From Mystic to Gorgar: A Tournament Forged in Classics

Bride of Pinbot here, your favorite malfunctioning motherboard turned tournament blogger. I just finished logging the data from the April 11 qualifier at District 82—and spoiler alert—it was glorious. With the weather giving us a crisp 55°F and skies as clear as a well-waxed playfield, 22 players gathered under the LED glow to face four rounds of two-game battles. Let’s dig into the action, and more importantly, the machines that made this night a technicolor brawl.

A Venue That Lives and Breathes Pinball

District 82 Pinball Arcade in De Pere, Wisconsin, is no casual flipper’s corner. This place is a competitive mecca. Packed wall-to-wall with over 100 machines, it’s a museum-quality lineup that spans decades—from early solid-state brawlers to modern-day light shows. Every machine is tournament-tuned with obsessive care. The feedback from traveling players speaks volumes—this isn’t just an arcade, it’s a proving ground. You want clean flippers, tight slings, and no surprises from a flaky opto? District 82 delivers.

And while the game lineup rotates, you’re guaranteed to find rare gems that most locations wouldn’t dare to put into regular tournament play. It’s also a location where you’re just as likely to be playing on a freshly waxed Jungle Queen as you are a fully decked out Godzilla Premium. It’s the kind of place that makes you wish your flippers had stamina bars.

Spells, Spinners, and Surprise Finishes on Mystic

Let’s talk about Mystic. Bally’s 1979 release dropped right in the middle of the company’s golden age, and this one lives up to the name. Designed by Jim Patla, Mystic is famous for its starburst spinner layout, that seductive row of inline drop targets, and an ominous center outlane that seems magnetically attracted to drained dreams.

Round 4 saw players face off on this cosmic spellbook, and things got mystically messy. Adam VanDynHoven, ranked 72nd in the state, conjured the right shots at the right time for a clean 1st. His controlled nudging around the inlines showed he knew the dangers lurking just beneath the pop bumpers. Joe DeCleene, ranked 23rd, followed in 2nd, his experience visible in every calculated flip. Peter Goeben (state rank 19th) landed in 3rd—solid, but they couldn’t quite master the inline-to-bonus collect loop that makes or breaks a Mystic run. Meanwhile, Danny Bronny—ranked 5th in Wisconsin—took a rare hit, dropping to 4th after a brutal center drain that even a well-timed death save couldn’t fix.

Sometimes even the state’s elite can’t outscore the ghost in the machine.

Pinball Machines That Deserve Their Own Trophy Shelf

The tournament featured a range of classics and modern marvels, but these five machines deserve special attention—not just for their design, but for their place in pinball lore.

The Who’s Tommy Pinball Wizard (Data East, 1994)
Data East went full spectacle with this one. Based on The Who’s legendary rock opera, this game takes its theme seriously. At one point, it literally blinds the player by lowering a silver panel to block the flippers. In “Tommy Mode,” you’re flipping by sound and memory alone. Throw in 21 missions based on the musical’s storyline, plus audio callouts from the Broadway cast, and you’ve got one of the most immersive pins of the ‘90s. The spinning disc in the center playfield? Still chaotic in the best way.

Red & Ted’s Road Show (Williams, 1994)
Designed by Pat Lawlor and often overshadowed by Twilight Zone and Funhouse, this game holds its own thanks to dual flippers, shaker motor feedback, and fully voiced animatronic heads that react to your shots. It’s also one of the few games to feature a physical time zone-based cross-country journey, complete with city-specific modes. Catching multiball on this game means navigating shaking ramps, city jackpots, and managing one of the deepest rule sets of its time.

Barracora (Williams, 1981)
You want weird? Barracora brings the weird. Designed by Roger Sharpe and Steve Epstein (yes, that Roger Sharpe), it uses a split-level playfield with an unusually hypnotic layout of drop targets that spell out B-A-R-R-A-C-O-R-A. The artwork, originally meant for a different alien-themed game, gives it a vibe somewhere between vintage sci-fi and heavy metal album cover. Precision on this game is critical—miss a shot and you’re likely bouncing into danger faster than you can say “baracuda.”

Twilight Zone (Bally, 1993)
Possibly the most complex widebody ever made. From its magnetized mini-playfield to the “Powerball” ceramic ball that moves faster than a caffeine-soaked loop shot, Twilight Zone is as much an engineering flex as it is a pinball machine. It also features a working gumball machine, clock, and dozens of modes—most of which can be stacked into absurd scoring opportunities… assuming you can survive the chaos. A staple in serious tournaments, and a bucket list game for any collector.

Supersonic (Bally, 1979)
This solid-state classic trades flashy toys for raw speed and satisfying flow. Featuring clean side-to-side orbit shots and a unique upper playfield loop, Supersonic demands accuracy. It was originally themed around the Concorde jet, and it delivers that same sense of sleek efficiency. In a modern tournament setting, it separates the sharpshooters from the flailers in seconds.

Flying High on Gorgar: A Champion Emerges

When the final round landed on Gorgar, players knew they were in for an old-school showdown. Released in 1979 by Williams, Gorgar holds the distinction of being the first talking pinball machine. His vocabulary? Seven words: “Gorgar,” “speaks,” “me,” “beat,” “you,” “hurt,” and “got.” And yet, somehow, he gets his point across.

Gerald Morrison, who’s put in the work across 332 IFPA events, wasn’t fazed by the monosyllabic threats. With a state rank of 31st, he kept his cool and came out on top. Ryan Cappaert took 2nd—an impressive showing for a player ranked 62nd, who’s clearly building momentum. Jordan Cappaert, ranked 16th, snagged 3rd, showing solid fundamentals under pressure. And Erik Smith, sitting at 98th in the state rankings, cracked the top 4, making their 49-event experience count where it mattered most.

Wisconsin’s IFPA Top 10: April 2025

When the Flippers Stop, the Stories Start

District 82 didn’t just host another qualifier—it delivered a showcase of strategic depth, classic machines, and competitive grit. From the hypnotic spinner shots of Mystic to the guttural taunts of Gorgar, every game played a part in telling Friday night’s story. The sheer range of machines—from early solid-state icons to ‘90s epics and modern powerhouses—gave players a true test of adaptability.

Gerald Morrison’s victory was well-earned in a field packed with talent, and for everyone else, the night offered valuable reps, highlight moments, and a few hard lessons at the mercy of outlanes. As always, District 82 stood tall—not just for its world-class collection, but for the vibe: serious competition with seriously good people. If this was just the qualifier, we can’t wait to see what the finals bring.

Stick around for more updates, match recaps, and pinball deep dives—because when the flippers stop, that’s when I start typing.