From January 30 to February 1, 2026, the major fighting game tournament "Frosty Faustings XVIII 2026" took place in Illinois, USA. In the Guilty Gear Strive category, Jack, representing Paragon, emerged victorious out of 663 participants.
As a designated Platinum Event for the Arc World Tour 2025-2026 (AWT 2025-2026), this tournament awarded the championship winner a spot in the AWT Finals in South Korea this coming March.
Jack has been a dominant force in North American online tournaments such as TNS and The Jeekly, racking up countless victories. However, at major offline events, the trophy has remained just out of reach, despite notable finishes like 5th at Evo 2025 and 4th at CEO 2025. This victory marks a long-awaited first major offline title and the first-ever qualification for the AWT Finals for the Paragon player.
| Rank | Player | Characters |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | ๐บ๐ธ Jack | Happy Chaos |
| 2nd | ๐บ๐ธ Walter | Millia |
| 3rd | ๐ฒ๐ฝ Dany "El Maza" | Ky |
| 4th | ๐บ๐ธ Kshuewhatdamoo | I-No |
| 5th | ๐บ๐ธ UMISHO | Chipp |
| 5th | ๐บ๐ธ Hotashi | Nagoriyuki, Bridget |
| 7th | ๐ฏ๐ต Bushin | Slayer, Leo |
| 7th | ๐บ๐ธ RedIAmNot | Goldlewis |
The Grand Finals featured a showdown between Walter (Millia), coming from the Winners side, and Jack (Happy Chaos), who fought through the Losers bracket. Jack had been sent to Losers in the Top 24 by Dany "El Maza," but earned revenge in the Losers Finals to secure a place in the championship match.
Jack took the lead by winning the first two games, moving within reach of a reset. However, Walter showed incredible resilience, breaking through the defense to take the next two games. While Walter eventually reached tournament point in a nail-biting encounter, the versatile offensive pressure from Jack allowed the set to close at 3-2, successfully resetting the bracket.
In the final set after the reset, Jack took full control of the momentum. With precise execution, the Happy Chaos specialist effectively neutralized all options from the opponent. Although Walter attempted to find an opening using Milliaโs mobility, the ironclad adjustments from Jack proved insurmountable. The set concluded with a clean 3-0 victory to claim the championship.