QUEZON CITY — Team Falcons PH and Aurora Gaming PH saved their biggest fight for last.
The Green Falcons outlasted the Northern Lights 2-1 Sunday at Victoria Sports Tower, closing the first half of MPL Philippines Season 18 with a nearly 40-minute Game 3 that became the fifth-longest game in league history.
After trading one-sided victories in the opening two games, both teams dug deep in a marathon decider that ultimately came down to a Lord fight in the dying minutes.
Falcons blow Aurora away in Game 1
Falcons needed less than 11 minutes to set the tone.
Rowgien “Owgwen” Unigo ran the show on Carmilla, finishing with six kills and eight assists as the Green Falcons conceded just one death throughout the entire game.
Aurora struggled to find an answer, with Dylan “Light” Catipon’s Belerick getting picked off seven times.
Kyle “Koyl” Reyes’ Paquito accounted for Aurora’s lone kill, taking down Michael “Kyle” Sayson as Falcons raced to a dominant opening victory.
Macro play became Aurora’s answer
Aurora responded with a completely different game in Game 2. The Northern Lights evened the series after 14 minutes, relying on disciplined macro play to keep Falcons away from the map’s major objectives.
Falcons secured just one Turtle throughout the game as Aurora repeatedly controlled the map and denied the Green Falcons opportunities to build momentum.
Kenneth “Yue” Tadeo was at the heart of Aurora’s response on Valentina, finishing with one kill and three assists while dealing the most damage on his team.
Light and Nathanael “Nathzz” Estrologo also proved difficult for Falcons to burst down, giving Aurora’s damage dealers enough time to work through extended fights.
The 40-minute war
Game 3 quickly turned into a battle of patience.
Late-game heroes on both sides made every engagement increasingly dangerous. Marco “SuperMarco” Requitiano’s Melissa became a major threat for Falcons, while Dominic “Domeng” del Mundo’s split-pushing and Yue’s Rafaela, equipped with Divine Resurrection, helped Aurora repeatedly stall the game.
Neither side could find the decisive opening.
As the game approached the 40-minute mark, one mistake finally broke the deadlock.
David “Flap” Canon spotted Koyl, giving Falcons the window they needed to commit to the Lord. The Green Falcons burned the objective down as Aurora rushed to contest.
Koyl was caught and eliminated before he could turn the fight around.
With Aurora’s formation broken, SuperMarco’s Melissa took over the ensuing fight, ripping through the remaining Northern Lights and allowing Falcons to finally close the marathon.
The victory sends Falcons into the second half with a 6-1 record and second place in the standings, behind only Team Liquid PH.
Aurora, meanwhile, finishes the opening half at 3-4 in fifth place.
Earlier in the day, Smart Omega also ended its first-half campaign with a 2-1 victory over TNC Pro Team, finishing the opening half with a winning record behind another strong performance from Dean “Raizen” Sumagui.
Aurora will return Friday for a rematch against Smart Omega, while Falcons begin their second-half campaign Saturday against Twisted Minds PH.
