# The Score Card: Pro Circuit Showdowns

**Source:** Kineticist  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2025-11-13  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.kineticist.com/post/the-score-card-pro-circuit-showdowns

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## Analysis

The Score Card reports on October's major competitive pinball events: the 2024-25 Stern Pro Circuit Final in Schaumburg, IL, where Zach McCarthy won using a new objective-based speedrun format, and the Pinball Expo 2025 FlipOUT tournament where Arvid Flygare claimed victory. The article also covers controversial WPPR rule changes affecting the Amazing Race format, reducing points to emphasize skill quality.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] 2024-25 SPCF introduced objective-based competition instead of traditional high-score head-to-head matches — _Direct reporting on tournament format change; verified by specific gameplay examples (Bird One on James Bond, Hardwired on Metallica)_
- [HIGH] Zach McCarthy won the Stern Pro Circuit Final with a 6-1 series victory over Raymond Davidson — _Official tournament results with specific match details and clear times provided_
- [HIGH] Expo FlipOUT 2025 drew over 250 participants — _Direct statement from tournament reporting_
- [HIGH] IFPA reduced WPPR points for Amazing Race format on October 31 citing 'format quality' concerns — _Reported as official IFPA announcement with rationale about test of skill_
- [HIGH] Arvid Flygare won Expo FlipOUT 2025 after Logan Henderson fought through entire loser's bracket — _Detailed match reporting with specific gameplay moments (990M points, final outlane miss)_

### Notable Quotes

> "We are looking to promote and encourage formats that requires a high quality level of the 'test of skill' of the players involved. Often times with Amazing Race, especially in the early rounds, the 'test of skill' being judged is based on the ability for a player to pass some insanely low score on a given machine."
> — **IFPA**, October 31 announcement
> _Official justification for controversial WPPR rule change; reveals IFPA's philosophy on tournament format quality standards_

> "Wrapping up with a 6-1 series finish, Zach McCarthy clutched up the 2024-25 Stern Pro Circuit Championship, continuing his extremely impressive season of tournament wins."
> — **Colin (Kineticist/Author)**, Tournament report
> _Establishes McCarthy's dominant performance and trajectory in competitive circuit_

> "Everything came down to one last match of The Mandalorian, where both players fumbled their first two balls, leaving the entire tournament to one ball of play each."
> — **Colin (Kineticist/Author)**, Expo FlipOUT grand final report
> _Dramatic narrative of Expo FlipOUT finals; highlights tension and uncertainty in high-stakes competition_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Zach McCarthy | person | Elite competitive pinball player; won 2024-25 Stern Pro Circuit Final using new objective-based format; defeated Raymond Davidson 6-1 in finals |
| Raymond Davidson | person | Elite competitive pinball player; code designer; finished second at SPCF; defeated Nic Stein 6-1 in semifinals |
| Arvid Flygare | person | Top competitive pinball player from Sweden; won Expo FlipOUT 2025 after clearing winner's bracket; defeated Logan Henderson in grand final |
| Logan Henderson | person | Competitive pinball player; fought through entire loser's bracket at Expo FlipOUT to reach grand final against Arvid Flygare |
| Nic Stein | person | Competitive pinball player; held four-round winning streak through SPCF quarterfinals before losing to Raymond Davidson 6-1 |
| Stern Pro Circuit Final | event | Annual championship tournament; top 32 WPPR-qualified players; held October 2024 at Enterrium in Schaumburg, IL; features $30,000+ prize pool |
| Pinball Expo 2025 FlipOUT | event | Major competitive tournament at world's longest-running pinball convention; held in Schaumburg, IL; drew 250+ participants; part of 2025 Stern Pro Circuit |
| Stern Pinball | company | Manufacturer sanctioning and running Pro Circuit; streamed SPCF on YouTube with Backhand Pinball; machines featured in tournament lineups |
| IFPA | organization | International Federation of Pinball; announced controversial WPPR formula changes on October 31 affecting Amazing Race format; manages tournament sanctioning |
| Jack Danger | person | Pinball content creator; hosted and commentated SPCF finals with Elizabeth Gieske on Stern's YouTube stream |
| Elizabeth Gieske | person | Co-commentator for SPCF finals alongside Jack Danger on Stern YouTube |
| Backhand Pinball | organization | Media partner for SPCF streaming; associated with tournament broadcast production |
| Fox Cities Pinball | organization | Streamer of Expo FlipOUT A Division playoffs on Twitch |
| Star Wars: Fall of the Empire | product | New Stern release featured prominently at Expo FlipOUT 2025; key game in both SPCF and Expo tournaments |
| Metallica: Remastered | product | Stern pinball machine featured in SPCF grand finals; multiple objectives played (Gravemarker Multiball, Sparky Multiball) |
| Tilt Amusements | company | Host/organizer of Expo FlipOUT tournament |
| Carlos Delaserda | person | Competitive player; tied for third place at SPCF; lost 6-2 to Zmac in semifinals |
| Andrew Lee | person | Competitive player; held impressive winning streak through first three SPCF rounds before knockout by Zmac in quarterfinals |
| Jane Verwys | person | Women's division champion at Expo FlipOUT 2025 |
| Matthew Knippen | person | B Division champion at Expo FlipOUT 2025; location Manhattan, IL |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Stern Pro Circuit Final format innovation, Competitive pinball tournament results and winners, WPPR rule changes and community controversy, Expo FlipOUT tournament mechanics and results
- **Secondary:** Elite player performance and rankings, New Stern machines in tournament rotation, Tournament streaming and media coverage
- **Mentioned:** IFPA tournament calendar and scheduling

### Sentiment

**Mixed** (0.55) — Positive reporting on tournament competition and player achievements, but tempered by controversy around WPPR rule changes and community backlash. Article maintains professional tone while acknowledging divisive policy decision.

### Signals

- **[community_signal]** WPPR rule changes to Amazing Race format on October 31 sparked community outcry over reduced WPPR point potential and potential tournament format deprecation (confidence: high) — IFPA announced formula change citing 'format quality'; community feared reduced points would lead to fewer Amazing Race tournaments in 2026 calendar; IFPA issued follow-up clarification in November
- **[sentiment_shift]** Mixed reception to WPPR policy changes; IFPA made corrections to initial formula adjustment within days, suggesting initial decision was poorly calibrated (confidence: high) — Community 'outcry' on October 31 followed by IFPA revision in 'early November'; second formula revision 'slightly improving' Flip Frenzy potential
- **[competitive_signal]** Objective-based speedrun format replaces traditional high-score head-to-head matches at SPCF; fundamentally changes strategic approach to tournament play (confidence: high) — SPCF featured specific objectives like 'Start Bird One Multiball on James Bond 007' with winner determined by fastest completion time rather than highest score
- **[competitive_signal]** Zach McCarthy establishing dominance across competitive season with SPCF victory and described as having 'extremely impressive season of tournament wins' (confidence: high) — McCarthy won SPCF with 6-1 finals victory; article notes continuation of impressive seasonal performance
- **[event_signal]** October featured two major back-to-back competitive events (SPCF and Expo FlipOUT) in same location (Schaumburg, IL), creating unique competitive season concentrated moment (confidence: high) — Both events held roughly same weekend in Schaumburg; described as 'special slice of the competitive season'
- **[competitive_signal]** Expo FlipOUT shifting from traditional Stern new-release-only tournament to multi-game 'Best Game' qualifying format with greater variety (confidence: high) — 'Back in the day, the Expo FlipOUT was all about playing Stern's latest release over and over, but nowadays, there's a bit more variety'

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## Transcript

Approaching the end of the year, competitive pinball becomes an interesting scene. As some players wind down, many others rush to the biggest tournaments they can find, eager to claim a few final victories before the season ends. While November and December still have noteworthy events, October is an extremely important month in this regard, providing players with an open month before the holidays and inclement Carl Weathers take hold. Extra pressure is introduced with two of the biggest competitive pinball events of the season, but for those dedicated to competition, October is the best kind of pandemonium.
On this edition of the Score Card, we're diving into two of the most intense competitions of the year, including the Stern Pro Circuit Finals and the Pinball Expo FlipOUT tournament. With both events taking place roughly the same weekend and in the same neighborhood, it's a special slice of the competitive season, as players from around the world all descend onto Schaumburg, Illinois, looking for their moment to shine. These competitions, along with some controversial changes to tournament pinball rules, have made for an interesting past few weeks, so let's unpack it all.
2024-25 Stern Pro Circuit Final
If you've been following The Score Card throughout the year, you're no doubt familiar with the Stern Pro Circuit, but let's recap the basics for those unfamiliar. Each year, Stern Pinball and the IFPA sanction 20 tournaments from around the world, representing that year's Stern Pro Circuit. As players compete in these events, they earn qualifying points, and the top 32 players are invited to the Stern Pro Circuit Final. There, they compete in head-to-head matches, with over $30,000 in cash and prizes up for grabs. This year's Stern Pro Circuit Final (SPCF) was held at Enterrium in Schaumburg, IL, and was the culmination of the 2024 Stern Pro Circuit. As usual, just qualifying for the SPCF is a major feat that requires a ton of skill and dedication, making for a very talented roster of 32 players.
The 2024-25 SPCF was reminiscent of prior years in many ways, but there was one key difference this time that completely changed the vibe: the format. While previous years saw traditional head-to-head matches where the highest score won the match, the 2024-25 SPCF was all about objective-based competition. A speedrun challenge of sorts, players had specific objectives to complete in each match, like starting Bird One Multiball on James Bond 007 or starting Hardwired on Metallica: Remastered. The rules are simple: whoever completes the objective faster wins the match. Whoever wins 6 matches first advances in the bracket toward the grand final. With no need to worry about overall score, speed and accuracy become paramount, resulting in a markedly different experience for players and viewers alike.
This year's competition was streamed live on Stern Pinball's YouTube channel in association with Backhand Pinball, hosted and commentated by Jack Danger and Elizabeth Elizabeth Gieske, offering 10 hours of world-class tournament pinball to enjoy. The early rounds saw players getting accustomed to the new lightning-fast format, battling for ball control where possible, but still flying through objectives in mere minutes. Andrew Lee held an impressive winning streak for the first three rounds, but was ultimately knocked out by Zach 'Zmac' McCarthy in the quarterfinals, as Nic Stein held his four-round winning streak through the quarterfinals with excellent play. In the semifinals, Raymond Davidson bested Nic Stein in a 6-1 series, while Zach McCarthy continued to heat up by beating Carlos Delaserda in a 6-2 series, setting the stage for the grand finals.
The grand finals got off to a roaring start on Metallica: Remastered, where Zach completed the “Start Gravemarker Multiball” challenge in a breezy 32.3 seconds, winning the first match of the series. Zach continued to find his groove by picking up three more wins, clearing challenges like “Start Sparky Multiball” on Metallica: Remastered, “Start Telekinesis Multiball” on Stranger Things, and “Start To Me, My X-Men Multiball” on The Uncanny X-Men.
However, Raymond broke Zach's hot streak by clearing the “Capture a Dinosaur” challenge on Jurassic Park in just 37.9 seconds, putting the series at 4-1. Moving over to John Wick, Zach picked up another win with a 1:01 clear time of the “Start Excommunicado Multiball” challenge, putting him just one win away from total victory. In the end, only the “Start Sentinel Multiball” challenge on The Uncanny X-Men stood between Zmac and the championship. With a blistering clear time of 25.7 seconds, Zach McCarthy put on enormous pressure, and though Raymond earned an equally impressive clear time of 27.3 seconds, it was not enough. Wrapping up with a 6-1 series finish, Zach McCarthy clutched up the 2024-25 Stern Pro Circuit Championship, continuing his extremely impressive season of tournament wins.
2024-25 Stern Pro Circuit Final Winners:
- SPC Champion – Zach McCarthy (Conifer, CO)
- Second Place – Raymond Davidson (Elk Grove Village, IL)
- Third Place (TIE) – Carlos Delaserda (Columbus, OH) / Nic Stein (Davis, CA)
Pinball Expo 2025 FlipOUT
Just a day or so after the Stern Pro Circuit Final, you could find many of the same players competing in the Tilt Amusements FlipOUT tournament at Pinball Expo 2025. Also held in Schaumburg, IL, the FlipOUT tournament is one of the most storied competitions in the community, appropriately hosted at the world's longest-running pinball convention. Part of the 2025 Stern Pro Circuit, the Expo FlipOUT is always a massive affair: this year it drew in over 250 participants, all excited to test their mettle on one of competitive pinball's biggest stages. In addition to the main, open tournament, Pinball Expo 2025 also hosted Classics, Women's, and Junior's tournaments, but we'll be focusing on the SPC-sanctioned main tournament here.
Back in the day, the Expo FlipOUT was all about playing Stern's latest release over and over, but nowadays, there's a bit more variety. Qualifying is “Best Game” format, where players are given 24 attempts at 12 unique machines, all competing for overall high scores on a lineup of Stern's currently produced machines. The big game at this year's tournament was the new Star Wars: Fall of the Empire, but players could also compete on titles like King Kong: Myth of Terror Island, The Mandalorian, James Bond 007, and more. The nice part about the Expo FlipOUT is that everybody qualifies for playoffs, with the top half of qualifiers making 'A Division' and the bottom half filling out 'B Division'.
As usual, Fox Cities Pinball was there to stream all the action live on Twitch, including the A Division playoffs, which was a crazy showcase of top-tier skill in the competitive world. Held across two days, the FlipOUT playoffs are head-to-head, best-of-3 matches, with double elimination to boot. Just as fun to watch as it is to compete in, you'll commonly see players blowing up machines for billions of points, pushing themselves to their limits in the spirit of cutthroat, 1v1 competition. While I squeaked my way into the A Division playoffs, I was quickly knocked out with back-to-back losses, giving me plenty of time to watch the rest of the competition unfold. By day 2 of the playoffs, matches became more and more remarkable, keeping both the players and audience awake in the wee hours of the morning.
After dozens of rounds, it all came down to the grand final: Arvid Flygare vs Logan Joshua Henderson. Both players had already played tons of competitive pinball by this point, with Arvid clearing the winner's side of the bracket, while Logan fought his way through the entire loser's bracket for one last shot at victory. Pulling off a huge ball 3 comeback on Iron Maiden and several solid games of Star Wars: Fall of the Empire, Logan reset the bracket, forcing a final match to settle it all. Everything came down to one last match of The Mandalorian, where both players fumbled their first two balls, leaving the entire tournament to one ball of play each. Arvid hit some serious super jackpots across two multiballs, totaling just over 990 million points, leaving a huge target for Logan to take down. Though Logan played his heart out, the pinball gods were not on his side, as a ricochet from a stand up target plopped the ball directly into the left outlane, wrapping up the tournament and making Arvid Flygare the Expo FlipOUT 2025 champion.
Pinball Expo 2025 FlipOUT Winners:
- A Division – Arvid Flygare (Sweden)
- B Division – Matthew Knippen (Manhattan, IL)
- Women's – Jane Verwys (Chicago, IL)
- Classics – Daniele Celestino Acciari (Italy)
WPPR Rules Shift Causes a Stir
The World Pinball Player Ranking points system is one that is ever-changing, with adjustments made to the formula somewhat regularly, often causing a stir for one reason or another. On Halloween, the IFPA announced a WPPR formula change that affected the Amazing Race format, effectively reducing the WPPR points that the format could produce. The reasoning behind this change was because of “format quality”, according to the IFPA, who stated: “We are looking to promote and encourage formats that requires a high quality level of the ‘test of skill’ of the players involved. Often times with Amazing Race, especially in the early rounds, the ‘test of skill’ being judged is based on the ability for a player to pass some insanely low score on a given machine.”
This change was met with a bit of an outcry from some members of the community, who feared that the reduction in WPPR potential would result in fewer Amazing Race tournaments on the 2026 calendar. The IFPA later addressed these concerns in early November with another WPPR formula revision, which re-balanced the Amazing Race slightly, though the WPPR potential remains reduced. The Flip Frenzy format also received a minor change, giving tournament organizers alternative options for playoffs, slightly improving the WPPR potential of the format overall. These changes will not go into effect until January 1, 2026, so it will be interesting to see how tournament organizers adjust to the new rules formula.
Upcoming IFPA Events
With just over a month left in the 2025 competitive season, the schedule is definitely winding down, but there are still a handful of big tournaments left on the list. The Stern Pro Circuit continues in late November at Free Play Florida, then wraps up in December with two final competitions: Pincinnati in Ohio and Winter Bash in Illinois. As always, you can check out the IFPA tournament calendar to find other competitions near you, or the IFPA league page if you're more interested in social play across multiple weeks. We'll be back soon to cap off the season before the IFPA State Championship in January, but until then, stay warm and stay flipping.

_(Acquisition: web_scrape, Enrichment: v1)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: e39d16c1-4525-4929-a8a8-e5e253b53ee3*