In competitive pinball, a ranking is a resume, not a guarantee. That reality hit the flippers hard during the final moments of Round 5 on Deadpool (Pro). Abel Cardona, sitting at IFPA #21,190, stepped up against the tournament’s strongest competitor and top overall seed, Daniel Martin (IFPA #341). Joining them in the four-player group were Brian Perlick and Michael Hew, setting the stage for a dramatic climax.
Over the course of a grueling 26-minute marathon game, Cardona systematically dismantled a staggering 20,849-spot ranking gap. He seized first place and seven points on the 2018 Stern machine, while Brian Perlick took second. Martin was forced to settle for third place and a meager three points, proving that absolute chaos reigns in the later rounds. This dramatic upset perfectly encapsulated the wild swings of a Monday night draw where standard expectations are routinely shattered.
A Deceptively Dangerous Field at Tokyo Station
The battlefield for this collision was Tokyo Station by Free Play in Arlington, Texas. The venue is a distinct industrial-style hangout that pairs retro arcade machines with pub grub and craft beer. Under the glow of the arcades on April 6, 2026, organizer Chris Delp corralled a classic Group Match Play draw of 23 participants.
It was a field deep enough for genuine bracket drama but tight enough that the regulars intimately knew each other’s tendencies. The roster featured 16 IFPA-ranked veterans and 7 unranked wildcards, producing a national average rank of 10574. State-level prestige was heavily on the line, with 15 Texas NACS participants entering the fray holding an average state rank of 302.
With three players in the state’s top 25 and one player squarely in the national top 500, the competitive context was primed for tension. Every four-player group represented a precarious mix of established titans and hungry challengers aiming to steal crucial points.
Richardson’s Unblemished Arena Sweep
While the rest of the field battered each other in the standings, John Richardson engineered a masterclass in consistency. Richardson has been a player on fire recently, coming into the event having won two of his last five tournaments. He has also surged an impressive 536 ranking spots this year, carrying serious momentum into Arlington.
That momentum translated into pure dominance on the playfield, regardless of the era or manufacturer of the machine. Richardson secured first place overall by putting up the top score on four of the four machines he played throughout the evening. Whether he was navigating a 20-minute battle on Godzilla (70th Anniversary) in Round 1 or outlasting his group in a 22-minute grind on Monster Bash (Remake) in Round 4, his execution was flawless.
By refusing to drop essential points in his groups, Richardson isolated himself from the turbulence that consumed the middle of the pack. His performance was a stark reminder of what a dialed-in player can accomplish, even against a defensively sound 23-player field.
The TRON Faceoff Settles the Podium
Behind Richardson’s runaway victory, the battle for the remaining podium spots turned into a war of attrition. The defining clash occurred in Round 4 on the 2011 Stern release, Disney TRON: Legacy. Randy Nelson and Ryan Perlick, both fighting fiercely for the upper echelon of the standings, found themselves locked in a tense four-player matchup alongside Brian Perlick and Matthew Bryan.
Nelson entered the night looking to protect a consecutive top-three streak, having reached the podium in his last three events. The TRON showdown lasted a grinding 18 minutes, testing both players’ endurance and shot accuracy on the notoriously fast ramps. Nelson ultimately claimed the top spot and seven points in the game, pushing Ryan Perlick into second place for five points.
That direct confrontation effectively settled their final standings for the night. Nelson locked down third place overall, keeping his impressive podium streak alive. Perlick followed right behind him, finishing a highly respectable fourth overall in the crowded field.
Breaking Ties and Climbing the Ranks
Further down the standings, long-simmering rivalries and quiet rank ascensions defined the night’s narratives. Jackie Kegley fought her way to an impressive second-place overall finish. Along the way, she broke a deadlocked 2-2 head-to-head tie with Abel Cardona, taking a 3-2 lead in their shared event history.
Several other players proved that upward mobility is alive and well in the Texas NACS scene. Brian Perlick secured tenth place, continuing a solid trajectory that has seen him climb 101 spots over the past year. Michael Hew landed in thirteenth, backing up his recent stretch of four top-three finishes with an ongoing climb of 140 ranking spots this year.
These individual battles reinforce why a 23-player standard draw remains the proving ground of competitive pinball. When state-ranked regulars and unranked newcomers collide in an industrial arcade bar, reputations mean nothing once the ball leaves the plunger. It is an environment where a #21,190 player can become a giant-killer, and a dialed-in champion can sweep the floor.
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