Star Wars Unlimited Galactic Championship Day 3 Recap

The final day of the first ever Star Wars Unlimited Galactic Championship delivered everything competitive players had hoped for — tight matches, surprising deck choices, and a champion nobody saw coming. Day 3 in Las Vegas brought the Top 64 players into a high-stakes elimination bracket, with open decklists adding an extra layer of pressure to every decision. When it was over, a Polish player named Filip Szkudlarek had etched his name into SWU history.

Here’s the full breakdown of how it happened.

The Format

Day 3 opened with the Top 64 players entering single-elimination play. Decklists had been made public after Round 8 on Day 2, meaning every player walked into their matches knowing exactly what their opponent was running. There was nowhere to hide. Sideboard choices, sequencing decisions, and tempo reads all took on added weight. The players who had built decks with confidence rather than surprise tech were the ones who thrived.

The Grand Finals: Filip Szkudlarek vs Ian Klein

Filip Szkudlarek — Mother Talzin Red Force Control

Filip navigated the entire Day 3 bracket with a Talzin Red Force control list that the competitive community hadn’t fully anticipated. The deck was built to delay, disrupt, and close with Force Lightning at the right moment rather than racing or applying linear pressure. His mastery over tempo and resource management allowed him to consistently outmaneuver aggressive opponents, making plays that felt inevitable in hindsight.

For a full breakdown of how the deck worked and what it contained, see our complete Filip Szkudlarek deck analysis.

Ian Klein — Kylo Ren Tarkintown

Representing The Bothan Network, Ian piloted a Kylo Ren Tarkintown tempo build — a deck engineered for fast, punishing plays and board dominance through Force Throw pressure. Ian’s Day 3 run was full of clutch matches and crowd-pleasing moments, and his finish as runner-up cemented Kylo TT as one of the defining decks of the event. His composure under elimination-round pressure was a highlight of the weekend.

The Finals

The Grand Finals was a best-of-three between two players from different continents representing two of the most talked-about decks of the weekend. In a tense three-game set, Filip’s Talzin Red narrowly defeated Ian’s Kylo TT, with a well-timed Force Lightning play in the deciding game sealing the match. Filip Szkudlarek became the first ever Star Wars Unlimited Galactic Champion.

Top 8 Results

Half of the Top 8 semifinalists played Legends of the Force leaders outside of the pre-event favorites Han and Sabine. Multiple Kylo-based builds and Talzin variants made the cut, reflecting a meta that had expanded rather than consolidated heading into the biggest event in the game’s history.

Full Top 8 decklists are available on Melee.gg and SWUDB.com.

Day 3 Meta Takeaways

Red Force control and Kylo TT were the dominant archetypes in the Top 8, but the broader field told a more interesting story. This was not a solved metagame. Creative deck builders showed up with builds outside the expected tier list and made deep runs. Community reaction to the Top 8 reflected that — the variety on display was widely praised.

Force Throw appeared in nearly every Top 8 matchup and was the most ubiquitous card of the entire event. It was the defining removal tool of the tournament. Two months later, Fantasy Flight suspended it from Premier format effective September 22, 2025 — citing its consistently high success rate and its interaction with the Force token mechanic introduced in Legends of the Force. If you’re looking to build a deck inspired by the Galactic Championship Top 8, note that Force Throw is no longer legal in Premier play. You can check the current suspended card list at SWU Competitive Hub.

The shift away from Han and Sabine dominance that characterized earlier sets was clear. This tournament marked the rise of tactical control and tempo builds as the new ceiling of competitive play in Star Wars Unlimited.

Why This Tournament Was a Turning Point

A few things made the 2025 Galactic Championship significant beyond just crowning a champion:

The open decklist format mid-tournament rewarded players who had built their lists with confidence rather than relying on surprise. Filip had reportedly heard of Talzin Red before the event but refined it into something the field wasn’t prepared to beat consistently.

The meta diversity on display — particularly the presence of LOF leaders outside the traditional favorites — signaled that Star Wars Unlimited’s card pool had matured to a point where multiple legitimate strategies could compete at the highest level.

Nearly 2,000 players entered Day 1. Getting through that field to a championship required not just a strong deck but consistent execution across three full days of play. Filip’s win was earned across every round, not just the finals.

What Happened Next

The Galactic Championship previewed the Secrets of Power expansion (Set 6, released November 2025) during the event. That set introduced the disclose mechanic and expanded the operative and scheming archetypes significantly. Since then, two more sets have released — A Lawless Time (March 2026) and Ashes of the Empire (July 2026, upcoming) — and the first rotation has occurred, cycling Sets 1–3 out of Premier format.

For the current state of the meta heading into mid-2026, SWUBase.com is the best resource for tournament data and tier lists. For a full breakdown of what’s currently legal in Premier, see our Star Wars Unlimited rotation guide.

Build Your Championship-Inspired Deck

If the Galactic Championship has you inspired to build a competitive deck, start by browsing singles at the Skillshotz Gaming shop. Want to test your list before investing in cards? Our guide to playing Star Wars Unlimited online covers every free simulator available in 2026. And if you’re not sure what you’re looking at when buying cards, our card rarities guide breaks it all down.

Play at Skillshotz Gaming

Skillshotz Gaming in Deerfield Beach hosts Star Wars Unlimited events including Premier format play. If the Galactic Championship got you fired up to compete, come test your deck against real opponents at 616 SE 10th Street, Deerfield Beach, FL 33441 or contact us to find out what’s on the schedule.