Gdańsk Regional 2026 results: Aarni Karjala wins with Slowking as Dragapult takes four of the Top 8
Aarni Karjala won the Gdańsk Regional (1,739 players) with Slowking over Rocket's Honchkrow. Dragapult took 4 of the Top 8; lists, numbers and PH takeaways.
By PTCG News Team4 min read
The Gdańsk Regional 2026 results went against the Dragapult trend. Aarni Karjala of Finland won the Regional Championship in Gdańsk, Poland, held from Saturday, October 31, with Slowking, in a field of 1,739 players, according to Limitless TCG. Finn Lasse Fries of Germany finished second with Rocket’s Honchkrow.
The format was Temporal Forces to 30th Celebration, the same as at the Puebla Regional the week before, where Dragapult took six of the Top 8 and first place.
The Gdańsk Regional numbers: Dragapult everywhere but first
Limitless lists 323 players in the second phase, from 34 countries. Here are the six most played deck families, plus Crustle and Rocket’s Honchkrow, which also reached the Top 8. (Nathan Bonavia Zammit’s Greninja, sixth, isn’t in Limitless’s family breakdown.)
| Deck | Day 2 players | Top 8 | Top 16 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dragapult (all builds) | 107 (33.1%) | 4 | 7 |
| Basic Box | 28 (8.7%) | 0 | 0 |
| Hydrapple | 26 (8.0%) | 0 | 1 |
| N’s Zoroark | 25 (7.7%) | 0 | 0 |
| Slowking | 22 (6.8%) | 1 | 2 |
| Alakazam | 19 (5.9%) | 0 | 1 |
| Crustle | 14 (4.3%) | 1 | 1 |
| Rocket’s Honchkrow | 4 (1.2%) | 1 | 2 |
Dragapult’s share was almost the same as at Puebla (34.4%) and Nice (35.7%), and, as at Louisville, it filled half the Top 8. The standard build alone had 77 players (23.8%) and three Top 8 spots; 15 more played Dragapult Blaziken and 12 Dragapult Dusknoir.
The real story is lower down the table. Slowking had 22 players and won. Rocket’s Honchkrow had just four players in Day 2, and two of them made the Top 16. Basic Box and N’s Zoroark, the second and fourth most played families, put nobody in the Top 16.
The winning list: Karjala’s Slowking
Karjala’s list runs four Slowpoke and three Slowking with four Mega Kangaskhan ex, two Latias ex, two Metagross and two Kyurem, plus one each of Fezandipiti ex, Zeraora, Lillie’s Clefairy ex, Meowth ex and Mew ex. The Trainers include four each of Ciphermaniac’s Codebreaking, Lillie’s Determination, Ultra Ball and Poké Pad, three Wondrous Patch and four Academy at Night. The Energy is four Psychic, four Telepathic Psychic and two Boomerang. Limitless prices it at $51.69.
This wasn’t a one-off. Limitless groups identical lists, and Karjala brought the exact same 60 to Louisville (13th) and Nice (170th), where three other players also used it. Sticking with a list across three Regionals paid off.
The runner-up: a $15 Rocket’s Honchkrow deck
Fries’s Rocket’s Honchkrow list is priced at just $15.29 on Limitless. It plays four Team Rocket’s Murkrow and three Team Rocket’s Honchkrow, with Porygon, Porygon2, Articuno and Mimikyu from the Team Rocket line, and 39 Trainers, including four each of Team Rocket’s Archer, Ariana, Petrel, Proton, Giovanni and Transceiver. The same list also finished 165th at NAIC 2026.
The Gdańsk Top 8
| # | Player | Deck |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aarni Karjala (Finland) | Slowking |
| 2 | Finn Lasse Fries (Germany) | Rocket’s Honchkrow |
| 3 | Vincenzo Cipolla (Italy) | Dragapult |
| 4 | Miloslav Posledni (Czech Republic) | Crustle |
| 5 | Tord Reklev (Norway) | Dragapult Dudunsparce |
| 6 | Nathan Bonavia Zammit (Malta) | Greninja |
| 7 | Maciej Chojnacki (Poland) | Dragapult |
| 8 | Yoann Barszezak (France) | Dragapult |
Cipolla and Barszezak played the same Dragapult list that Andrew Hedrick used to win Puebla. Brennan Kamerman took Slowking to 13th, and Dmitrijs Astrošaps took Rocket’s Honchkrow to 16th.
What Gdańsk means for players in the Philippines
No Filipino players are listed in Gdańsk’s Day 2, but this is the format we play now.
- Dragapult can be beaten. It was still a third of Day 2 and half the Top 8, so you need a plan for it, but Slowking and Rocket’s Honchkrow both went further.
- A budget deck reached the final. At $15.29 on Limitless, the Rocket’s Honchkrow list shows a cheap deck can go deep. For GYM Battles or an Ultra Ball League stop, it’s worth testing.
- Practice one list. Karjala won with the same 60 cards he played at Louisville and Nice.
- The format is about to change. Delta Reign launches in English on November 6. See our November releases guide.
Find an official GYM near you in our store directory, and upcoming tournaments on our events calendar.
Frequently asked questions
Who won the Gdańsk Regional 2026?
Aarni Karjala of Finland won with Slowking. Finn Lasse Fries of Germany finished second with Rocket's Honchkrow, according to Limitless TCG.
How many players were at the Gdańsk Regional?
1,739, according to Limitless TCG, with 323 players from 34 countries listed in the second phase.
How much of the Gdańsk field played Dragapult?
107 of the 323 Day 2 players (33.1%) played a Dragapult deck. Dragapult took 4 of the Top 8 spots and 7 of the Top 16, but not first place.
What format was the Gdańsk Regional?
Temporal Forces to 30th Celebration, according to Limitless TCG.
Did any Filipino players compete at Gdańsk?
None are listed in the second-phase standings on Limitless TCG.
Sources
Source: Limitless TCG: Regional Gdańsk (standings)
Also see: Limitless TCG: Aarni Karjala's Slowking decklist · Limitless TCG: Finn Lasse Fries's Rocket's Honchkrow decklist
