Tcg
Ducky Wins Again at the First Garden Arena Regional
Seven months after winning the January 2026 Azuki TCG Invitational, ducky did it again.
Playing Zero/Fire, he won the first Garden Arena Regional in Pasadena, topping a 315-player field to earn $3,000 and a seat at the 2027 Azuki Invitational.
After eight rounds of Swiss, ducky entered the Top 8 as the fourth seed at 7–1. He then defeated orion, jbae, and drewwskiee without dropping a top-cut match.
His aggressive Rushfire deck leaned on the Cinderwake engine and burn damage to close games quickly.
The event awarded $10,000 in cash and qualified 16 players for the 2027 Invitational. It was the largest competitive Azuki TCG gathering yet. For many attendees, it was their first time meeting people they had previously only played or talked with online.
Final standings — Top 8
| Place | Player | Leader | Element | Result | Swiss |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ducky | Zero | Fire | Champion | 7-1 |
| 2 | drewwskiee | Zero | Fire | Finalist | 7-1 |
| 3 | mrmexicant | Zero | Fire | Top 4 | 7-1 |
| 4 | jbae | Zero | Fire | Top 4 | 7-1 |
| 5 | BaconMan | Raizan | Lightning | Top 8 | 8-0 |
| 6 | cat | Bobu | Earth | Top 8 | 7-1 |
| 7 | orion | Zero | Fire | Top 8 | 7-1 |
| 8 | szerro | Zero | Fire | Top 8 | 7-1 |
All Top 16 finishers qualified for the 2027 Azuki Invitational.
The Regional featured a $10,000 cash prize pool, paid out through the Top 8:
- 1st: $3,000
- 2nd–4th: $1,400 each
- 5th–8th: $700 each
Players finishing from the Top 128 through the Top 8 earned tiered Garden Arena promo cards with tournament stamps and textured foiling. Every competitor received a participation pack.
The field
Fire dominated the Top 64, representing 63% of decklists and 6 of the Top 8, including both finalists. All four domains still reached the Top 64. The breakdown by domain was:
- Fire (Zero): 63%
- Water (Shao): 14%
- Earth (Bobu, Goro Graveloth): 14%
- Lightning (Raizan): 9%
BaconMan posted the only undefeated Swiss record at 8–0 on Raizan/Lightning, while cat reached the Top 8 on Bobu/Earth.
Missed it live? Watch the full tournament stream on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBry8InPOiI
Thank you
Thank you to all the players who came out to compete, to CoreTCG and the judges and event staff for running the event, and to AtrociousJake and Marredplatypus on the broadcast. And thank you to everyone who watched from home and cheered the players on.
Garden Arena returns October 24 in Peoria, hosted by Top Cut. Registration opens August 23.