An Interview with Frontline Gaming's Jake Jacobson, Winner of Best Overall at the 2026 GW Palm Springs Open

Winning Best Overall isn’t just a way to secure a Golden Ticket to the World Championships; it’s also one of the most prestigious awards in Warhammer, a symbol of a player who combines generalship with excellence in the hobby. We sat down with Jake Jacobson of Frontline Gaming, who recently won Best Overall at the GW Open Palm Springs event in January, to talk about his army and the hobby journey that led to him winning.

GH: Hey Jake, thanks for taking the time to talk to us. First off, tell us a bit about yourself and your army.

Jake: Hey, thank you so much for having me on Goonhammer. It’s genuinely an honor.

I’ve worn a few hats in the hobby over the years. I’m a player, a hobbyist, I even had a notable 40k YouTube channel briefly, and more recently I’ve spent a lot of time on the event organization side of things lately through Frontline Gaming, so I try my best to keep a balance between all three. Add to that juggling family time and the never ending responsibilities of entrepreneurship. At the end of the day though, I’m just someone who really loves this hobby and the community surrounding it. I’ve never considered myself a top tier player or painter but evidently, I do fairly decent at both combined! In all seriousness, this is why I’ve more realistically gone for a shot at Best Overall in mind rather than winning anything else.

I originally got into Warhammer way back in Fantasy 5th edition. Yes, I’m apparently a bit older than I look. I took a long break from the hobby and then semi-recently returned with Age of Sigmar, reconnecting with the nostalgia of Lizardmen through Seraphon in 8th edition. Not long after that, I caught the 40K bug, made some really cool friends along the way, re-learned how to paint, and here we are.

My first 40K army was impulsively Harlequins, which in hindsight might not have been the easiest place to start… However, they were incredibly fun but definitely a challenge to pilot as a learning player. Then I saw Mortarion on the shelf and absolutely had to take him home. That quickly snowballed into a full blown Death Guard army, and I fell in love with everything about them, especially the model sculpts and the idea of being disgustingly resilient. I never did get my “NURGLE1” vanity license plate but oh well.

Credit: Jake Jacobson

What led to the decision to take Death Guard to the event? And why Hammer over Vectorium?

Simply put, I just haven’t had as much time to play as I would like over the past year. Juggling work, events, and family, my reps have been limited to say the least. The one army I did manage to take to an event during that time though, was Death Guard.

Historically, I’ve been an Aeldari faction specialist ever since Dark Harlequins were introduced. But as most people know, piloting space elves well really requires constant reps. Without that, I don’t feel it’s fair to yourself or your opponent. With the few games I had under my belt recently with Death Guard, it made sense to stay the course rather than relearn something new and risk not enjoying my time at the event.

With some trusted guidance from Junior Affleje, our 40K team captain, Mortarion’s Hammer stood out as the right choice for both my playstyle and the general meta. Being able to automatically debuff two units of your choice, usually applying minus one to hit, felt incredibly strong for staying alive so I could effectively punch back. And for the most part, it absolutely delivered. Except into Tau... Tau definitely had something to say about it!

I love the bright highlights on your Death Guard. What made you choose that scheme, and when did you start painting the army?

I’ve definitely become known for a grim dark with strong color pop style. Grungy but clean? I’m not sure if that’s an official thing, but it’s definitely become my thing so thanks for noticing my highlights! I always want the models to feel worn and dirty, but having an intentional signature on the table-top.

This army is actually a bit of a mix though. I started with a more traditional darker green scheme, but later fell in love with a pre Heresy inspired, grungy beige recipe. I think a lot of Death Guard players naturally gravitate toward green, especially since painting creams and whites can be pretty intimidating. For me, it’s always been about finding paint recipes that fit my personal style and, just as importantly, hobby hacks that allow you to achieve a high tier result with fast results.

Since Death Guard was my first 40K army, it’s where I experimented the most. There’s a little variety in there for sure, but I’m genuinely happy with how it all came together. It feels authentic to my hobby journey, and I wouldn’t change it.

Credit: Jake Jacobson

Winning Best Overall without a big centerpiece model like Mortarion is tough. Was that something you had in mind when you built the list, or was it purely comp decisions?

Bro! Let me tell you, this was the exact conversation I had with my teammates leading up to the event. I’m really proud of my more showcase-worthy models, and going into Palm Springs I expected to score decent hobby points as well as winning at least some games, but my mindset was realistically more focused on the hobby side than banking on a higher tournament finish.

Since lists weren’t due until check-in at this event, I even brought my Plagueburst Crawlers with me just in case I changed my mind at the last minute. I really enjoy how Blight Haulers perform on the table-top, but personally speaking, I’ve always thought they look a little derpy. In the end, reliable heavy shooting felt more safe, and I stuck with what I trusted.

As much as I would have loved to showcase my Mortarion model, I had zero reps with him going into the event and looking at his datasheet, I knew I would forget rules and interactions. I decided it was better to lean into cohesion and consistency across the army rather than force in a centerpiece I wasn’t fully comfortable with. Plus PBC’s costing more than two roomba’s as I call them, felt like the wrong choice.

Credit: Jake Jacobson

What’s your favorite 40K model you’ve ever painted?

How am I supposed to answer that, that’s a really tough question?! I can definitely answer on the paint job I’m most proud of instead if that’s okay.

During the pandemic, I decided to start an Ultramarines army. Up until that point, I had never really painted Imperium, and like a lot of people, I suddenly had more time to sit still than I’d had in decades. That period became a meaningful chapter in my hobby journey.

A friend of mine, Jay, who played a big role in fast tracking my early painting progress, shared something with me that has stuck ever since. He talked about trying to convey emotion through a paint job, not just technique and that’s stuck with me ever since.

I decided to push well outside my comfort zone and attempted a dual temperature, light sourced paint scheme on a Chaplain model. That project taught me patience, the importance of proper layering, and the idea that the darker your darks are, the brighter your brights can be. It’s far from perfect, but I still look back on that piece as my favorite paint job and a real turning point for me as a painter.

Credit: Jake Jacobson

You mentioned before the event that you’d been out of comp play for a bit. Does this mark a return to form for the year? What’s your next event?

I’d really love to get out to as many community events as I can this year, so we’ll see how the schedule shakes out since balance is always my challenge.

For work, I’ll be heading to the Cherokee Open next month, but on the player side, California Teams Tournament in March is the next one on the play calendar. I somehow got myself roped into that one in having to defend our teams 3rd title or something (no pressure) I’d also really love to make it out to NOVA this year if timing allows. And of course, after unexpectedly earning a GW Golden Ticket, I suppose I’ll be at the World Championships of Warhammer as well!

Frontline Gaming also hands out hobby awards at their events - what’s your philosophy on building that rubric and paint judging, and how does that factor into your painting?

I’m really glad you asked this, because it’s something we’ve put a lot of thought into recently. At the start of 2025, we made a significant number of meaningful improvements to FLG events with the goal of elevating the overall attendee experience, and a big part of that was refining the hobby side of our Warhammer 40K Champs events.

When we updated the hobby rubric, I definitely brought my own experiences as a player and hobbyist, along with the respective input from our veteran judge team. The goal was to make the rubric clear, concise, and fair. We wanted it to reward effort and intentionality while still being approachable and transparent for participants.

One important aspect is that players can always ask for feedback after the event. Whether someone wants to understand how to score more hobby points next time or just get a judge’s perspective on how to stand out more, that conversation is encouraged and meant to be meaningful and educational, based on tangible metrics.

We also take judging very seriously. Hobby scoring is never handled by just any judge. It’s always done by vetted judges with relevant painting experience or credentials. On top of that, we regularly bring in guest showcase judges to add another layer of expertise to the final scoring. Last year alone, we had hobby leaders like Caleb Wissenbeck, Dan Osborne, Phil The Glacial Geek, and Kevin Grubbs participate in that role.

Ultimately, the goal is to make sure that when someone wins a hobby award at an FLG event, it genuinely carries weight. The time, effort, and passion players put into their armies deserve to be recognized in a meaningful way.

What’s your plan for Worlds? Do you think you'll take the same army or switch it up to something new?

I have no idea what I’ll be bringing to Worlds. What I do know is that I’ll always bring an army I’m proud of, both in how it looks and how it matches my playstyle. Let’s be real though, the meta will absolutely play a role in the final decision. It always does for competitive players, so we shall see. More than anything though, I’m just excited to be going to Worlds in general. It’s a huge opportunity and something I’m genuinely grateful to be a part of.

Thanks again for speaking with us Jake, and for sharing photos of your gorgeous army. Good luck at the World Championships!

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