Team Falcons PH handed ONIC Philippines its first loss of MPL Philippines Season 18, completing a 2-1 comeback against the league leaders Saturday at Victoria Sports Tower.
The Green Falcons dropped the opening game before SuperMarco’s surprise Miya pick powered back-to-back wins to snap ONIC’s five-match streak. Smart Omega also picked up its second win of the season against AP.Bren, while Team Liquid PH swept TNC Pro Team.
ONIC came out swinging in the opener, dismantling Falcons 12-3 in 16 minutes. Clayton “Savero” Kuswanto led the way with eight kills and four assists on Beatrix, while Czedrick “SUPERYOSHI” Romero assisted 11 of ONIC’s 12 kills with Kaja.
Marco “SuperMarco” Requitiano tried to get Falcons going with a 2/1/1 showing on Obsidia, but ONIC never allowed the Green Falcons to gain any ground.
Falcons found their answer in Game 2. SuperMarco pulled out a surprise Miya pick and erupted for six kills and five assists as Falcons equalized the series in under 14 minutes.
The Green Falcons dominated the map from the start, denying ONIC every Turtle and Lord. They also made life difficult for King Cyric “K1NGKONG” Perez’s Fanny, repeatedly cutting him off from his buffs during the middle stages of the game.
Falcons stuck with the Miya pick in the decider, and SuperMarco delivered once again. The gold laner finished with a flawless 5/0/2 KDA as Falcons closed out another 13-minute game to complete the comeback.
Team Falcons consistently won the key teamfights and punished ONIC whenever the Super Family overcommitted. Rowgien “Owgwen” Unigo’s Gloo provided the control, while Salic “Hadji” Imam’s Rafaela kept his teammates alive through ONIC’s attempts to fight back.
The reverse sweep ended ONIC’s perfect start to Season 18 and handed Falcons one of their biggest wins of the campaign so far.
Elsewhere, Smart Omega came away with a 2-1 victory over AP.Bren for its second match win of the season. Dean “Raizen” Sumagui led Omega across the three-game series, averaging 5.33 kills, 1.33 deaths, and 6.33 assists to earn match MVP honors.
AP.Bren, meanwhile, continued to search for consistency after another series defeat.
Team Liquid PH rounded out Saturday’s action with a 2-0 sweep of TNC Pro Team. Veteran roamer Jaypee was at the center of Liquid’s victory, averaging one kill, 2.5 deaths, and 18 assists across the two games.
The Cavalry will return Sunday against winless Twisted Minds PH, while Aurora Gaming closes Week 3 against Smart Omega.
