WIXOSS Grand Prix Houston 2025: Interview with the Top 4 Carnival

On June 22nd, 2025, MoiMoi became the highest place player piloting a green LRIG at any North American GP. They did it playing Carnival, combining the strengths of both War Division & Liberation Division. They were kind enough to answer a few questions for me about this historic run.

Hi everyone, my name is MoiMoi, I started Wixoss around the time when booster pack P05 releases in North America. My locals are the stores that support Wixoss in the greater Los Angeles area.

MoiMoi’s 4th Place Deck from GP Houston 2025

// Could you tell us a little about the deck? You achieved the highest placing ever by a green deck at an English GP – what makes the combination of Carnival and Liberation so powerful? //

What initially got me into this deck is that I was very fortunate to open a Carnival (???) and an LRP Liberator’s Force from the few boxes I purchased when P15 released. During testing I found out that this deck has a fair chance against many of the popular decks under the current meta. This is due to War Division (Carnival) and Liberation Division complementing each other in the way that, while War Division can be very cost efficient in opening lanes and generating resources with its coin effects, it cannot do much once it runs out of coins.

Especially in the early game when the opponents present multiple 8K+ power Signi on the board, War Division often doesn’t have enough coins to push through the game as it also lacks ways to prevent opponents from fully utilizing their defense options. On the other hand, Liberation Division is packed with options that prevent the opponent from defending against it, including both discarding and ener burning effects. It also provides other options to open lanes early game so the precious coins can be preserved for later usage. The weakness of Liberation Division of having limited options to deal with 12k+ power Signi late game can be covered by War Division effects.

// Were there any other decks you considered for this event leading up to it? //

I was also considering team Azaela for the Houston GP as I really like Azaela’s art and her game plan in general. However, during testing I feel like team Azalea is much more dependent on the matching, and it might have an unfavorable matchup against top decks like Defense Division and Gariella.

MoiMoi’s Round 4 Match vs. Skewer

// What did practice and preparation for this event look like? Did you expect to get such a high placing? //

I did the practices with my locals, with Skewer, MryNightmare, and Pieinapie also representing Southern California in the Houston GP. We built decks we believed to have more appearances in the event and played with and against it to gain familiarity with different game plans. I definitely did not expect to make to the top 4 or even the second day of the event. To be honest, my initial goal was to make to top 32 or top 16 if I got lucky enough.

// How was playing games in the streaming room – did you feel any extra stress or pressure from knowing you were under a more public eye during those games? //

I thought I was fairly relaxed — at least until I stepped into the streaming room, because being 4-0 at that point I had already reached my initial goal, but being in the streaming room is definitely an unique experience for me. If I remember correctly the room is covered with soundproof materials so it is dead silence unless the opponent starts talking. It is a lot more stressful to play in that room compared to playing in the open areas, even more so than knowing that people are watching my mistakes. There were simple misplays I realized immediately during the game, including forgetting my own or the opponents’ effects.

Nichole (left) and MoiMoi (right) during the final awards ceremony

// What are your thoughts on the P-16 metagame? //

Overall, I enjoy the current metagame for having a very diverse profile for deck archetype. I believe the overall most well-rounded deck in the meta still belongs to Defense Tamago. With its top-notch ability to restrain any resources from its opponent, it is very possible that the Tamago player can win the game without opening any lanes with the main deck, and even with the most resource efficient aggro decks under the current meta, it is still very lifeburst dependent given the vast defensive tools Tamago have. However, it also means that Tamago would be the first few decks people prepare against for the Houston GP. On top of that, the time limit for the Swiss round is also a drawback for the Tamago players as it also takes more time for their opponents to figure out how to push for damage which eats into their time.

// Are you looking forward to ARTS format? Do you have any immediate plans for play going forward, and anything else you’re looking forward to regarding the game and your relationship with it? //

As far as I know there is no official notice as of today for the future sets for the EN cards, but I’m looking forward to play the WX24-P1 Midoriko. Also, I hope that we will have some sort of official event when the five new prebuilds get released as it could potentially draw new players.

Thanks again to MoiMoi for sharing their thoughts and time with us, and another round of congrats for such a great performance!