{"id":35921,"date":"2026-04-22T11:53:06","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T03:53:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.techbeatph.com\/wproot\/?p=35921"},"modified":"2026-04-22T11:53:06","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T03:53:06","slug":"mpl-ph-s17-midterms-team-grades","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.techbeatph.com\/wproot\/mpl-ph-s17-midterms-team-grades\/","title":{"rendered":"The Midterms: Grading Every MPL PH Team’s First-Half Campaign"},"content":{"rendered":"

With the 17th season of MPL Philippines<\/a> reaching the halfway point and the stakes rising by the day, it\u2019s time to assess how all eight teams performed through the first four weeks\u2014what we\u2019re calling the league\u2019s \u201cmidterms.\u201d<\/p>\n

The grades are based on each team\u2019s performance relative to expectations, their goals, and their roster composition heading into the season. This also takes into account their outlook for the rest of the campaign as the second round of the elimination stage begins this Friday.<\/p>\n

AP.Bren \u2014 C<\/h3>\n
\"\"
Photo from MPL Philippines \/ Richard Esguerra<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

AP.Bren opened strong, winning their first two series<\/a> against Smart Omega and TNC Pro Team to briefly sit at the top. But the momentum quickly collapsed. The Hive dropped their next five matches and haven\u2019t taken a single game in their last four series\u2014no wins since March 29.<\/p>\n

Still, there are positives. James \u201cJamesPangks\u201d Mendoza leads the league in total kills (75) and kills per game (4.69), carrying much of the team\u2019s output. Kiel \u201cKielvj\u201d Cruzem has also met expectations. The bigger concern is Jan Carl \u201cShizou\u201d Valdez, who has been noticeably quieter compared to his Season 16 form.<\/p>\n

Now in their third rebuild season, AP.Bren faces another uphill climb. If they want a playoff breakthrough, they need answers fast\u2014or risk resetting again.<\/p>\n

Aurora Gaming PH \u2014 B<\/h3>\n
\"\"
Photo from MPL Philippines \/ Richard Esguerra<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It\u2019s been uneven for the defending world champions. A three-match skid, including a surprise loss to Smart Omega<\/a>, exposed some cracks\u2014but they\u2019ve since steadied.<\/p>\n

Dylan \u201cLight\u201d Catipon remains one of the league\u2019s top facilitators, anchoring Aurora\u2019s team play. Edward Jay \u201cEdward\u201d Dapadap continues to deliver, though expectations remain high for him to fully dominate in a bruiser-heavy meta.<\/p>\n

Sitting fourth with a losing record raises eyebrows, but Aurora has built a reputation as a second-half team. If history repeats, they\u2019re still very much in the hunt.<\/p>\n

ONIC Philippines \u2014 A-<\/h3>\n
\"\"
Photo from MPL Philippines \/ Richard Esguerra<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Roster changes brought uncertainty, but ONIC Philippines<\/span><\/span> has largely delivered.<\/p>\n

They\u2019ve handled teams below them convincingly and stayed competitive against top contenders. The lone blemish is a 0\u20132 upset loss to TNC.<\/p>\n

Frince \u201cSuperFrince\u201d Miguel has been elite as always, posting a 7.84 KDA, while Clayton \u201cSavero\u201d Kiswanto<\/a> has held his ground in the gold lane. Meanwhile, King Cyric \u201cK1NGKONG\u201d Perez\u2019s expanded hero pool\u2014especially on utility picks\u2014has added another layer to ONIC\u2019s flexibility.<\/p>\n

They\u2019ve shown consistency. Now the question is whether they can flip results against the teams above them.<\/p>\n

Smart Omega \u2014 C-<\/h3>\n
\"\"
Photo from MPL Philippines \/ Richard Esguerra<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Smart Omega<\/a> sits at 2\u20135 again\u2014same record as last season\u2019s start\u2014but with a worse game differential (-6). The stagnation is hard to ignore.<\/p>\n

Rookie Carl Edriel \u201cMinguin\u201d Gallantes has been a bright spot, showing composure and leadership early. Dean \u201cRaizen\u201d Sumagui has also flashed brilliance. But the rest of the roster hasn\u2019t consistently backed it up.<\/p>\n

Their upset win over Aurora proves the ceiling is there. The challenge now is turning those flashes into sustained results\u2014or risk staying stuck in the same position as last season.<\/p>\n

Team Falcons PH \u2014 A+<\/h3>\n
\"\"
Photo from MPL Philippines \/ Richard Esguerra<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Team Falcons PH<\/span><\/span> looks like a title contender again after a Season 16 campaign that feels weird for FLCN’s standards.<\/p>\n

Replacing a departing Angelo Kyle “Pheww” Arcangel with Salic \u201cHadji\u201d Imam paid off immediately. Hadji has put up 54 kills and 130 assists in 17 games, driving a 6\u20131 start\u2014the best in franchise history.<\/p>\n

The improvement doesn\u2019t stop there. David \u201cFlap\u201d Canon and the rest of the roster have elevated across the board. Their only losses came against fellow elite teams, and they swept through Weeks 3 and 4.<\/p>\n

This version of Falcons is deep, experienced, and dangerous.<\/p>\n

Team Liquid PH \u2014 A+<\/h3>\n
\"\"
Photo from MPL Philippines \/ Richard Esguerra<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Team Liquid PH<\/span><\/span><\/a> hasn\u2019t just met expectations. They\u2019ve crushed them.<\/p>\n

Seven matches in, they remain undefeated, dropping only three games total. Dave \u201cTeddy\u201d Viana has been the breakout star, posting just seven deaths in 12 games and leading the league with a 12.29 KDA.<\/p>\n

With Sanford \u201cSanford\u201d Vinuya back in peak form and Alston \u201cSanji\u201d Pabico controlling the midlane, the system runs smoothly. The core\u2019s chemistry gives Teddy full freedom to operate.<\/p>\n

At this pace, a 14\u20130 regular season isn\u2019t unrealistic. And probably, another international tournament<\/a> for the GOAT himself Karl Gabriel “KarlTzy” Nepomuceno.<\/p>\n

TNC Pro Team \u2014 C-<\/h3>\n
\"\"
Photo from MPL Philippines \/ Richard Esguerra<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

TNC<\/a> has struggled to replicate last season\u2019s momentum.<\/p>\n

A four-match losing streak has pushed them toward the bottom, and the meta shift hasn\u2019t helped. The rise of aggressive EXP laners and stronger gold lane competition has exposed gaps in their system.<\/p>\n

Dale \u201cStowm\u201d Vidor and Justin \u201cZaida\u201d Palma have held their own, but the team needs more from its core\u2014especially Benedict \u201cBennyqt\u201d Gonzales, who has yet to find his rhythm in the current meta.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s still time, but not much. TNC needs a turnaround soon.<\/p>\n

Twisted Minds PH \u2014 B-<\/h3>\n
\"\"
Photo from MPL Philippines \/ Richard Esguerra<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Twisted Minds<\/a> sits exactly where expectations place them\u2014competitive, but somewhat inconsistent.<\/p>\n

They\u2019ve beaten teams below them and struggled against stronger opponents, making them one of the more predictable squads so far.<\/p>\n

Lee Howard \u201cOwl\u201d Gonzales has been a solid addition, while Lance \u201cLansu\u201d Misa continues to deliver impact plays and ranks among top EXP laners in KDA (4.26).<\/p>\n

With coach Kristoffer \u201cBON CHAN\u201d Ricaplaza at the helm, there\u2019s always room for adjustments. A playoff push is still within reach.<\/p>\n

Midseason Outlook<\/h3>\n

Four weeks in, the gap between contenders and chasing teams is already taking shape.<\/p>\n

Team Liquid PH and Team Falcons PH lead the pack with strong, stable systems. ONIC and Aurora remain threats, especially if they clean up hiccups. The rest are fighting for position\u2014and survival\u2014as the playoff race tightens.<\/p>\n

Round two starts now. And in MPL PH Season 17, margins are only getting thinner.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With the 17th season of MPL Philippines reaching the halfway point and the stakes rising by the day, it\u2019s time to assess how all eight teams performed through the first four weeks\u2014what we\u2019re calling the league\u2019s \u201cmidterms.\u201d The grades are based on each team\u2019s performance relative to expectations, their goals, and their roster composition heading…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":120,"featured_media":35749,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[2123,26128,26129,26130,26127,25064,2127,6585,6584,6583,6260,8076],"class_list":["post-35921","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-esports","tag-ap-bren","tag-aurora-gaming-ph","tag-mobile-legends-philippines-esports","tag-mpl-ph-analysis","tag-mpl-ph-midseason-grades","tag-mpl-philippines-season-17","tag-onic-philippines","tag-smart-omega","tag-team-falcons-ph","tag-team-liquid-ph","tag-tnc-pro-team","tag-twisted-minds-ph"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.techbeatph.com\/wproot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35921","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.techbeatph.com\/wproot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.techbeatph.com\/wproot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.techbeatph.com\/wproot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/120"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.techbeatph.com\/wproot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35921"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.techbeatph.com\/wproot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35921\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35922,"href":"https:\/\/www.techbeatph.com\/wproot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35921\/revisions\/35922"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.techbeatph.com\/wproot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35749"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.techbeatph.com\/wproot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35921"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.techbeatph.com\/wproot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35921"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.techbeatph.com\/wproot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35921"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}