Four MPL Philippines-affiliated teams lead groups as MDL Philippines Season 5 wraps Round 1

Four MPL Philippines-affiliated teams lead groups as MDL Philippines Season 5 wraps Round 1

MANILA — The first round of MDL Philippines Season 5 concluded on Thursday, with four MPL Philippines-affiliated teams securing top spots in their respective groups. AP.Bren Rough World Era, Team Liquid PH Academy, Team Falcons Academy, and Smart Omega NEOS will advance to the next stage as the top-seeded teams.

Group A: AP.Bren Rough World Era Dominates

AP.Bren Rough World Era had a dominant Week 2, sweeping Aurora Hunters 2-0 in their only match. Former Smart Omega jungler Matt stole the show, earning back-to-back MVP nods with a clutch Fanny backdoor in Game 1 and a commanding Julian performance in Game 2.

Aurora’s loss proved costly as Martial Mayhem held them to a draw in the final series of the week, with Cinderella’s 7/1/8 performance securing second place for the Iloilo-based squad despite drawing all their matches.

Meanwhile, Uncle Drew Gamerpact settled for a draw after dropping Game 1 to Martial Mayhem but bouncing back with an 11-minute stomp in Game 2.

Group B: Team Liquid PH Academy Remains Unbeaten

Team Liquid PH Academy extended their perfect run, sweeping Karibok Heroes 2-0 on Day 2 to become the only team with a flawless 3-0 record. Palos’ Suyou and Ishkael’s Chip earned MVP honors as TLPH Academy avoided a potential draw.

Karibok Heroes finished second after splitting their series with Flair Esports, while TNC Voltes—without Bennyqt—secured a Game 1 win over Flair Esports thanks to Marcsss’ Badang, but ended in fourth after conceding Game 2.

Flair Esports’ Khiel1 made history by registering the second Savage of the season with Granger, tallying 14 kills, 1 assist, and only 2 deaths in Game 2.

Group C: RRQ Kaito Bounces Back

Former MDL champions RRQ Kaito rebounded from their Week 1 loss, securing two crucial wins to finish second in Group C. Kelvin and Ferdz led the charge, first against Metacore Crimson on Tuesday, followed by a sweep of Twisted Minds Rising.

However, their efforts weren’t enough to take the top spot, as Team Falcons Academy secured a draw in their last match against Metacore Crimson, cementing their place at the top of Group C.

Twisted Minds Rising struggled, finishing fourth after losing to RRQ Kaito, ending the round with just one point.

Group D: Omega NEOS, ONIC Nine Lives Settle for a Draw

Smart Omega NEOS only needed a draw against ONIC Nine Lives to top Group D in their lone match of Week 2. Sionnn’s Selena was lethal in Game 1, tallying 12 assists and 4 kills, while H2WO continued his dominant season with a 7/1/7 Hayabusa performance in Game 2.

ONIC Nine Lives bounced back by sweeping Gods of Edith 2-0 to secure second place. Gods of Edith, along with Minerva Esports, will proceed to the next round without a single win after both teams suffered 0-2 defeats in Week 2.

Seeding Rounds Confirmed

All 16 teams will now be re-seeded into groups based on their Round 1 placements for the upcoming Seeding Round. The teams will compete in a GSL format tournament, where the team with a 2-0 record in each group will secure the highest possible seed. Matches will be best-of-three, with the global ban-pick rule still in effect.

• Battle for Top 4 Seeds:

  • AP.Bren Rough World Era, Smart Omega NEOS, Team Falcons Academy, Team Liquid PH Academy

• Battle for 5th-8th Seeds:

  • Karibok Heroes, Martial Mayhem, ONIC Nine Lives, RRQ Kaito

• Battle for 9th-12th Seeds:

  • Aurora Hunters, Flair Esports, Metacore Crimson, Minerva Esports

• Battle for 13th-16th Seeds:

  • Gods of Edith, TNC Voltes, Twisted Rising, Uncle Drew Gamerpact

The Seeding Rounds begin on March 25, following a brief one-week break in MDL action.

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Drew Malihan

Drew started writing esports news and features in 2019, and is well-immersed in various MOBA titles. He is also an avid Football Manager enthusiast.

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