Aurora claims MPL PH S16 finals seat as TNC eliminates world champs ONIC

Aurora claims MPL PH S16 finals seat as TNC eliminates world champs ONIC

PASAY — Aurora Gaming punched their ticket to the grand finals and secured their slot in the upcoming M7 World Championship after dispatching Team Liquid PH in the upper bracket finals of the MPL Philippines Season 16 playoffs at the Cuneta Astrodome on Friday.

Meanwhile, TNC Pro Team pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the season, eliminating defending world champions ONIC Philippines in a thrilling five-game lower bracket showdown.

Aurora shines vs. Team Liquid

Aurora delivered the biggest turnaround of the season, rallying from a 13,000 gold deficit to steal Game 1 from Team Liquid. Jonard Cedrix “Demonkite” Caranto’s Lancelot anchored the comeback with a 2/3/7 KDA. Teammate Kenneth “Yue” Tadeo added 3/1/7 on the midlane.

Team Liquid responded with a convincing Game 2 win behind Alston “Sanji” Pabico’s stellar Zhuxin performance. The midlaner showed a clean 6/0/5 stat line, supported by Karl Gabriel “KarlTzy” Nepomuceno’s 4/2/5 effort.

However, the Northern Lights stormed back in Game 3 as Yue’s Yve wreaked havoc with an 8/0/12 KDA in an 18-minute win. Jan Dominic “Domengkite” del Mundo then put on a show in Game 4, debuting the Ixia with a 7/1/6 performance alongside Yue in a deadly Ixia-Yve combo that sealed the series, 3–1.

With the win, Aurora advanced to their second MPL PH grand finals appearance and their second world championship berth in franchise history. Team Liquid, meanwhile, dropped to the lower bracket finals for one last chance to defend their MPL crown.

TNC stuns ONIC in five-game thriller

ONIC Philippines opened their lower bracket campaign with a statement, dismantling TNC 12–4 in just 15 minutes behind Frince “SuperFrince” Ramirez’s 2/1/6 Selena.

TNC, however, fought back with Justine “Zaida” Palma’s signature Lancelot leading the charge with a 7/2/4 KDA in Game 2. The Phoenix Army carried their momentum into Game 3 as Lance “LanceCy” Cunanan’s Zhuxin (4/0/5) pushed TNC to a 2–1 advantage.

ONIC refused to go down quietly, equalizing with a dominant 11-minute Game 4. It was Borris “Brusko” Parro’s Chou who led the game with six assists to force a decider.

In the do-or-die Game 5, TNC’s patience and mid-game control paid off. Zaida’s Lancelot once again proved clutch with a flawless 4/0/1 KDA. Meanwhile LanceCy’s Lunox added two kills and two assists to complete the upset against the world champions.

The victory marked TNC’s joint-highest MPL PH finish, equaling their Season 9 run. They also kept their dream of a first-ever grand finals and M-Series appearance alive.

TNC Pro Team will face Team Liquid PH on Saturday in a best-of-seven lower bracket final.

The winner will challenge Aurora Gaming on Sunday for the MPL Philippines Season 16 championship title.

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Drew Malihan

Drew sucks at FPS games but loves watching PUBG and VALORANT. He found his way into esports through MLBB and HOK, and will die on the hill that Football Manager and even Excel deserve to be esports titles—despite not being good at any of them.

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