Twenty-four players gathered in Alicante on August 16, 2026 for the fourth Old Frame Vintage World Championship, playing five rounds of Swiss followed by a playoff under the Top 7.2 structure.
The World Championship was organized by Juan Espadas, brought together a diverse field of Old Frame Vintage strategies, and was broadcast live on the Old School MTG Channel. The full tournament can now be watched on YouTube.
Every player also received a special card divider inspired by Arabian Nights as a souvenir from the World Championship.
Swiss rounds
After five rounds, Antonio Sirvent finished alone at the top of the Swiss standings with 13 points and a 4-0-1 record. Elías Úbeda, Ramón Sánchez and Miguel Ángel Díaz followed on 12 points.
The eight players who qualified for the playoff, ordered by their position after the Swiss rounds, were:
| Seed | Player | Record | Deck |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Antonio Sirvent | 4-0-1 | Turbolands |
| 2 | Elías Úbeda | 4-1 | Remora Control |
| 3 | Ramón Sánchez | 4-1 | Hulk Smash |
| 4 | Miguel Ángel Díaz | 4-1 | Drain Storm |
| 5 | Máximo Riego | 3-1-1 | Stax |
| 6 | Nacho Díaz Castaño | 3-1-1 | Ophidian |
| 7 | Javier Sánchez | 3-2 | Stiflenought |
| 8 | Tomás Lillo | 3-2 | Robots |
The Top 8 alone showed the range of strategies available in Old Frame Vintage, with eight different archetypes represented among the eight qualified players.
Inside the Top 8
No Top 7 bye this time
The tournament used the Top 7.2 system. Under this structure, the player finishing first after the Swiss rounds receives a bye directly into the semifinals only if they won both of their final two Swiss matches.
Antonio had drawn in round four. Therefore, despite finishing first in the standings, the Top 7 condition was not activated.
There was no bye, and all eight qualified players entered a conventional Top 8 playoff.
Elías Úbeda does it again
Elías entered the elimination rounds as the second seed. He was already in familiar territory: he had reached the final of each of the previous three Old Frame Vintage World Championships.
This year, however, he was trying to extend that remarkable run with a different strategy. After reaching his first three World Championship finals with Drain Storm, Elías had switched to Remora Control.
Once again, he made it through the elimination rounds and reached the World Championship final. It was his fourth final in four editions.
Waiting for him there was Miguel Ángel Díaz, who had finished fourth in the Swiss rounds with Drain Storm.
And once again, Elías Úbeda won the Old Frame Vintage World Championship.
The victory gave him his third consecutive world title and completed an extraordinary sequence: four editions of the World Championship, four finals, and three victories in a row.
Final standings
| Place | Player | Deck |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elías Úbeda | Remora Control |
| 2 | Miguel Ángel Díaz | Drain Storm |
| 3 | Ramón Sánchez | Hulk Smash |
| 4 | Tomás Lillo | Robots |
| 5 | Antonio Sirvent | Turbolands |
| 6 | Máximo Riego | Stax |
| 7 | Nacho Díaz Castaño | Ophidian |
| 8 | Javier Sánchez | Stiflenought |
Four World Championships, four finals
Elías’s record now covers the entire history of the Old Frame Vintage World Championship.
He reached the final of the inaugural event in 2023 and finished runner-up. Since then, he has won every edition.
| Year | Result | Deck |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Runner-up | Drain Storm |
| 2024 | World Champion | Drain Storm |
| 2025 | World Champion | Drain Storm |
| 2026 | World Champion | Remora Control |
His first three World Championship finals all came with Drain Storm. In 2026, he switched to Remora Control and still returned to the final before winning the title again.
Four tournaments. Four finals. Three consecutive World Championship victories.
Reaching four consecutive finals would already be an exceptional achievement. Winning three of them in a row has made Elías Úbeda’s World Championship record one of the defining competitive stories of Old Frame Vintage.
All eight decklists can be found on TC Decks. The tournament was organized by Juan Espadas and broadcast live on the Old School MTG Channel. You can watch the full tournament on YouTube.