Painbrush

Brushes · Sub: Curling Bomb · Special: Wave Breaker

Of the ranked modes, Painbrush wins most in Rainmaker in version 11.3, where it is A tier at S–S+2. Estimated from stat.ink battle data through November 9, 2026.

Data through November 9, 2026

A power-type Brush. Its swings start slowly and use a lot of ink, but in exchange it has long range for a Brush and huge damage that splats in 2 hits up close. People call it "the Brush version of the Dynamo Roller," and the basic play is to lurk and get close enough before swinging, more like a Roller than a Brush. In the current meta, it isn't on GameWith's tier list for any mode.

Strength by modeTier and score (win-rate points vs. an average weapon).

Best stages / Worst stages

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Strengths

• Huge damage for a Brush: splats in 2 hits at close range
• Long range and wide swings for a Brush, and arcing swings easily hit enemies on high ground or behind cover and Splash Walls
• Strong burst painting when swinging repeatedly, so it can claim a small zone right away
• Lots of movement options, like brush-dashing, the shuffle step at the start of a swing, and Curling Bomb, so you have plenty of ways to close the distance

Watch out for

• The first swing is very slow to come out, so if you've been spotted, you often get splatted before you finish swinging in a head-on fight
• Very heavy ink use, plus an ink lockout after swinging, so you run dry easily
• Damage falls off sharply with distance; at max range it takes 4 hits
• You can only brush-dash a short distance, so it's bad at paint trading and holding the zone
• The attack is fan-shaped, so it's weak to enemies who circle around to your side

Tips

• Always lurk and get close enough; start swinging from close range, not at max range
• If you whiff at max range and the enemy is getting away, don't chase. Reset by hiding in ink or brush-dashing
• When you stop attacking, brush-dash for a moment before swimming to cut down your end lag
• Use arcing swings on enemies on high ground or behind Brellas and Splash Walls

Recent changes

• 11.0.0: System change for all weapons: main weapons get bigger hitboxes against players (the shorter the range, the bigger the boost), squid form gets a smaller hurtbox, and the game adds "Flow Aura" (a temporary power-up when you keep performing well) plus a remaining-health display (source 10)
• 11.2.0: Special change, Trizooka: about 30% more damage to Big Bubbler (Painbrush BRN-Z) (source 11)
• 11.3.0: Special change, Trizooka: shot speed up about 13% (range unchanged) (Painbrush BRN-Z) (source 12)
• 11.3.0 Reaction: Lots of players were surprised the Trizooka shot speed buff is "faster than expected," and it has raised the rating of kits that carry it (sources 13, 14)