Greg Mohs is a man defined by momentum. Up 158 positions on the IFPA ladder over the past 12 months, his recent competitive surge has been nothing short of spectacular. He rode into Mesa, Arizona, carrying the weight of a top-3 streak spanning four events, a run that kicked off in April 2026 at Chui’s World Famous Bounty Knockout. At Jardcade – The Final Flip, he proved exactly why he is one of the hottest flippers in the state.
Mohs didn’t just win the tournament; he dismantled the competition with surgical precision. Facing a standard competitive draw of 50 players, he navigated the classic match play format without dropping a single game.
Atomic Age Atmosphere
The battleground for this 184-minute gauntlet was Atomic Age Modern in Mesa. Beyond the glass, patrons are treated to a mid-century vintage shop featuring an impeccably maintained lineup of pinball machines, all situated conveniently next to a beloved Venezuelan restaurant. It is a venue where the owners genuinely know their craft, ensuring the flippers are snappy and the playfields play true for Saturday and Sunday tournaments.
The local turnout was solid, drawing 38 IFPA-ranked players and 12 unranked challengers to the classic weekly-scale event. The field was anchored by Phoenix local Adam Horton, the tournament’s strongest competitor boasting a national rank of #298 and a state rank of #6.
Rising Stars and Established Contenders
The five-round group match play format awarded points based on finishing positions within four-player groups, demanding consistency across the board. Players needed to adapt quickly to the venue’s massive 31-machine lineup, spanning decades of pinball history from 1976 to 2026. Several competitors answered the call with their own compelling narratives.
John Magyar entered the building as a certified threat, currently winning with three victories in his last five outings. He backed up that reputation by securing first-place finishes in three of his five rounds. Not to be outdone, Dustin Kober arrived carrying massive momentum of his own, having climbed a staggering 1,123 ranking spots this year. Kober fought his way to the podium by never finishing lower than second place in any round.
Even the newer faces brought serious heat to the silverball stage. Jeff Janoski, just one year into the competitive scene, entered as a remarkable early-career climber who has surged 4,062 spots over the past year. It was a field dense with rising talent, but the tournament format leaves little room for error when the flippers start flipping.
The Magic Upset
Pinball is a game of millimeters, where past accolades offer no protection against a dialed-in opponent. This reality hit hard during Round 5 on Magic, a classic 1979 Stern Electronics solid-state table. Strategy on this table dictates that drop targets advance the bonus multiplier, while magic letters advance the spinner value. Spinner shots are key, especially the right spinner which sends the ball to the top of the playfield.
Jim Smith AZ stepped up to the plunge with an IFPA rank of #634, expecting to leverage his veteran experience. However, a massive 32,851-spot rank gap didn’t save him from Isabelle Aff, ranked #33,485. In a grueling 12-minute four-player game, Aff put on an absolute clinic. She captured the first-place finish and seven points, while Smith was relegated to fourth place with a single point.
An Unblemished Run to the Podium
While chaos claimed other groups, Greg Mohs maintained a flawless trajectory. He achieved a breathtaking arena sweep, putting up the top score on all five of the machines he played on his way to first place. He dominated The Party Zone in Round 1, conquered James Bond 007 (Pro) in Round 2, and bested Volley in Round 3 with a score of 151,670. After taking down Metallica Remastered (Premium) in Round 4, the climactic test of his run arrived.
In Round 5, the top finishers faced off directly on Flight 2000, a 1980 Stern Electronics classic. Success on this machine requires players to shoot the right spinner and sweep the right drop targets all day, as the spinner advances in value up to 5,000 points per spin. Mohs shared a four-player group with Jard Cassell, a formidable Scottsdale local. For 16 tense minutes, the two battled for multi-ball locks and valuable left spinner rips.
Cementing the Streak
When the flippers finally fell silent, Mohs secured the first-place finish in the group. Cassell claimed a respectable second in the game and the tournament overall, while John Magyar and Dustin Kober settled into a tie for third. By sweeping his five games, Greg Mohs proved that his four-event top-3 streak is no fluke. He walked out of Atomic Age Modern having defended his unblemished run and executing a perfect tournament, a testament to a player whose ascent up the IFPA ladder shows absolutely no signs of slowing down.
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