This was the last weekend of Premier qualification before the {{event:Galactic Championship 2026 — Las Vegas, NV, US}} on July 25. The field has {{pqs_remaining}} PQs left to find an answer. {{this_week_eu_pq_count}} of the {{this_week_pq_count}} Premier Planetary Qualifiers ran in Europe; the fourth was a four-player gathering in Fuzhou, China. The triangle that has defined this format ({{deck:Vader (JTL) Yellow 30}} beats {{deck:Obi-Wan (LOF) Force Blue}} at {{vader_vs_obiwan_wr_pct}}%, {{deck:Boba (JTL) Lake}} beats Vader at {{boba_vs_vader_wr_pct}}%, Obi-Wan beats Boba at {{obiwan_vs_boba_wr_pct}}%) got its final stress test on European soil. Two of the three triangle decks took zero Premier trophies. {{deck:Lando (LAW) Lake}} took two of the three with completed brackets. The cycle math is right. It just doesn't include the deck that sits above it.

The Counter-Cycle That No One Wins

The numbers are clean. {{deck:Vader (JTL) Yellow 30}} runs {{vader_vs_obiwan_wr_pct}}% against {{deck:Obi-Wan (LOF) Force Blue}} over {{vader_vs_obiwan_games}} games — a {{glossary:WR}} edge so large it functions as a hard counter. {{deck:Boba (JTL) Lake}}, meanwhile, is the one archetype that consistently answers Vader, posting {{boba_vs_vader_wr_pct}}% over {{boba_vs_vader_games}} games. And Obi-Wan closes the triangle with a {{obiwan_vs_boba_wr_pct}}% edge over Boba across {{obiwan_vs_boba_games}} games. Rock, paper, scissors — except they all paid entry fees.

What the cycle reveals about Vader is counterintuitive. At {{vader_cumulative_wr_pct}}% across {{vader_cumulative_games}} cumulative LAW-era games, Vader sits at rank {{vader_jtl_yellow_30_rank}} in the power rankings — not because the deck is weak, but because the triangle is in balance. Vader's overall record reflects the equilibrium, not its ceiling. In the right pairing it dominates; in the wrong one it's losing at a {{boba_vs_vader_wr_pct}}% clip. That's the counter-cycle: no deck wins the whole thing.

Obi-Wan's Theory Meets the Field's Reality

The logic for {{deck:Obi-Wan (LOF) Force Blue}} sounded tidy on paper: {{deck:Boba (JTL) Lake}} is the format's biggest deck at {{boba_jtl_lake_share}}% meta share, Obi-Wan technically edges Boba in head-to-head, and the cycle math is supposed to do the rest. The problem with the edge: {{obiwan_vs_boba_wr_pct}}% over {{obiwan_vs_boba_games}} games is barely above coin-flip, and on the other side of the triangle Obi-Wan posts a {{obiwan_vs_vader_wr_pct}}% line against Vader. Across the weekend's {{obiwan_pq_weekly_games}} PQ games — small sample on its own, but consistent with the cumulative picture — Obi-Wan ran {{obiwan_pq_weekly_wr_pct}}%. The theory was thin to start with. The PQ data didn't even respect the thin part.

The variable the cycle analysis misses is everything outside the triangle. {{deck:Lando (LAW) Lake}} doesn't sit inside it — it sits above it, running {{lando_vs_vader_wr_pct}}% against Vader over {{lando_vs_vader_games}} games and {{lando_vs_boba_wr_pct}}% against Boba over {{lando_vs_boba_games}} games. A field full of Obi-Wan pilots targeting Boba also runs into Lando — and Lando at rank {{lando_law_lake_rank}} with a {{lando_law_lake_winrate}}% win rate isn't the soft landing Obi-Wan needs. And Lando isn't alone above the cycle. {{deck:Dedra Colossus}}, ranked {{dedra_colossus_rank}} on meta share, beats Vader at {{dedra_vs_vader_wr_pct}}% over {{dedra_vs_vader_games}} games — same edge as Lando, smaller sample. Two non-triangle decks targeting the same corner. The triangle's escape hatch isn't one deck. It's any deck the field hasn't planned for.

A European Finale Before Vegas

The last weekend of Premier qualification ran almost entirely in Europe — {{this_week_eu_pq_count}} of the {{this_week_pq_count}} Premier Planetary Qualifiers were held across the continent, with the only non-European entry a four-player satellite in Fuzhou, China. Compare that with the season as a whole. Europe has hosted {{law_eu_pq_count}} Premier PQs across {{law_eu_pq_countries}} countries — {{law_eu_pq_pct}}% of all LAW-era Premier Planetary Qualifiers — versus North America's {{law_na_pq_count}} PQs split between just {{law_na_pq_countries}} countries. NA runs denser events ({{law_na_avg_attendance}} players per PQ on average vs Europe's {{law_eu_avg_attendance}}); Europe runs more of them in more places. The competitive map of LAW Premier has been roughly balanced between the two regions all year. This weekend wasn't.

That matters for the {{event:Galactic Championship 2026 — Las Vegas, NV, US}}. The championship will pull from both regions, but every qualified player flying in from Barcelona, Sainte-Maure, or Hodonín is bringing the meta read that won them their slot — and this weekend's evidence is unambiguous. {{deck:Lando (LAW) Lake}} won two of the three Premier PQs with completed standings; {{deck:Boba (JTL) Lake}} took one; the triangle's two upper corners ({{deck:Vader (JTL) Yellow 30}} and {{deck:Obi-Wan (LOF) Force Blue}}) took none. Whatever the field is bringing to Vegas, the last Premier weekend before it argued for decks outside the main triangle.

Power Rankings

{{deck:Boba (JTL) Lake}} holds rank {{boba_jtl_lake_rank}} on {{boba_jtl_lake_share}}% meta share — the format's most-registered archetype, still anchoring the top of the rankings. {{deck:Lando (LAW) Lake}} climbs to rank {{lando_law_lake_rank}} on a {{lando_law_lake_winrate}}% win rate, the most direct refutation of the triangle's grip. With {{pqs_remaining}} PQs remaining before {{gc_city}}, the rankings as they stand are roughly the rankings the GC will be played out of.

Leaderboard

This Week's Results

Four Premier Planetary Qualifiers ran this weekend — three in Europe with completed brackets, plus a four-player satellite in China. {{player:rmnmlr72}} won the biggest field, taking {{event:Planetary Qualifier (LAW) — Sainte-Maure-de-Tourraine, FR}} (87 players) on {{deck:Lando (LAW) Lake}}. {{player:bestia}} claimed {{event:Planetary Qualifier (LAW) — Barcelona, ES}} (58 players), also on Lando. {{player:danchi}} closed the European Premier slate at {{event:Planetary Qualifier (LAW) — Hodonín, South Moravia, CZ}} (26 players) on {{deck:Boba (JTL) Lake}}. The Fuzhou Premier PQ — {{event:Planetary Qualifier (LAW) — 福州, 福建, CN}}, four players — went to {{player:repassion}} at {{fuzhou_pq_winner_record}}. Three other PQs ran this weekend in non-Premier formats and are out of scope for this report.

Matchup Clinic

Decklist Spotlight

Card Spotlight

This week's most-played cards include [[Punishing One|punishing-one-takes-no-prisoners]] and [[The Mandalorian|the-mandalorian-cleaning-up-nevarro]] among the top-tier fixtures, with [[Devastator|devastator-hunting-the-rebellion]] and [[Faith in Your Friends|faith-in-your-friends]] rounding out the notable movers. Usage trends for the {{week_range}} window are in the widget below.