Smart Omega and Aurora Gaming PH both moved to their third wins of the MPL Philippines Season 18 campaign after opening Week 4 with victories Friday at Victoria Sports Tower.
The Barangay outlasted a revamped Twisted Minds PH in three games, while Aurora Gaming made quick work of AP.Bren to keep their playoff push alive as the regular season approaches its halfway mark.
Omega survive Twisted Minds’ fightback
Smart Omega needed three games to put away Twisted Minds PH, with the Barangay surviving a dominant Game 2 from The Minds to claim the series.
Omega wasted little time in Game 1, cruising to a 13-minute victory behind Louis “Louis” Ariola’s Paquito. The veteran fighter posted a 9/1/6 KDA as Omega completely shut Twisted Minds out of the major objectives, securing every Turtle and Lord on the way to the opener.
The Barangay also kept Benedict “Bennyqt” Gonzales in check, limiting the Twisted Minds gold laner to a 3/1/2 performance.
Twisted Minds answered emphatically in Game 2.
The Minds exploded for a 21-4 kill score and dragged the game to 19 minutes despite Omega securing six of the nine available turrets. AJ “Kayn” Sombilon spearheaded the response with a flawless 10/0/6 performance on Paquito, while Tracy “Tracyyy” Damasco contributed one kill and 17 assists.
Omega refused to let the series slip away.
The Barangay closed out Game 3 in under 14 minutes, with Carl “Minguin” Gallantes bouncing back from his 0/4/1 Game 2 showing to post a 4/0/9 KDA on Eudora.
Twisted Minds tried to stretch the decider, but Omega eventually broke through to secure its third win of the season.
The result keeps the Barangay in the middle of the standings, while Twisted Minds remain winless at 0-6 heading into the final matches of the first half.
Aurora sweep AP.Bren
Aurora Gaming had a much cleaner path to its third win, sweeping AP.Bren in two games.
The Northern Lights opened with a 9-5 victory in under 13 minutes, powered by Jan Dominic “Domeng” Del Mundo’s Obsidia. The gold laner earned MVP honors after finishing 5/1/3, including three consecutive kills that helped Aurora put the game away.
Dylan “Light” Catipon also played a key role on Gatotkaca, finishing with one kill and eight assists.
Aurora doubled down in Game 2, needing less than 13 minutes to dismantle AP.Bren 9-1.
Light took over the second game on Gloo with a 1/0/7 performance, while Kenneth “Yue” Tadeo contributed two kills and five assists on Rafaela.
AP.Bren could barely find a foothold as Aurora controlled the game from the opening minutes to complete the sweep.
The victory moves Aurora to 3-3 heading into the final weekend of the first half, while AP.Bren drops to 1-5.
Twisted Minds will face TNC on Saturday in its final match of the first half, while Smart Omega closes its own first-half campaign against TNC on Sunday. AP.Bren will meet Team Falcons on Saturday, with Aurora facing the Green Falcons on Sunday.
