ONIC Philippines began MPL Philippines Season 18 looking like a team with all the answers. A strong start puts ONIC among the league’s early frontrunners, with its drafts and execution making a strong case for the team’s place among the title contenders.
Coach Angelo Kyle “Pheww” Arcangel’s team still has the tools to contend. The question entering the playoffs is whether it can recover the control it showed at the start of the season—or whether its rivals have found enough answers to challenge its claim over the current metagame.
A strong opening gives way to tougher questions
ONIC’s 5-0 start established an early standard, but the second half exposed a team that was less consistent than it had been in the opening weeks. Conceding games to AP.Bren and TNC, alongside the loss to Aurora, suggested that opponents were finding more ways to disrupt ONIC’s plans.
That does not erase the strength of its early run. Instead, it raises a more important question: can ONIC adjust once its preferred strategies are challenged in this meta?
The team used 51 unique heroes during the regular season, the second-highest total among MPL PH teams. That breadth gives ONIC several possible routes through a draft, but flexibility only matters when the choices translate into effective execution. Its playoff opponents will be looking to narrow those options, force uncomfortable matchups, and test whether ONIC can win when its first plan falls apart.
The postseason will also demand consistency across a series. ONIC’s early results showed how dangerous it can be when its approach clicks; its later stumbles showed why it cannot rely on that level of control arriving automatically.
SuperFrince remains ONIC’s most dependable weapon
Frince “SuperFrince” Ramirez has continued to provide ONIC with a reliable offensive foundation. Since entering the league in Season 10, the midlaner has built a reputation for consistency, and his Season 18 numbers put him among the leading players in his role across the major statistical categories.
SuperFrince leads the league in damage per gold at 5.77 and damage share at 28.57%. He also ranks second overall in damage per game, while averaging just 0.97 deaths per game across 34 total deaths—one of the league’s lowest figures.
The Monster Mage produces a significant portion of ONIC’s damage without regularly giving opponents the opportunity to remove him from fights early. He can keep applying pressure through extended engagements while remaining available for the next objective or team fight.
His hero pool adds another layer to that value. Among the league’s most frequent users of unique heroes, SuperFrince has demonstrated proficiency with both Valentina and Novaria. The former gives ONIC utility and opportunities to turn opponents’ ultimates against them, while the latter allows him to threaten opponents from range and influence fights before they fully develop.
That balance between artillery and utility makes SuperFrince difficult to reduce to a single role. If the team is to rediscover its early-season form, his consistency will be central to that effort.
Kirk’s shotcalling comes with a frontline cost
Jann Kirk “Kirk” Gutierrez has taken on a larger leadership role this season, stepping up as ONIC’s primary shotcaller. His contribution is not always reflected in the most visible statistics, but his numbers show how much responsibility he carries in fights.
Kirk ranks among the league’s top three in damage taken per minute, yet he has also recorded 196 assists, placing him among the top nine players in that category. He has kept his deaths lower than any other EXP laner, balancing frontline duties with the discipline needed to remain involved throughout an engagement.
His hero pool reflects that role. Kirk has been one of the league’s most prolific Belerick users, picking the hero eight times with a 50% win rate, and Barats users, with eight picks and a 75% win rate. Both can help ONIC PH absorb pressure and create openings for its damage dealers. Kirk has also shown adaptability on support-oriented EXP picks such as Minotaur and Carmilla. Those options give ONIC ways to prioritize team utility and sustain rather than relying exclusively on a conventional frontline.
As the primary shotcaller, the challenge now is maintaining that influence when opponents force him to absorb more pressure or target the team’s preferred setups.
Which version of ONIC takes the stage?
One of ONIC’s most consequential decisions concerns the roaming position. Czedrick “SUPERYOSHI” Romero played during the first half of the season before Borris “Brusko” Parro took over in the second half, giving the team two different approaches to the role.
Brusko brings familiarity. As a teammate with an established understanding of ONIC’s players, he can help maintain cohesion in team fights and create space through tankier, setup-oriented heroes. His return to the lineup after sitting out the opening half also gives ONIC a chance to build on the combinations that emerged later in the season.
SUPERYOSHI, meanwhile, was part of the team’s stronger opening stretch. His support-roam specialization offers a different emphasis, prioritizing utility and enabling teammates rather than simply providing a durable body at the front of a fight.
The choice is not simply between the better individual player. ONIC must decide which approach best fits its playoff opponents, its draft priorities, and the current meta. Either choice must also help unlock K1NGKONG and Savero. Their expanded hero pools give ONIC PH more ways to approach drafts, but the team needs its roamer to make those options work in practice.
The right pairing could help ONIC reclaim its early-season cohesion; the wrong fit could leave its expanded draft options looking more theoretical than threatening.
ONIC must make the playoffs its meta
The Super Family has already shown it can dominate a regular-season stretch. Its opening five series wins, broad hero pool, and reliable production provide evidence that the team has the individual talent and strategic range to challenge for the title. Yet the second half showed that opponents can disrupt its rhythm.
ONIC’s early run made the league take notice. Its later struggles have given its rivals reason to believe the gap can be closed. The playoffs will determine whether those setbacks were temporary disruptions or signs that the team’s approach needs another evolution.
For ONIC, the mission is clear: adapt, execute, and show that the meta is still theirs.
