It will be a while before the Phoenix rises again.
TNC Pro Team bowed out of MPL Philippines Season 17 playoff contention after suffering their 11th loss of the season against Team Falcons PH.
The Phoenix Army continued their rough stretch, dropping their fifth series in a row since handing Aurora Gaming PH a 2-0 defeat last April 25.
The Falcons came out aggressive in Game 1, with Marco “SuperMarco” Requitiano’s Claude leading the charge with a 4/0/7 performance. The rest of the team controlled the map from start to finish, taking down seven towers while keeping their own structures largely untouched.
Team Falcons carried the momentum into Game 2, closing out the series in 13 minutes behind SuperMarco’s 5/1/4 performance on Moskov. A key triple kill forced Lance “LanceCy” Cunanan’s Zhuxin to retreat and defend their base to no avail.
Despite the loss, coach Patrick “E2MAX” Caidic expressed his gratitude and pride in his team.
“Proud pa rin ako sa kanila,” said E2MAX. “Sa loob ng dalawang nagdaang season, naka-third kami last season. Ngayon lang kami hindi pinalad. Kinapos man kami, binabanggit ko sa kanila na sila pa rin ang pinakamalakas na players para sa akin.”
Gold laner Frederic Benedict “Bennyqt” Gonzales, who is missing the playoffs for the first time in his career, shared similar sentiments.
“Alam namin na mataas, sobrang taas ng expectations sa amin dahil nakapag top-three,” he said.
“Naniniwala naman kami na kahit tapos na yung playoffs namin ngayon, may mga susunod na season. Hindi naman dito nagtatapos ang MPL.”
The win secured Team Falcons PH the second upper bracket spot alongside Team Liquid PH.
Elsewhere, ONIC Philippines and Smart Omega went to three games, with ONIC emerging victorious behind Borris “Brusko” Parro’s strong performance.
TNC will open Saturday’s triple-header against fifth-seeded Twisted Minds PH. Playoff hopefuls AP.Bren will then look to upset Team Falcons PH, while Aurora Gaming PH and Smart Omega close the day in a crucial showdown.
