Dealer’s Choice: Round 2 Results of Bio-Cup 2025
Bio-Cup 2025 is entering the final phase: from 64 builders down to the final four! Today we’ll take a peek at the Round 2 finalists and prepare for the final round just around the corner!
The round 2 theme was WELCOME TO THE SHUFFLE, based off the classic suits from a deck of cards.
DIAMONDS: ALL INcarnate
I really like the motion Panuvara portrays here! Here at BrickNerd, we enjoy a good cheese mosaic, and there’s a little one in the hat that matches a bow tie using the kilt from the series 7 Bagpiper. Ever seen Fabuland roof support epaulets? Neither have I. Even the horse has some neat NPU, its front right leg uses a giant arm and an Adventurers Jun-Chi arm!
On the base, we got a few masks and Krana nestled around some tan Hero Factory chest armor pieces. Lots of Bionicle elements and masks have holes, which Panuvara shoved some plants inside to add a bit of foliage. When I think about a diamond, my first thought isn’t a gambling cowboy, but maybe it will be in the future?
HEARTS: Flush Casanova
The Heart winner was Hlebo Bas, who built the crazy dragon I featured last round! The mob boss vibes are incredible here: Flush Casanova’s embroidered jacket adds some real class to an otherwise demented creature. Clothes maketh the man, er, monster, I suppose. Once again he’s killed it with the face—a good brick-built visage beats a mask every single time.
For the knees, we got Jimi Stringer’s mask. For the feet, there’s some Knights Kingdom leg armor. The swooning lady has an awesome dress using an awkward Hero Factory shoulder armor piece.
SPADE: Grün, King of Leaves
Joey Kulsnick went with a regal king. Is he part plant, or is that his armor? Either way, its sick as heck! This year, botanicals introduced a new big leaf element, and it’s all over this guy! The helmet is the most impressive part of the model, with two of said leaves resting above Rascus’s visor. I’ve tried to use some of those visor elements, and it’s exceedingly difficult to mount them anywhere. Joey does things with wacky elements on a daily basis; nothing can stop that man.
And lastly, apparently German cards replace the spade suit with leaves—so he combined them together! As Grün is a king, he needed a crown. What better than a bunch of minifig hands clipped around some flex tube?
CLUBS: Brown Paper Bag
The Maestro knocked me out last round, and he did the same to the rest of the bracket this time too! When the round theme was announced, I wondered what the club bracket would go with. I didn’t think about a literal club.
The big robot guy is a masterclass in shaping and color blocking. The record players on the shoulders are wacky, wild, and whimsically fun! A MIDI pad controller on the torso adds a splash of color to an otherwise drab character. Oh, and did ya notice the elephant in the room? The big guy’s head is literlly built around…an elephant head! (I’ve done a deep dive into animal element NPU, if you wanna see more builds with elephant heads.)
As for the little guy, they’ve got some neat cargo shorts! Rotation joint Technic bricks with a 1x1 tiles for pockets work wonders. The vest uses some stickered Technic panels from the truck sub-model in the Technic Hovercraft from 2018.
Head First Into Round 3
As Round 2 has ended, it’s now time for the final! Builders have been tasked with the theme “Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: Death, War, Famine & Pestilence.” The judges secretly assigned each remaining builder their sub-theme, which we’ll find out when the round ends later this month. Good luck to the four finalists—it’s gonna be a matchup to remember!
Have you seen any other card suit MOCs? Let us know in the comments below!
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