Amanda Rasmussen stood at Deadpool (Pro), battling Yusuf Yarow in a tense 13-minute duel during the Flip Frenzy qualifier. Rasmussen outplayed Yarow, securing a crucial victory on her way to a phenomenal qualifying run. But pinball is a game of shifting momentum, where early leads can quickly evaporate. While Rasmussen owned the afternoon and captured her first-ever tournament win in the main event, Yarow would ultimately claim the night in the finals.
Atmosphere and Stakes at Talisman Brewing
Located at 1258 Gibson Ave in Ogden, Utah, Talisman Brewing Company provided a welcoming, lively backdrop for the June 10th competition. Known for its dog-friendly vibe and refreshing pours like the popular Pink Pony, the establishment has become a favorite local hub, even as its bustling daily events calendar occasionally shifts the atmosphere. The field for the Talisman Pinball Party was intimate, featuring just nine players in close quarters. Five of the competitors were IFPA-ranked, and the group included two players ranked in the top 25 of the Utah state standings.
In such a small field, every match mattered heavily; one bad game could undo an afternoon, while one great game could win it. The lineup featured seven modern Stern machines spanning releases from 2018 to 2025, demanding a deep variety of skill sets.
Rasmussen’s Breakout Flip Frenzy Performance
The qualifier phase was a 137-minute Flip Frenzy, a format that tests physical endurance as much as shot accuracy. It was here that Amanda Rasmussen (IFPA #10050, UT NACS #65) put on an absolute masterclass. Thirty-eight events into her career and with 10 events played in the past six months, Rasmussen had been on a genuine upward trajectory all season. At Talisman, she finally broke through, claiming her first tournament win in the qualifying phase. Her run was dominant: Amanda Rasmussen won 6 games in a row (of 11 played) on their way to first place.
Even more impressively, Rasmussen put up the top score on 6 of the 7 machines she stepped up to. Deadpool (Pro) was the most played machine of the qualifier, seeing seven total matches. Players who knew to shoot the Snikt target from the left flipper to boost their playfield multiplier found a distinct edge. Rasmussen navigated the table perfectly to defeat Yarow, setting the tone for the rest of her run.
Cade Vincent, a rising player sitting at IFPA #2972 and UT NACS #11, also had a stellar qualifier. Coming off two victories in his last five outings, Vincent secured second place, while Marlin Raphael (IFPA #4382) took third to punch his ticket to the finals alongside Yarow.
A Heavyweight Group Match Play
The room tightened as the top four players—Rasmussen, Vincent, Raphael, and Yarow—advanced to the main event’s conclusion. The format shifted to Group Match Play, featuring a single round of three four-player games. With an average national rank of #5436 among the finalists, this was a highly competitive group where every single game visibly moved the standings.
The finals kicked off on Stranger Things (Pro), a 2019 release where hitting any main shot three times starts a lucrative mode and launching into the left scoop yields Super skill shot scoring. The game turned into a 24-minute marathon. Yarow, quietly leveling up his game over the past year to reach IFPA #4339, drew first blood by taking first place and four points. Vincent followed in second, Rasmussen in third, and Raphael in fourth.
The second game brought the group back to Deadpool (Pro). Raphael needed a massive turnaround to stay in contention, and he delivered, surviving a grueling 25-minute match to take first place. Yarow secured another solid second-place finish, adding two more points to his total, while Vincent took third and Rasmussen fell to fourth.
Yarow Survives the Shark
The tournament’s climax arrived on JAWS (Pro). The newest machine in the room, the 2024 release requires players to repeatedly shoot the chum bucket to set up multiball opportunities and target the Shark Tower to collect Beachgoers for extra balls. The final game stretched to 27 minutes, the longest battle of the finals.
Vincent, looking to cap off his recent hot streak, played brilliantly to capture first place in the game. However, Yarow stayed right on his heels, locking down his third consecutive second-place finish of the finals. Raphael finished third, and Rasmussen closed out her night in fourth.
When the final points were tallied, Yarow’s consistency proved unbeatable. He claimed the overall finals victory, edging out Vincent, who took second. Raphael secured third place on the podium, and Rasmussen finished fourth. The results also sent ripples through local rivalries: Yarow’s victory broke a dead heat with Vincent, putting Yarow ahead 8-7 in their shared event history. Meanwhile, Vincent’s placement allowed him to widen his head-to-head gap over Raphael to 6-4.
It was a night of shifting power dynamics in Ogden. The tournament will be remembered for the historic first win for Rasmussen in the qualifier, and the gritty, relentlessly consistent path to the championship for Yarow.
No comment yet, add your voice below!