ONIC Philippines finished the opening week of MPL Philippines Season 18 on top of the standings after sweeping AP.Bren in a hard-fought Sunday series at the Victoria Sports Tower in Quezon City.
The Super Family remained undefeated at 2-0 and, more importantly, have yet to drop a game after taking down Aurora Gaming PH and AP.Bren in their first two series.
AP.Bren pushed ONIC to the limit in both games, building early leads before the Super Family found the team fights needed to close out the series.
ONIC survives AP.Bren’s early pressure
AP.Bren came out aggressively in Game 1. James “JamesPangks” Mendoza powered the Hive’s early advantage with four kills on Lukas, helping AP.Bren establish a 6-4 lead.
ONIC, however, found its opening after Jhon Marl “JMPINKMAN” Sebastian was caught by Czedrick “SUPERYOSHI” Romero’s Kaja ultimate.
Despite being a player down and positioned away from the EXP lane, AP.Bren committed to the engagement. Clayton “Savero” Kuswanto’s Brody punished the decision by picking up two quick kills, including a shutdown on JamesPangks. ONIC eventually turned the fight completely around, wiping out all five AP.Bren members to secure the opening game in 14 minutes.
King Cyric “K1NGKONG” Perez played a major role in the comeback, finishing with a 5/2/8 KDA on Hirara and contributing to every ONIC kill.
AP.Bren again managed to make Game 2 a much closer affair.
The second game stretched to nearly 24 minutes, with both teams trading advantages throughout the match. JamesPangks remained a major threat on Suyou, while Frince “SuperFrince” Ramirez delivered a flawless performance on Vexana for 22 minutes.
ONIC eventually found the decisive opening through SUPERYOSHI. The Kaja specialist once again landed a game-changing set, allowing Savero’s Beatrix to capitalize with three kills during the ensuing team fight.
AP.Bren attempted to fight its way back into the game, but ONIC maintained control of the final exchanges and completed the 2-0 sweep.
The victory leaves ONIC Philippines as the only team in MPL PH Season 18 with an unbeaten 4-0 game score after Week 1.
The Super Family will return to action on Friday against Twisted Minds PH. AP.Bren, meanwhile, drops to 1-1 and will face defending champion Team Liquid PH as it looks to secure its second win.
TNC breaks through against Aurora
Hopefuls TNC Pro Team also secured its first victory of the season after defeating Aurora Gaming PH, 2-1.
The Phoenixes entered the series looking to recover from their 0-2 loss to Team Falcons PH, while Aurora was still searching for its first win after suffering a sweep against ONIC in the season opener.
TNC immediately took control of Game 1, defeating Aurora 13-3 in nearly 22 minutes. Justine “Zaida” Palma spearheaded the attack with Paquito, finishing with six kills and only one death to claim MVP honors. His pressure prevented Aurora from comfortably reaching the late-game power spike of its lineup.
Aurora responded emphatically in Game 2.
The Northern Lights needed only 12 minutes to force the decider, putting up 13 kills against TNC’s five. Dylan “Light” Catipon’s Mathilda participated in every Aurora kill, while Kyle “Koyl” Reyes’ Suyou finished with seven kills and six assists.
The third game turned into a much tighter battle. Aurora secured the final Lord near the 18-minute mark and appeared poised to close out the series. TNC, however, managed to survive the push through the combined efforts of Nowee “Ryota” Macasa’s Belerick and Nathanael “Nathzz” Estrologo’s Barats.
Ryota’s Belerick provided enough sustain for Nathzz to continue the fight, eventually forcing Aurora into another engagement.
TNC found its opening when Nathzz used Wrath of Dryad to catch three Aurora players. Zaida’s Hirara immediately followed up with two kills, putting TNC within reach of the victory.
Koyl attempted to steal the game through a backdoor play on Harley, but Zehnder “Zehn” Fabugais’ Gloo returned in time to stop the Aurora jungler.
With Aurora’s defense collapsing, Light was forced to defend against TNC’s final push, but could not prevent the Phoenixes from securing their first victory of Season 18.
MPL PH Season 18 standings after Week 1
The results leave ONIC Philippines alone at the top of the MPL PH Season 18 standings at 2-0, with a perfect 4-0 game record. Team Falcons PH also finished Week 1 undefeated at 2-0, although the Green Falcons dropped a game against Team Liquid PH during their opening-day comeback victory.
AP.Bren and Team Liquid PH sit at 1-1, while TNC Pro Team joins them at 1-1 following Sunday’s victory.
Smart Omega, Twisted Minds PH and Aurora Gaming PH are still looking for their first victories, with Aurora currently bottom at 0-2.
