The 18-minute, four-player grind on Stern’s 2022 craftsman piece, Rush (Pro), set a brutal tone for the final bracket at the Aero Club / Dyno Bar Monthly. Tom Isaak, the undisputed heavy hitter of the field, executed flawlessly to take first place and four crucial points in the match. Meanwhile, Matthew Hartmann, sitting at a career-peak IFPA rank of #342, watched his ball drain for a devastating fourth-place finish. Opening the finals with zero points is a psychological gut punch that would shatter most competitors.
In a tight, four-player finals format, a single bad game can instantly undo an entire afternoon of flawless flipping. But Hartmann refused to let this early stumble dictate his fate on a misty June evening in San Diego. Instead, he gathered his focus and battled back against a fierce California lineup to claim the top spot on the podium.
The Qualifier Gauntlet and Isaak’s Early Dominance
The road to that tense finals table started much earlier in the evening amidst the lively, community-focused atmosphere of the Dyno Bar. Known for its dinosaur-themed lounge, free all-you-can-eat popcorn, and an impressive row of craft taps, the venue provided a perfect, slightly nostalgic battleground. It was a close-quarters arena for the 24-player field, a group deep enough for real bracket drama but small enough that the regulars intimately knew each other’s playstyles. The roster was packed with talent, featuring 16 IFPA-ranked competitors and an average state rank of #728 among the 17 California NACS participants.
Throughout the five-round Group Match Play qualifier, top-seeded Tom Isaak was an absolute force on the flippers. Isaak, ranked #136 nationally, showcased consistency by putting up the top score on three out of the five machines he played. His relentless pace helped him edge out Mark Maleko Schulz in the standings, finally breaking a dead-even tie in a long-standing rivalry that has spanned 23 shared tournaments. Schulz, impressively punching above his #23 seeding to finish fifth overall, put up a valiant fight but couldn’t quite overtake the tournament veteran.
Mechanical Masterpieces and Matchup Grinds
The qualifier rounds saw players testing their grit on legendary arenas, demanding both mechanical appreciation and split-second reflexes. During Round 5, Isaak and Hartmann found themselves in a grueling 29-minute slugfest on the 2017 Chicago Gaming masterpiece, Attack From Mars (Remake). Hartmann managed to secure the victory in that specific 4-player match, besting Isaak, Schulz, and Ramon Sua. Surviving the Martian battlefield at this level requires tournament-ready tactics, like holding the left flipper on launch to immediately complete a lane or safely start a Saucer Attack Wave.
Down the bracket, other intense rivalries were playing out across the silver ball landscape. Lucas Perez, riding a wave of rating gains to IFPA #5249, chipped away at Jeffrey Wright’s slim historical edge in a rivalry that now covers 20 shared events. Perez’s relentless play secured him a third-place seed going into the finals, proving he was ready to trade blows with the heavyweights. Meanwhile, Steve Bjorg demonstrated fantastic control on Rush (Pro) during Round 5, outlasting Wright in a tense 10-minute, 3-player match to secure a crucial seven points.
Hartmann’s Sword of Rage Turnaround
After the initial disaster on Rush (Pro) in the finals, Hartmann needed a monumental momentum shift to stay alive. He found exactly that on Stern’s 2019 brutalist arena, Black Knight: Sword of Rage (Pro), during the second game of the finals. Hartmann dominated the playfield, likely leaning on veteran strategies like backhanding shots and methodically collecting locks Doc Ock style to keep the ball safely in his control. He secured a crucial four points with a first-place finish, while Perez took second, Isaak fell to third, and Anthony Pedroza landed in fourth.
Pedroza, entering the finals as the #3 seed and sitting at IFPA #1710, fought hard throughout the evening but couldn’t find the necessary traction against Hartmann’s resurgence. The tension reached its absolute peak on Stern’s brand new 2026 release, Pokémon (Premium), during the third finals match. Hartmann once again locked in, navigating the tricky skill shot—where players are wise to avoid holding the left flipper unless the outlane is freshly rebuilt—to capture another first-place finish. This back-to-back dominance completely erased his early deficit and put the championship within his grasp.
A Champion Forged Under Pressure
The beauty of competitive pinball lies in a player’s ability to compartmentalize failure and execute when the pressure is suffocating. Hartmann’s journey from a zero-point opening match to a flawless back-to-back run in the finals is a testament to his raw grit and evolving skill set. He walked into the Dyno Bar with a career-peak ranking and left having proved exactly why he earned it, while Isaak and Perez rounded out a spectacular night of high-stakes flips.
Winner’s circle:
- 1st: Matthew Hartmann
- 2nd: Tom Isaak
- 3rd: Lucas Perez
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