QUEZON CITY, Philippines — Team Falcons PH and ONIC Philippines opened MPL Philippines Season 18 with statement victories Friday at Victoria Sports Tower.
The Green Falcons rallied past three-time defending champions Team Liquid PH, 2-1, while the new-look Super Family swept Aurora Gaming PH in the season’s opening matches.
Falcons stun defending champs
Team Liquid PH started the season with a dominant 11-minute Game 1, but Team Falcons PH quickly turned the series around to secure the first upset of MPL PH Season 18.
Karl Gabriel “KarlTzy” Nepomuceno powered the Cavalry to the opening win with a spotless 6/0/5 performance on Paquito. Jaypee “Jaypee” dela Cruz also contributed 11 assists on Rafaela, while Salic “Hadji” Imam recorded Falcons’ lone kill.
The Green Falcons answered in Game 2 with an equally decisive 13-minute victory. Marco “SuperMarco” Requitiano led the charge with six kills and seven assists on Claude to claim MVP honors, while Michael “Kyle” Sayson added a 4/1/6 line on Fanny.
Team Liquid PH struggled to contain Falcons’ pressure despite Hirara’s 6/2/4 performance. KarlTzy finished with six kills and two assists, but Sanford “Sanford” Vinuya’s Alice failed to make a significant impact as Falcons forced a deciding game.
The decider delivered a much closer battle as both teams traded advantages throughout the nearly 20-minute game. Team Liquid PH pulled out an unexpected EXP Lane Atlas, while Falcons answered by giving Hadji Valentina. The pick became crucial late in the game, allowing Hadji to steal three different Liquid ultimates throughout the match.
The turning point came when Hadji’s stolen Fatal Links caught two Liquid players late in the 18th minute. Kyle and SuperMarco followed up with massive damage, forcing the Cavalry into a desperate retreat as Falcons picked them apart one by one.
Hadji finished the deciding game with two kills and 11 assists, while SuperMarco posted a 9/1/4 performance to complete Falcons’ comeback.
The victory gives Team Falcons PH an early boost against one of the league’s strongest teams, while Team Liquid PH will have to regroup before its next match against Smart Omega. Falcons, meanwhile, will face TNC Pro Team in their next outing.
Pheww-led ONIC PH sweeps new-look Aurora
ONIC Philippines had a much cleaner start to the season, dismantling Aurora Gaming PH in a 2-0 sweep on Angelo “Pheww” Arcangel’s coaching debut.
The Super Family dominated Game 1 from start to finish, shutting out Aurora, 6-0, in just 14 minutes. Jann Kirk “Kirk” Gutierrez participated in all six kills with two of his own and four assists as ONIC effectively dismantled Aurora’s crowd-control-heavy composition.
Aurora showed more offensive activity in Game 2, with Koyl, Light, and Domeng finding kills. The Northern Lights, however, could not translate those moments into sustained map control as ONIC once again snowballed the game.
Czedrick “SuperYoshi” Romero made his return to the MPL Philippines stage in style, finishing Game 2 with a 4/0/9 scoreline on Kaja. Clayton “Savero” Kuswanto also produced a strong performance with six kills and seven assists, while jungler King Cyric “K1NGKONG” Perez’s Hirara continued to give Aurora problems throughout the game.
The Sonics closed the second game in under 13 minutes to complete the sweep and immediately establish itself as one of the teams to watch in the early MPL PH Season 18 standings.
ONIC Philippines will take on AP.Bren, while Aurora Gaming PH looks to bounce back against TNC Pro Team.
