Prizes and Art for the 2026 Worlds Showdown
by ManintheMoon
I’m thrilled to announce the third annual Worlds Showdown! The Showdown tournaments are online, community oriented Netrunner events specifically designed to bring together players of all skill levels from around the world. Each Showdown features original art from artists in the Netrunner community and across the globe! We have an awesome collection of prizes lined up for this event, keep reading to learn more about the prizes and amazing artists behind them!
The 2026 Worlds Showdown will take place on September 19th!
For more information about the Showdown series, check out our article on everything you need to know about the 2026 Showdowns!
Early Registration
If you get your ticket during the first 48 hours, you’ll be the happy recipient of this Dyson Sphere Ob by Brindelmold. The Ob art was commissioned by jan tuno for the cover of its new book Extract. Export. Excel. I want to thank both of them for letting me print the card for you all! ❤️ Unlike most of the art I commission, I will not be selling this one later on so if you want it you should get a ticket during early registration!
Dyson Sphere Ob by Brindelmold
Ob Superheavy Logistics has fascinated and mystified Netrunner players ever since its release; Ob decks seem to be magically flexible, eluding typical archetype classification, and are difficult to play and understand. Extract. Export. Excel. introduces a theory of how Ob decks do all the amazing things they do, as well as explanations of how to put them into practice, how to expand on them or even invent completely new things. The book also touches on a variety of more general Netrunner topics like the nature of flexibility, the study of tactics, the concoction of plans, and all the ways that deckbuilding generally works.
Participation Prizes
Each Showdown ticket comes with your choice of two participation prizes from a collection of new and old prizes! The featured artists for this event’s participation prizes are ToBeAsh, V4lvi_ and Aleksandra Simonović!
Moon Pool by ToBeAsh
ToBeAsh – Ash – is a Polish graphic designer. Being quite new to the design world he likes to experiment with different styles, learning from artists he looks up to. Through the process of filtering the art through his hands the pieces always end up marked with his personal style. His goal in design is to make everyday life more beautiful. He thoroughly enjoys making physical objects that people can touch and use, and that won't disappear as soon as the screen is turned off or the tab is changed. Making cards, and having them be used all over the world, is fulfilling that wish and bringing him joy every day.
What inspiration do you draw on for your art?
A lot of the time it's just trying to match a style I wish to try out with a suitable card, or a profound lack of a pretty card in my own deck. I started making cards when I was halfway through my studies and many of them were, and still are, an excuse to just try something out. The other main source of ideas is my partner who sometimes begs me to bring his ideas to life, and quite often I do, with an art direction of my choosing.
Website: tobeash.ink/netrunner-cards/
Discord: @ToBeAsh
Hermes by V4lvi_
I have been wanting to get this alt art created for almost two years now, and finally gave the project to Alvi. I love how it turned out! In the art, you can see Mercury running through the urban streets of Brazil. Around their neck is the iconic console Hermes, its cyber space manifestation floating as a holographic projection in front of Mercury. On the TV screens in the background you can see the news broadcast from the iconic agenda Artificial Cryptocrash.
You can read more about V4lvi_ and his art here.
Instagram: V4lvi_
Sleipnir by Aleksandra Simonović
In this piece, two mythical creatures face off against each other. On the left is Sleipnir, the eight legged horse the Norse god Oden rides into battle. On the right is Sang Kancil, the trickster deer mouse from Malaysian mythology and folklore. This particular pairing also features a fun dichotomy showing a clash between a Decoder and a Code Gate.
You can read more about Aleksandra and her art here.
Website: aleksandraink.com
Placement Prizes
2 wins: Showdown 2026 Hannah by V4lvi_
For winning two games (or playing in the final round of swiss) at the Showdown, you will earn a single copy of this special edition version of Hannah by V4lvi_. You can read more about V4lvi_ and his art here. Play in three Showdowns during the 2026 season to get a full playset of these Hannahs! (This is your second to last chance to get this particular version of Hannah before the season is over.)
3 wins (or final round played): Stained Glass Dragon Zahya by Aleksandra Simonović
This Zahya is the next in a set of Dragon runner IDs which have been prizes at each of the Showdowns this year. There is also an option to get an acrylic version of the dragon Zahya as an add-on with your ticket!
4 wins: Reaper Function by Jandon Banyu
Jandon Banyu keeps impressing me with his ability to capture the unsettling aspects of Netrunner’s cyber punk world. I first connected with Jandon about doing a last minute Restoring Humanity commission for the 2025 Worlds Showdown, and I continue to be so impressed with his range as an artist. Over the last year, I’ve really been enjoying working with Jandon; he has done pieces featured at two of the other 2026 Showdowns. With his extensive experience designing album covers for metal bands, I thought he might have fun creating art for a Reaper Function alt art. I sent him the commission without a ton of direction and was completely blown away by what came back to me a few weeks later. This was definitely one of the most exciting art deliveries I have opened! I absolutely love how he captured the Reaper Function lunging at the Runner in such a dynamic and unsettling way.
Instagram: @rogerdeath_
5 wins: Worlds Showdown Key
The Showdown Key is a six digit code you can use to claim a special prize when you register for either or both of the next two Showdowns! This Key will be claim-able at the 2027 New Year’s and APAC Showdowns. The primary prize for all 2026 Showdown Keys is Augustus Caesar’s Slash and Burn Agriculture Champ Card. This will be the last opportunity to win a 2026 Showdown Key!
6 wins: SDS Drone Deployment by Matheus Calza
Matheus Calza continues to astonish me with his amazing ability to beautifully capture dynamic scenes in the Netrunner universe. I originally fell in love with his work because of his Steelskin Scarring commissioned for Cascadia 2023. Matheus is one of the first artists I contacted about an original commission for the showdowns and I have been thrilled with his creativity every time we work together. The perspective of the SDS Drone Deployment keeps blowing me away each time I look at it. If you haven’t noticed it yet, the “down/ground” direction is to the bottom right corner and the drones are flying among the tops of a futuristic city full of sky scrapers.
7 wins (with 180+ players): Foil Rising Tide by ManintheMoon
If there are 180+ players in the 2026 Worlds Showdown, you will also get the chance to win foil copies of Rising Tide by me (ManintheMoon)! This Rising Tide was originally a participation prize for the 2026 New Year’s Showdown. The art is from an early 1900s B&W lithograph by Henri-Charles Guérard that I digitally colorized to create the card. I’m really proud of the alt arts I have adapted from early 1900s art pieces. If you like this style of art, you can check out the full collection I’ve done in my Fine Art Bundle.
We’re looking forward to seeing you at the 2026 Worlds Showdown on September 19th! Join us to meet new players in the Netrunner community, play great games and win some awesome prizes from these amazing artists!