October 26, 2026
New season, new machines, new opportunities to learn! 🎮🩷
Week 1 of Epic Women’s Monday Night Pinball League at The Outpost Arcade is in the books, and let’s just say it was a little bit of a rough night. 😂
Five games, plenty of learning opportunities, and a reminder that pinball can humble you in a hurry!
Game 1: Transformers 🤖
We kicked off the night with Transformers. I managed a couple of short-plunge skill shots, locked two balls, started a new mode, and got some ramps and hits on Optimus Prime.
Unfortunately, the butterflippers and outlane drains had other plans for me. I finished third with 30.3 million, earning just one point.
Not exactly the opening I wanted, but we had four more games to go!
Game 2: Blackout ⚡
Now THIS was a fun game!
I worked the top lanes, knocked down plenty of drop targets, collected multipliers, and got some good action going with the spinners and uprights.
I finished second with 225.9K, behind Kaydee’s 370.4K. That’s five points for the night, and honestly, I really enjoyed this machine!
After a rough first game, it felt good to get some points on the board.
Game 3: Venom 🕷️
Venom is a slow-burn game. You spend Ball 1 setting things up. You spend Ball 2 setting things up some more. Then Ball 3 is where everything can finally explode!
I collected secret skill shots, worked the ramps, locked a ball, and got hits on Carnage and the bell tower. I was building toward bigger things, but the big payoff never quite came together.
I finished third with 34.4 million. Another small points haul, but this is a machine where you have to keep building and hope everything comes together at the right time.
Game 4: Motordome 🏍️
Next up was Motordome, an old-school Bally machine that gave me a chance to work on my spinners, top lanes, drop targets, and saucer shots.
Ball 1 was short, but I picked the third level, got some spinners and a top lane, and worked the butterflippers before draining.
Ball 2 brought down a drop target and a few good shots, along with a decent bonus. By Ball 3, I managed a saucer and another drop target, finishing with 763.2K.
I placed third in this four-player game, earning three points. Better than the one-point finishes, but still not the result I wanted.
Game 5: Pokémon Premium ⚡
Last game of the night, and this one had some potential!
I started with a skill shot, got loops and ramps, and sent plenty of shots toward Meowth. I caught a Pokémon, got battle-ready, collected a mystery award, and eventually took Meowth down.
On Ball 3, I started a battle. I was only a couple of good shots away from potentially getting multiball going alongside that battle.
Imagine how much damage I could have done if I’d connected with those shots! Instead, I ran out of ball just as things were getting interesting. Seriously. RUDE. 😂
But I finished first with 30.7 million, which was a nice way to end the night!
The Week 1 Results
I finished the night with 17 points and landed in 16th place in the standings.
The scoring was particularly frustrating. Third place in a three-player game earns just one point, while third place in a four-player game earns three points. You can play a whole game, make some good shots, and still walk away with very little to show for it in the standings.
But here’s the thing: it’s Week 1.
Last season, I made it into A division for the first time. Finals didn’t go the way I wanted, and I finished seventh out of eight, but making A division was an accomplishment I’m still proud of.
Since joining Epic Women’s, I’ve established myself at least in B division, and I’m continuing to earn valuable points toward state.
I want to be near the top of the standings. I’d rather be chasing first place than trying to dig myself out of the middle of the pack. But pinball is a learning process, and every game gives me something to work on.
Five more weeks to go, and the two lowest scores drop. There’s still plenty of season left to make things happen!
Tonight wasn’t the start I wanted, but it wasn’t a disaster, either. I’ll take the lessons, learn from the missed opportunities, and show up ready to play again next week.
Because that’s pinball. Sometimes you crush it, sometimes you drain at the worst possible moment, and sometimes you walk away muttering at a machine. 😂
Still learning. Still competing. Still chasing those points.
It all counts. Always! 💜🎯
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