# Concord Champ '25: Semis, Game 3/4 on The Shadow by Bally. Streamed from The Flipper Room.

**Source:** DRI374  
**Type:** video  
**Published:** 2025-11-18  
**Duration:** 37m 2s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfqPMSxQjAY

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## Analysis

Live tournament commentary from Concord Champ '25 semifinals, game 3/4 on The Shadow (Bally). Commentators analyze competitive play across multiple rounds, discussing player strategy, playfield mechanics, scoring, and multiball sequences. The broadcast includes technical observations about streaming quality and camera angles.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Andre (top qualifier) had master control and could pick the same bank twice due to qualifying by at least three points — _Commentators discussing tournament rules set by 'Jer', confirmed as specific rule for top qualifier only_
- [MEDIUM] Dan previously put up big numbers on The Shadow and is expected to do well — _Commentator: 'We've seen Dan put up big numbers on this game before'_
- [HIGH] Andre advances to finals after this game (through eight points total) — _Final scoring calculation: 'Andre gets two. So, eight. He's through. Andre's through.'_
- [HIGH] Nick is eliminated from advancement (definitely out after final scores) — _Commentator: 'Nick is definitely out'_
- [MEDIUM] Jack is in very good shape and would benefit if Nick passes Dan — _Commentator: 'Jack would actually like uh Nick to pass Dan' and 'Jack is still uh in very good shape here'_
- [HIGH] The Shadow has upper playfield mechanics with pulse-triggered inserts that must be hit with flippers — _Detailed gameplay analysis describing upper playfield super mechanics and how they function_
- [MEDIUM] Younger players sometimes lack developed sense of timing for plunger/skip passes — _Commentator observation: 'The younger guys, they don't have a sense of time yet' when discussing opening play_
- [MEDIUM] The Shadow is described as 'a very Nick Steiny game' with loop passing mechanics — _Commentator: 'This is a very Nick Steiny game like with the loops there'_

### Notable Quotes

> "So I made about 40 bucks for the weekend. That's like about $150 an hour."
> — **Unidentified commentator**, Opening
> _Joke about tournament payouts/earnings_

> "This is a very Nick Steiny game like with the loops there. Yeah, you rarely let it go all the way around without using the upper flipper on the left side and left loop."
> — **Commentators**, Early commentary
> _Design analysis of Shadow mechanics and strategy_

> "You had to be the top qualifier by at least three points for that to take place. And that that's what he did."
> — **Commentator (discussing tournament rules)**, Mid-game
> _Tournament rule clarification about Andre's advantage_

> "So, Jack is playing for the long run here. That's got really nice technique there. It's just that ball is not going to drain."
> — **Commentator**, Jack's turn
> _Player technique observation during extended play_

> "Why do so many games have half ramps of death?"
> — **Commentator**, Late game
> _Design observation about ramp failure mechanics across pinball games_

> "I'm going to have to put that in my playbook."
> — **Commentator**, During action sequence
> _Reaction to impressive playfield technique/shot execution_

> "Andre's through."
> — **Commentator**, Final standings
> _Andre's advancement confirmed_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Andre | person | Tournament player at Concord Champ '25, top qualifier with six points, advances to finals |
| Jack | person | Tournament player at Concord Champ '25, in good position in semis with six points |
| Dan | person | Tournament player at Concord Champ '25, historically strong on The Shadow, needs help to advance |
| Nick | person | Tournament player at Concord Champ '25, eliminated from advancement (out of points) |
| The Shadow | game | Bally pinball machine, game 3/4 in Concord Champ '25 semifinals, features upper playfield mechanics and loop combos |
| Bally | company | Manufacturer of The Shadow pinball machine |
| The Flipper Room | venue | Location where Concord Champ '25 is being streamed from |
| Concord Champ '25 | event | Pinball tournament with semifinals/finals structure, streamed live |
| Jer | person | Tournament organizer who set the rules for Concord Champ '25 |
| Twitch | organization | Streaming platform experiencing technical issues (stream drops, frame drops) during broadcast |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Tournament structure and competitive play, The Shadow playfield mechanics and strategy, Multiball and mode completion strategy
- **Secondary:** Live streaming technical issues, Player technique and skill execution, Tournament rules and qualification system, Camera angles and broadcast perspective

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.75) — Enthusiastic commentary with appreciation for skilled play and creative shot execution. Minor frustration with streaming technical issues. Overall tone is engaging and supportive of competitive pinball.

### Signals

- **[event_signal]** Live streaming coverage of Concord Champ '25 semifinals from The Flipper Room venue (confidence: high) — Title states 'Concord Champ '25: Semis, Game 3/4' with live play-by-play commentary and multiple player tracking
- **[competitive_signal]** Andre advances to finals with 8 points; Nick eliminated; Dan and Jack still competing for positioning (confidence: high) — Final standings: Andre through (8), Jack (6), Dan (4), Nick out. Commentators confirm advancement math.
- **[gameplay_signal]** The Shadow favors loop combos and upper flipper control; described as 'Nick Steiny' style game (confidence: high) — Multiple commentary segments analyzing loop passing, upper flipper mechanics, and the connection to Nick Steiny design philosophy
- **[design_philosophy]** Observation that multiple games feature 'half ramps of death' as a recurring design element (confidence: medium) — Commentator question: 'Why do so many games have half ramps of death?' - suggests pattern across game design
- **[content_signal]** Live streamed tournament broadcast from The Flipper Room experiencing intermittent Twitch stream drops and frame issues (confidence: high) — Multiple comments: 'We got stream issues again', 'there are definitely drop frames here', 'Twitch in San Jose'
- **[competitive_signal]** Younger players observed to lack developed sense of timing for technical shots like plunger skip passes (confidence: medium) — Commentator: 'The younger guys, they don't have a sense of time yet' in context of opening play execution
- **[venue_signal]** The Flipper Room hosting Concord Champ '25 tournament with adequate infrastructure for live streaming (confidence: high) — Tournament broadcast title and venue identification with multiple game setups

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## Transcript

So, I made uh 40 bucks for the weekend. That's like about a$150 an hour.
So, [laughter]
raking it in.
Yeah. All right. Andre looks like this is real. No. No, it's not real because it's only a two-player game. Do you have game audio or you want to we can turn that back on?
Yeah, that was just like what's wrong?
Yeah.
Oh,
I need to crank up the cameras a little bit. It's a little bit darker in here. So Andre just started the corn and walked off. What [laughter] happened?
Yeah. You know what happens in practice when you start it that easily when it comes back to the game. There's that ski pass over from the uh the plunge or the
Well, the the younger guys, they don't have a sense of time yet.
Yeah, that's right. That's right. They haven't developed that sense.
Yeah. M a little tappy. Are we going to see that?
We're going to see some salty tap passes. Oh, loop pass. This is a good game for loop passing if you can get it going.
Yeah, this is a very Nick Steiny game like with the loops there.
Yeah, you you you rarely let it go all the way around without using the upper flipper
on the left side and left loop. All right.
I was saying that he's still out for Nick, right? If he if he takes two first, he'll be at six. And then if Andre takes up the, you know, a lot large majority of the other points, There's a world where he could go through
clear. Let's see some jumping up and down. Andre
calisthenics money. His cons lit. Oh.
Oh, [laughter]
I think that's what he did in practice.
Yeah. Yeah, that was what Kong did a few rounds ago as well. I don't Yeah, I think I was hosting with Brian then, but it was just like what what did he do? It's just because I wasn't pay attention. It's just like
he was in multiple up two flips. This is how you do it.
All right. Is he going to survive? He survive that one.
Oh, does he have the super ri's lit?
Yeah, it looks like it's flashing. Everything is flashing.
Oh, no. Uh,
it was not.
He's got to get the upper playfield. Oh.
Oh, this is how
the super's on the upper playfield on this one.
Okay. All right. Gotcha. Gotcha. Do you have to break through the wall for that or
you have to hit the one that's lit like it'll pulse.
Okay.
It'll pulse back and forth and you got to
Yeah, because there's inserts in the back. We can't see them here, but
got to with your paddle hit the hit the one that's lit.
Yeah. I'll put the camera as far into the playfield I can this this tournament just and I haven't seen a single head covering the flippers so far.
Oh
yeah.
I'm going to have to look at that because I get some
Yeah, because some players
leaners some leaners.
Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. I mean I like the perspective better when you have the camera as far back as you can to kind of get the players view right. But then you have then you have players that play like this and you can't see anything. Yeah. Leaners.
Leaners. Yeah. And then what happens there is that you can't see deep into the playfield either. Right. This case here. Oh, damn. Damn. Damn.
Now, we saw Dan go to the upper play field like three times. Yeah.
In the last round. So,
yeah. that one 1.5 billion he walked off with there was a huge contribution the upper play field there. So
now it's very difficult to have two monster games back to back on the same game. So
Oh yeah,
we'll see how he comes back from that ball one.
Yeah, I'm Look at that.
That's how you do it. But I'm sort of surprised that you picked the same he picked the same band twice basically.
Well, he had Yeah, he had uh master control over it. So,
he was the top qualifier.
So, if he survives this round, does that mean he can still pick the same bank again?
Yes.
That was in the rules that Jer put together. And that was only for the top qualifier.
Yes, there was a nuance to the rule.
Okay.
You had to you had to be the top qualifier by at least three points for that to take place. And that that's what he did.
Oh. Meanwhile, Jack's been playing for a while. Let's go. Going to go loops. [groaning]
Going for a mode.
Nice. Little late.
Yeah. Yeah, that shot is so hard to set up.
All right.
Oh, okay.
We're playing Battlefield.
I don't know if that one's by plan or it just happened. Yeah, he doesn't look like he's really interested in it, but I could be wrong. Well, he went back to it though.
Mongrel,
find him and kill him. All of [groaning] you, looping out.
Mhm. Why not?
Wow.
Was it drop down or did it
I don't I think it hit it and then it had enough momentum to carry it in. I don't know.
All right, that's one. Lit the lock there. Might as well. All right, might as well just continue uh playing Orcanoid. I think he is going to do it. He's going to break through.
Oh. Ah. [screaming] Get through there. Is that 100? Oh, I like it when it goes around there slow and then you get a second whack at it. I'm surprised he was only at 13 million for that one.
Oh, video mode.
Verb. All right. So, Jack is playing for the long run here. That's got really nice technique there. It's just that ball is not going to drain.
All right. He hasn't hit anything for a while, but now there he goes. He rided the ship.
Multiball.
Yeah. And now we need to start hitting things. Oh,
what happens?
I I've seen that before. I It get somehow it gets up there, but everything's dead.
H I wonder if the drop because the drop target for the for the battlefield is sort of like it looks like you have to hit it. You know, there's so many balls that just gone in there without.
So, I wonder if the drop target is not um coming up or something.
Okay, this should feed two balls to the upper flipper.
One for the road.
I'm going to go inspect this a little bit.
Ah. Oh, it was timed. Timed out. Second one's timed, I guess. That's trouble. Oh, yeah. It's really odd. the the drop target is up, so it's definitely working. But
oh, another con
All right.
Yes. Super
ball one there.
Nearly a billion ball one. Wow. Amazing.
The sun is shining, but the ice is a breeze.
All right, let's see if Nick can get some momentum going here.
All right. More Battlefield or is it just stuck? Oh yeah.
How are you doing? Three more. [groaning and screaming]
Yeah.
Oh, that was nice. Save it.
Nope.
You still think you can control the game with brute force? All right, that was a interesting ball one for everybody. Yay. More Battlefield.
What are you doing?
Oh. Oh no. Come on.
Let's go more Battlefield
All right. Breakthrough for 70 70 mil. [screaming] Oh, and a lock. Ricochet lock Might as well take your 5 mil.
I think I got it.
Your mongrel is going to time out, right? Oh, no.
There it is.
Yeah, that was it.
Nice. Down to two balls. Down to one ball. It wasn't simultaneous.
It was sequential drain.
So Andre was in multiball and he drained three balls like two seconds apart.
Oh [ __ ]
But he did hit he did hit some shots. Got up to 43 53 million.
Yeah.
So Nick didn't get much done on ball one. That is
You're good. What are you doing?
What are you doing?
All right. We've seen Dan put up big numbers on this game before, so
Oh, yeah.
He's got to get uh get the momentum going. Oh, I thought he had that one. That'll feed the upper flipper. There it is. Super is lit.
Yes, it is.
Luke combo. Yeah, loot combo. Oh, I
Oh, is it?
Oh, he wants to feed the saucer up top.
Oh my god, that is so risky. That shot is so tight. Okay, two feeds. One more around.
Oh no.
Where's the other ball?
I think it's sitting in a lock.
Come on.
Oh, was that a doubler?
Yeah, there's no grace on the super either. Uh, so that would have started his con multiball like immediately. Was that a double or a single danger?
I don't know.
All right, we're in the battlefield.
He's pretty good at this.
Yeah, he's pretty good at it. Yeah, you can say that. Oh yeah.
Yeah. Half ramp of death.
Why do so many games have half ramps of death? Oh, we got stream issues again. Yeah, something is going on with the Twitch at the moment. Twitch in San Jose, I'd say. Um,
audio seems fine, though. Videos
Yeah, that's really I mean, right now the the stream is looking good. 10 million.
And now it's fine for the moments. Yeah. Okay.
But there are definitely drop frames here. I'm not going to accuse anyone, but uh Autoel mode which is a multiball.
Uh it's a two ball. Yeah, you just continue to hit the what is it? The sanctum. This is where I think the loop combos are more valuable. Can he get the con? Oh, that was a great try.
Was it timing out? Is Colin timing out?
Yeah, the after the first one it times out. See, it's gone. Oh, look at that.
I mean, he's 3/4 of the way to final battle. I need to go find the other There it is. [groaning] Another mongrel. Orbit. Orbit. Another mode. No. Oh, he's in a mode.
Yeah, he's going to polish those off
if he goes on like this.
Oh, he's in Vengeance.
It's the Vengeance music, but uh
two more modes.
Yeah,
one more after this.
Yeah. got to hit the saucer to complete it. Oh, almost.
It's the only shot that's left.
Oh,
no.
Got a little greedy there.
I can I I can accept it though.
Yeah. Pro tip in chat there. It's just time him out. But
so all those a lot of those mode were in uh bonus. Mode points are in bonus.
Oh yeah, that's right.
So he might have left a half a billion there because that's the
several hundred at least. Yeah.
Yeah. Because
was that wasn't that the bonus that Dan had sitting
400 and something I think. Yeah.
Yeah. right. Nick's kind of behind the eightball. He
Yeah.
Um
I mean, if Jack gets three, Andre already has six. He's not going to be able to catch him. He did that last ball. I guess it gives him a nice clean feed for the left orbit shot.
Yeah,
but he hasn't been hitting it. All right. Got to start somewhere.
Yeah. Yeah.
Just pretend like it's a ball one. I like how he strategically lets a ball drain.
Yeah. You can't get the ball on the flipper that you want, right? It's just hopeless.
Oh, that's going to Okay.
All right. Now we're Now we're here.
Right.
Right ramp lock. Oh,
all right. I can support that.
So Oh, yeah. The loop is it that was lit. Yeah. I didn't I was just that that insert kind of looked like it was like going in into to the lock, but no. All right.
Oh, nice little top pass.
Survive. Oh, he didn't change it over. That's all right.
There. He finally got it. You can you can do if you if you loop out. I mean, it's big points.
Mhm.
The second and third one.
Oh. Oh, such [ __ ] All right. So, we got some ball three action here. Now,
this is where where it matters.
Do some modes. Andre doesn't need to win this game. There's a Oh, nice. [laughter] That's a pro move right there.
Yeah, I'll save it for later.
The thingab bobbers helped to it go through the ramp. Yeah. Yeah, look at the top. Yeah, I don't know
cuz that was going to be a almost a full ramp reject coming back down to drain. John Youssi that? Oh, that was [laughter] I like that.
Flipped it out in the back.
I'm going to have to put that in my playbook.
Yeah, I'm surprised that the ball didn't get stuck somewhere back there. would be a typical kind of just kind of just launch it out of yonder, right?
No, you can do that on the lower one, too.
Yeah. But usually you smack them into the habit rail. You don't like I mean
you kind of pulled that out of the
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Out of a hole somewhere. All right. If he if he fails to pass Jack and Andre, then they're in the they're totally in the driver's seat. failed ramp shot. He's got con.
Is that the timed one? Oh, he's going for it. Oh, it's going to time out. Oh, that get it. All right, perfect. He was just about ready to time out.
All right, Danny catch Andre. Step one.
All right, jackpots are raining raining down. He's got to hit the battlefield one. There it is. Now he's got to go what? Up up up up up to the battlefield. I'm looking.
Oh no. [screaming]
That's where he needed a trap. Uhhuh. But it just wasn't
Oh.
Oh [ __ ] That was close.
He could have had it in bonus probably. At least what that that one point, right? Did he tilt?
I don't know that he did. Did he?
No, he didn't. Oh, he didn't tilt. No, you're right. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. I thought it tilted.
It was just a untimely drain.
Oh,
it's a lot of here.
Loop into the con. I got to practice that more. I get fixated with the loop combos. Okay.
Oh no. Wow. They did not want to play today. he's going to roll it over. There you go. Oh no, half ramp of death. Oh, that's definitely a tilt. But Jack is still uh in very good shape here. Jack would actually like uh Nick to pass Dan.
Yeah, that would get rid of some competition.
Yeah. I mean, it would have been if if it does pass, Dan, it's go sort of like why are we going to play game four for position, I guess.
Uh I think Dan will still be within three points of Jack. So, but that doesn't So, so Nick is definitely out. Um, Dan gets a point.
Four. Jack is six. Andre gets two. So, eight. He's through.
Andre's through.
All right. We'll be back with some hot action pinball here.
Dan needs some help.

_(Acquisition: youtube_auto_sub, Enrichment: v1)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: c5bebd3c-9fc1-47f6-adcc-50fbf199cc87*