---
title: "The Splatoon 3 North American League Playoffs RECAP"
date: 2025-12-16
author:
   - name: YELLOW
     link: https://sendou.ink/u/great-hero-yellow
---

#### *The culmination of ten weeks of nonstop Splatoon action ends with one weekend of fierce competition*

<img width="1200" height="675" alt="splatoon-3-na-league-playoffs" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/f273be6f-359a-4285-8f81-50b174a920e9" />

On December 13 and 14, 2025, the Splatoon 3 North American League reached its peak, and the ride to the end was full of twists that kept everyone on the edge of their seat. Unlike the Preseason and Regular Season Top 8s, *every single set* was on stream, making sure each team had their time in the spotlight. 

Jordan, Lily, and Nine commentated for Winner’s Quarterfinals on day 1 and Winner’s Finals through Grand Finals on day 2\. Zach, Mellana, and Falco hosted Winner’s Semifinals through Loser’s Top 8 on day 1, and Loser’s Quarter-and-Semifinals on day 2\. CzarDB was on the spectator camera across both days. 

What’s the NA League without some silly games? On day 1, two more Riptide interviews yet to be seen were aired, with EE and FTWin, and Kbot and Moonlight. EE and Kbot posed questions to each team, and the team had to point to the teammate that most fit the description. Questions such as “Who is the loudest in chat?” and “Who enjoys practice the most?” were asked to the players. 

On day 2, Jordan held a two-part quiz with Falco, Lily, and Chaedr, asking questions harder than any from previous quizzes, and across the entire Splatoon series. This included lore questions not available in-game, such as, “Before squids, what other animal was considered for the series?” which the answer is rabbits\! 

## **Day 1**

Day 1 of the Splatoon 3 North American League covered every set from the first three rounds: Winner’s Quarterfinals, Winner’s Semifinals, and Loser’s Top 8\. A snapshot of Day 1’s events are below:

**Winner’s Quarterfinals:** 

1. Milky Way vs. healthy diet food groups (3-0)  
2. Moonlight vs. BEt (3-2)  
3. FTWin vs. Duck Motif (3-0)  
4. fofofo vs. Gourmet Race (3-1)

<img width="1200" height="675" alt="0 04percent" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/88c32fb6-e402-4c4a-8ee3-5e9a0d83ba4a" />

*BEt winning against Moonlight in Turf War by 0.04%, the narrowest win margin in the Splatoon 3 North American League, beating the previous record of 1.2%.*

**Winner’s Semifinals:** 

1. Milky Way vs. Moonlight (3-1)  
2. FTWin vs. fofofo (1-3)

**Loser’s Top 8:** 

1. BEt vs. healthy diet food groups (3-0)  
2. Gourmet Race vs. Duck Motif (0-3)

## **Day 2**

Day 2 streamed each set from Loser’s Quarterfinals, Loser’s Semifinals, Winner’s Finals, Loser’s Finals, and finally, Grand Finals. 

The first set of Loser’s Quarterfinals was FTWin vs. BEt. No one expected to see FTWin in the Loser’s Bracket so early in the tournament, having been sent there by fofofo. FTWin, however, put on a strong showing, shutting BEt out 3-0 and securing themselves a spot in the final four. 

The second set was Moonlight vs. Duck Motif. Moonlight came out on top, 3-1, taking the other spot among the final four teams. The last teams in the tournament–Milky Way, FTWin, fofofo, and Moonlight–were all seeds \#1 \- \#4. 

<img width="1200" height="675" alt="bracketsofar" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/8a0c80d4-02eb-41a4-8646-941c8e68467f" />

In the next set, Loser’s Semifinals between FTWin and Moonlight, the Splattercolor Screen was used, so if you plan to rewatch the event and are sensitive to its effects, please take caution as those effects do show up on stream. 

## **Loser’s Semifinals: FTWin vs. Moonlight (1-3)**

Now down to the final four teams of the NA League, for a clash of goliaths. No one anticipated seeing FTWin in the Loser’s Bracket, certainly not as early as the Loser’s Quarterfinals. Moonlight, having a record of never winning against FTWin in the NA League, had one last chance to add a new record to their name in this Playoffs. 

Game one was a classic Splat Zones at Hagglefish Market match. \[K\]yo\! was back with FTWin, replacing Shak after being absent for the first day of Playoffs. FTWin took the zone before Moonlight got too far with it, and they racked up points fast. Right on the dot as the clock reached 2:00, FTWin knocked them out after their Booyah Bomb couldn’t neutralize the zone in time. 

Turf War at Urchin Underpass has been a popular pick throughout the League, and loves to see a weapon shakeup. Both teams brought out the Clawz .96 Gal and REEF-LUX 450 MIL-K, and a Splatana Wiper variant. 

FTWin was in Danger\! before the first minute had passed, and Moonlight set up camp in their base, locking FTWin out from the rest of the map for about 50 seconds. FTWin pushed back, but Moonlight resisted–in the final 10 seconds, FTWin was down three players, letting Moonlight tie the set 1-1 after winning 55.6% to 39.7%. 

Every game of Rainmaker at MakoMart has been full of quick action and curveballs, and this one stands up to the rest. Immediately FTWin made a break for their checkpoint, only to be stopped just shy of the dunk by their opponent. 

After one minute passed, Moonlight, powered by an Ultra Stamp and Ink Vac, broke into FTWin’s spawn and took the lead. They kept the push rolling, moving incrementally closer to the goal. FTWin brought the game into overtime, running the Rainmaker timer to 11 ticks remaining until being taken out, ending in another Moonlight win, 65-43. 

Surprises are still in store: game four went to a new map/mode combo we have yet to see at all on stream during the NA League: Clam Blitz at Humpback Pump Track\! Moonlight was running a double Ultra Stamp composition. And \[K\]yo\! even brought out the Tri-Slosher ASH-N, in a rare weapon swap from FTWin’s captain\! 

This game of Clam Blitz took off without much waiting–FTWin was the first to score, to 62, while Hexen’s Crab Tank kept Moonlight back. Just 40 seconds later, Moonlight scored and took the lead to 33\. In an extended push that saw several players trading splats with one another, FTWin brought the set a new lead to surpass, 19 points. 

<img width="1200" height="675" alt="Basilclam" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/fb387f0e-57a9-4f3f-b58d-552369e1a5f0" />

*Basil, the last player standing on Moonlight, jumps in and throws the last clam to take the lead from FTWin in the last 30 seconds of game four.*

The seconds were ticking down in the final minute. Omega snuck into FTWin’s base, calling for jump-ins. Jumps opened the basket, and Moonlight took the lead by just one clam\! In overtime, Basil–on the Snipewriter 5H–took down every player on FTWin, one by one, securing the 83-81 win, and leading Moonlight to a set upset over FTWin, 3-1\!

## **Winner’s Finals: Milky Way vs. fofofo (3-1)**

Three teams remain in the Playoffs. As Milky Way and fofofo geared up to face off, the stream showed a quiz segment with Jordan asking Falco, Lily, and Chaedr to name as many Shifty Station names from Splatoon 2 as they could remember. When the next round began, Jordan, Nine, and Lily had swapped in to commentate. 

Game one was at Undertow Spillway Splat Zones. Fofofo didn’t give Milky Way time to think, already unleashing a Killer Wail 5.1 on them and taking charge of the zones in the first 15 seconds. While fofofo didn’t get far with their lead, Milky Way didn’t earn points either; the zones sat in neutral for almost a minute, until Milky Way finally took them. 

Milky Way was only able to take the zone from fofofo a couple of times, and never held it for long when they had it. Fofofo wiped out Milky Way just before the game ended, leaving game one decisively theirs, 78-56. 

Clam Blitz at Museum d’Alfonsino picked up around the 3:30 mark, once fofofo broke into Milky Way’s base, taking down three players and scoring all the way to 57\. One minute later, they had scored twice more–once to reduce penalty points, then to 33, after slipping behind Milky Way’s Crab Tank. 

Milky Way, pressed for time, got their first points in the final 40 seconds, to 54\. In overtime, it looked like fofofo was set to take another win, but just before the basket closed, Milky Way was able to toss another clam in, tying the set after the 69-67 game. 

At Tower Control at MakoMart, Milky Way moved the tower first, just a tiny bit, but once they got a Crab Tank on it, they went through the first two checkpoints with little effort. Fofofo, meanwhile, did not get their first points until the last 30 seconds. Their run was stopped after their first checkpoint in overtime, leading to a loss, 33-82. 

<img width="1200" height="675" alt="fofofoOT" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/55d81fd6-a362-41fd-ac10-9e130c566887" />

*In overtime, fofofo clears their first checkpoint, as Milky Way charges up a Booyah Bomb at the top of the screen.*

Game four, Rainmaker at Urchin Underpass, was perhaps the lowest-scoring Rainmaker game in the NA League. It took a minute and a half for the Rainmaker to move, where Milky Way only ran it to 89 before being stopped. They took until the halfway point to clear their first checkpoint, and they would not ride it any further than that. 

Fofofo, meanwhile, again couldn’t get any points for themselves until the final minute; with 20 seconds to go, they were stopped just one point away from the lead. After going 23-24, fofofo was sent to the Loser’s Bracket to meet Moonlight. 

## **Loser’s Finals: Moonlight vs. fofofo (3-1)**

The Loser’s Finals, the last ticket to Grand Finals, between seed \#4 Moonlight and seed \#3 fofofo. Both fofofo and Moonlight have been upsetting the bracket by taking out seed \#2 FTWin and were sent to the Loser’s Bracket by Milky Way. The winner will get their revenge match\! 

Game one went to Splat Zones at Um’ami Ruins–Omega sported the Carbon Roller Deco for the first time in a while, it sure worked out well for Moonlight\! They got the zones first, and set up to lock fofofo out. Shadow got a triple with an Ultra Stamp, leading to a wipeout; with two minutes left, Moonlight had the knockout victory. 

Clam Blitz at Urchin Underpass was the opposite of the previous game, which ended early. Neither team scored at all in the first five minutes, despite having been in one another’s base multiple times\! 

The Clam Blitz special overtime, lasting three minutes, was again driven to a stalemate. It wasn’t until the last handful of seconds before overtime timed out that Shadow, jumping in with a Power Clam, managed to score in the basket to give Moonlight the very narrow win, 20-0. 

<img width="1200" height="675" alt="ShadowJump" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/80f8a17a-1594-4ea8-99d8-c5f1e9c186b2" />

*As overtime almost ends after eight minutes, Harshi, datkid, and Dark prepare for Shadow’s jump-in to try stopping the Power Clam.*

Turf War at Crableg Capital also seemed ready for another Moonlight sweep, after fofofo had three players taken down and Danger\! placed on their screens. In the last 20 seconds the splats started rolling in–Moonlight down three, fofofo down two, and datkid 444 snuck into Moonlight’s base to wreak havoc, giving fofofo the win, 57.7% to 39.4%. 

Game four was at MakoMart for Tower Control, a mode that both fofofo and Moonlight favor. Moonlight moved the tower first, but fofofo made significant progress with it, getting their first checkpoint in less than a minute. Moonlight needed a bit more time, but eventually they passed fofofo at the halfway mark after taking down two. 

Shadow, the MVP of this set, was fofofo’s biggest obstacle, taking the team down in pairs time and time again with an Ultra Stamp. In overtime, Moonlight wiped out fofofo, took the win 65-46, and found themselves on their way to Grand Finals, out-performing their seed by twice now\! 

## **Grand Finals: Milky Way vs. Moonlight (3-1)**

The past ten weeks have all led up to this moment. Grand Finals of the Splatoon 3 North American League: Milky Way vs. Moonlight. Let’s jump into the action\!

Game one went to Splat Zones at Inkblot Art Academy. Milky Way took the zone first… and the story ends there. Moonlight did not take possession once, though they made a valiant effort to try stopping Milky Way at 1, but could not claim the zone after fighting in neutral for a brief bout. 

Game two was Rainmaker at Museum d’Alfonsino–this time, Moonlight charged first, getting through their checkpoint before Milky Way. It took Milky Way over two minutes to get their first check, and once they did, the score was just one point of difference until 16 seconds remained, when Milky Way dove forward and snatched a small lead. 

The fastest push we’ve seen from one end of the map to another, Moonlight took the Rainmaker from their platform all the way to Milky Way’s, to take the lead in just 15 seconds. With one second on the clock, Moonlight stopped overtime from starting and got themselves a 58-49 win. 

At Clam Blitz at Barnacle & Dime, Moonlight scored first, to 71, then had to retreat after going down two players. Another minute later, with the numbers advantage, Milky Way used a Booyah Bomb as cover to break into the clam basket, scoring to 44\. They extended their lead in a second push, to a knockout. 

Tower Control at Crableg Capital closed out the Grand Finals. Early into the game, Milky Way was able to get their first checkpoint. Throughout the rest of the game, they wouldn’t get past their second one. Moonlight, however, would not be able to even get as far as that, unable to get through their first checkpoint after multiple attempts. The final score of the game was 45-17, to Milky Way, and the set score for Grand Finals 3-1. 

<img width="1200" height="675" alt="finalbracket" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/eb1e89aa-7403-4306-bebf-e0dad731b1d4" />

Twists and turns, and upsets no one expected is exactly what we hoped the conclusion of the Splatoon 3 North American League would bring. After an event of this scale, which the scene hasn’t seen from Nintendo in a long time, all that’s left to say is a big thank you to everyone involved\! 

To the players, who put their heart and soul into every week.   
To the commentators, for keeping everyone in on the action and entertained.   
To the spectator camera operators, showing everyone the best bits of Splatoon action.  
To the organizers, who made sure this event ever came to fruition.   
To the community, for supporting the ride every step of the way\!

We were treated to a small tease of what else is on the horizon, as Jordan Kent, our host throughout the past few months, closed out the stream by saying: “We hope you enjoyed the action, and… We’ll see you next season\! Thanks again for joining us; we’ve got more coming down the hatch for ya.”

Does he mean a new season of the North American League, or could this event expand to other regions? We’ll have to wait and see what else Nintendo has in store for the Splatoon community\! 

Original Posting Date: December 16, 2025 at [https://www.splatoonstronghold.com/news/the-splatoon-3-north-american-league-playoffs](https://www.splatoonstronghold.com/news/the-splatoon-3-north-american-league-playoffs)

Written and formatted for publication by [YELLOW](https://bsky.app/profile/great-hero-yellow.bsky.social).
