Falcons snap losing skid vs. Twisted Minds; AP.Bren, ONIC inked important wins
Photo from MPL Philippines / Richard Esguerra
Falcons snap losing skid vs. Twisted Minds; AP.Bren, ONIC inked important wins
MAKATI — One winless run ended. Two teams took crucial victories. Three full series matches.
MPL Philippines Season 16 saw three teams notch hard-fought wins inside Green Sun Hotel in Makati on Saturday as Week 5 action continues.
All three series went the distance with 2–1 scorelines: AP.Bren prevailed over Smart Omega, Team Falcons PH broke their losing skid, and ONIC Philippines edged Team Liquid PH in another heated clash.
Hive swarm the Barangay again
AP.Bren opened their series with a comeback 25-minute win in Game 1 after Smart Omega nearly closed things out in 15 minutes.
Arvie “Aqua” Calderon’s Kimmy turned the tide by shutting down Dean “Raizen” Sumagui’s Fredrinn and Czedrick “SUPERYOSHI” Romero’s Khaleed, while Jhon Marl “Lord JM” Sebastian punished Kenneth “Netskie” Barro’s Karrie for overstaying. Aqua’s 9/2/6 KDA earned him the MVP nod.
Omega struck back in Game 2 behind Raizen’s sneaky backdoor with Fanny, sealing the game despite AP.Bren’s gold lead. His 2/1/1 KDA was enough to grab MVP honors.
The Hive secured the decider in 21 minutes, with Denniel Denison “xNova” Gome’s Mathilda leading team fights and Aqua’s Kimmy pairing with Jan Carl “shizou” Valdez’s Bruno to rack up kills and assists. AP.Bren closed the regular-season series sweep against Omega, spoiling Salic “Hadji” Imam’s 500th MPL game in the process.
With the win, AP.Bren improved to 3–5 and will face Twisted Minds on Sunday. Omega dropped to 3–6 and will meet the same squad next week.
Falcons PH flip the script
Twisted Minds drew first blood with Miguel “Sionnn” Alcantara’s Kimmy tallying 9/3/6 in a 19-minute opener. But Team Falcons answered back with a pickoff-heavy draft in Game 2.
David “FlapTzy” Canon’s Arlott delivered a game-changing Final Slash, while Marco “SuperMarco” Requitiano’s flawless 7/0/7 Granger dismantled Mico “Nosia” Capil’s Beatrix.
The decider saw both sides trade kills and objectives, but SuperMarco’s Moskov went on a tear late, including a triple kill at the 13-minute mark, sealing the win for Falcons.
The Bulletproof Ones snapped their near month-long skid against the same team that handed them their first loss of the season. Falcons rose to 2–7 and will battle TNC Pro Team next Saturday, while Twisted Minds slipped to 4–4 and look to rebound against AP.Bren on Sunday.
Super Fam escape Cavalry with reverse sweep
Team Liquid PH struck first with a 16-minute opener led by Karl Gabriel “KarlTzy” Nepomuceno’s Yi Sun-shin (four kills plus two lords) and Kiel Calvin “Oheb” Soriano’s Wanwan (1/0/10).
ONIC bounced back in Game 2 thanks to Jaypee “Jaypee” dela Cruz’s Franco. The roamer’s hooks and engages swung momentum after a key takedown of Borris “Brusko” Parro’s Khaleed. Duane “Kelra” Pillas’ Harith carried the finishing blow with a clean 5/0/3.
In Game 3, ONIC snowballed early and never looked back. Jann Kirk “Kirk” Gutierrez’s Phoveus (2/2/9) spearheaded the win. TLPH’s KarlTzy and Oheb were shut down, combining for seven deaths and only one kill.
The victory boosted ONIC to 6–2, placing them solo second. They next face AP.Bren on Friday. Team Liquid PH slipped to 5–3 but remain third, with a Sunday clash against TNC Pro Team looming.
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