tokens, and Damage Gear sharpens the one thing Clancy already does well: raw output.

Best Modes:

• Heist: This is Clancy’s playground. His Super and main attack both shred the safe. Use Pumping Up to delete a defender, instantly reload, and keep hammering the safe.

• Hot Zone: Long range and high damage let him control the zone from a distance. If you need to bail, Tactical Retreat gives you ammo and a head start.

• Gem Grab: I would not make him the gem carrier, but he can hold enemies at bay and chase down the enemy carrier when the countdown gets scary.

Worst Modes:

• Bounty/Knockout/Wipeout: These modes favor long-range brawlers that can hit him back. Stage 1’s single projectile makes it hard to level up, and his slow reload hurts. Trying to level him here is like trying to boil pasta in a sieve: you lose all the good stuff before it’s ready.

• Showdown: Use only in Duos. A slow reload and single-projectile start make power cube collection rough, and close-range threats like Mortis or Bibi will treat him like a snack.

That wraps up my Clancy guide. He’s a weird little armored monster who demands early aggression and smart positioning. Once Stage 3 clicks, he feels like a boss fight in a two-lane arcade game. If you’ve been away from Brawl Stars for a bit, do not just chase the newest brawlers. Dusting off Clancy in 2026 might be the most fun you can have while pretending to be a high-pressure shellfish.