Meteera specialist Monarch qualifies for the Arc World Tour 2025-2026 Finals
SatoshiiXRD takes second place with an impressive Lowain run
From January 30 to February 1, 2026, the fighting game tournament Frosty Faustings XVIII 2026 took place in Illinois, USA. In the Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising division, American player Monarch emerged victorious, outperforming 411 participants to take the title.
As a designated Platinum Event for the Arc World Tour 2025-2026 (AWT2025-2026), the winner of this tournament earns a direct qualifying spot for the AWT Finals. With this victory, Monarch has secured his ticket to the Finals scheduled for March in South Korea. This marks his second consecutive appearance at the world championships, following his qualification for the previous year's Arc World Tour Finals.
Monarch has been a dedicated Meteera main since the game's launch and is widely recognized as a master of the character. He has maintained incredible consistency in recent offline competitions, claiming victory at Autplayed 2026, First Attack 2025, and Roundhouse 2025.
The Grand Finals featured a showdown between Monarch (Meteera), coming from the Winners side, and SatoshiiXRD (Lowain), who fought through the Losers bracket. After being sent to Losers in the Winners Top 24 by Havaniceday, SatoshiiXRD went on an incredible seven-match win streak to reach the final stage.
The match was a battle of styles: Monarch utilized Meteera's vast array of long-range attacks to control the pace, while SatoshiiXRD looked for any opening to close the distance. While SatoshiiXRD found success in moments where he could pin Meteera against the corner to negate her projectiles, Monarch's meticulous neutral game prevented such situations from becoming the norm. Monarch maintained precise control throughout the set, effectively shutting down his opponent's momentum to seal the championship victory.
