MANILA, Philippines — The YGG Play Summit is down to the wire, and Days 3 and 4 gave me two totally different but equally memorable sides of the event: a free-roam “play day” that let me enjoy the floor like a kid again, and a final-heavy last day; where two Web3 Trading Card Game (TCG) tournaments, Parallel and Vibes crowned new champions.
Here’s how it all felt from where I was standing.
Day 3: I wasn’t working; I was playing
Regina enjoys a relaxed Day 3 at YGG Play Summit, freely exploring booths and playing arcade-style games, PSP stations, claw machines, and spin-the-wheel activities with no interview schedule.
Day 3 was honestly my reset day.
For once, I didn’t feel like I was “on the clock.” I had no lineup interviews and no pressure to chase schedules. So I just let myself roam and dig deeper into every booth the way I wanted to, not the way I had to.
And that freedom made the whole summit feel different.
Instead of thinking like a marketer or a conference attendee, I moved through the floor like a gamer. I played everything I could get my hands on traditional arcade machines, PSP stations, claw machines where you could win merch from different exhibitors, even those fun little spin-the-wheel booths.
It felt like a mini playground inside a conference. My inner child was genuinely happy, and I needed that. Day 3 reminded me why I love gaming events in the first place not just for content, but for that pure joy of play.
Day 4: Finals day energy + two TCG champions crowned
Then Day 4 hit the final day, and you could feel the shift immediately. It had that “last day of school” vibe. People were squeezing in final rounds, saying early goodbyes, and crowding around the big stage moments.
Day 4 crowd highlights at YGG Play Summit, featuring cosplay and Coins.ph’s ‘Love in the Metaverse’ matchmaking activity
Aside from the big TCG finals, Day 4 also had fun crowd segments that made the closing program feel extra alive. There was a cosplay showcase, and Coins.ph brought in a unique crowd activity called “Love in the Metaverse.” It was honestly one of the more unexpected segments of the Summit. They paired singles from the audience right there in the crowd. Kinda wild, kinda cute, and definitely memorable as an “only at YGG Play Summit” moment.
But for me, the biggest highlights were still the championship announcements for both Parallel and Vibes TCG.
Parallel Showdown: Viper wins the US$100K tournament
TCG Championships at YGG Play Summit 2025 – Games Bitcoin News
The US$100,000 YGG Parallel Showdown officially ended on Nov. 21, 2025, and the champion was Torben “Viper” Wahl from Germany. He walked away with the US$20,000 top prize after defeating a stacked field of 16 elite players here in Manila.
The finals were intense. Viper actually dropped the first game to Devmon’s Jobsad, but he didn’t tilt he recalibrated and pulled off a comeback to win the series. Jobsad started strong, but Viper’s experience really showed when everything was on the line.
What stood out to me is that Viper isn’t just a Parallel name; he’s a long-time Hearthstone monster with more than US$270K in winnings from 2016 to 2022, and now he’s proving that Web2 TCG pros are taking Web3 esports seriously…and winning in it.
The tournament format was also no joke:
players qualified through two online qualifiers in October
top 16 got flown to Manila
each brought three decks
played double-elimination, best-of-3
and you had to win with every deck, not just your favorite one
Parallel also used this final moment to share bigger ecosystem news:
Parallel is now live on iOS via the Apple App Store, after launching on Android back in March 2025. They highlighted the Philippines as one of the earliest rollout regions, and honestly, with the crowd and talent Manila pulled in this week, that decision makes total sense.
Vibes Asian Championship: Oxtraxex takes the first-ever title
The Summit closed on Nov. 22 with the Vibes Asian Championship, and I loved how this one ended with a real underdog-meets-community story.
The first-ever Asian champion was John Fitzgerald “Oxtraxex” Poculan from guild 8888, who beat his own guildmate Jerald Jay “Asamax” Pamiloza in the finals.
This was big:
77 players
US$20,000 prize pool
US$4,000 for first place
Asamax came into the finals on a 10-match win streak, so the pressure was real. But Oxtraxex found the right counters and shut that run down when it mattered most.
What makes me respect the win even more is Oxtraxex’s path:
it was his first competitive TCG event
he traveled all the way from Zamboanga Sibugay
he never even played the physical version of Vibes
he just grinded online since Season 0 (Dec 2024)
That’s such a Web3-native story digital-first access turning into real-world championship results.
Vibes also ran a very fair competitive setup:
Swiss+1 format
up to 12 proxies allowed
Top 8 went to single-elim bracket
prizes paid down to Top 32
officially judged by MTG Premier Judge Sashi Balakrishnan
It felt like a legit, professional circuit not just a side event.
How it all tied together for me
Looking back, I feel like my Summit story across Days 3 and 4 was a perfect contrast:
Day 3 was me remembering how fun gaming communities are when you’re not rushing just exploring and enjoying the floor.
Day 4 was me watching that same spirit of play rise into something bigger: organized, competitive, global-level Web3 TCG esports while also getting those fun closing-day crowd moments like cosplay and Coins.ph’s “Love in the Metaverse” segment to round out the vibe.
So yeah, the Summit ended but it didn’t end quietly.
It ended with joy, competition, and a really clear signal that Web3 gaming in Asia is leveling up fast… and I’m glad I got to feel both sides of it.
Curious what the conference was really like on the ground? Watch the YGG Play Summit highlights here. For a complete Day 1–2 breakdown and the key trends shaping Southeast Asia’s Web3 gaming scene, check out our full overview here.
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