Smart Omega, Team Falcons secure vital wins as MPL PH playoff race tightens
Photo from MPL Philippines / Richard Esguerra
Smart Omega, Team Falcons secure vital wins as MPL PH playoff race tightens
MAKATI — Smart Omega and Team Falcons PH earned crucial points on Friday in the MPL Philippines Season 15 regular season as the playoff picture continues to take shape.
Smart Omega edged out Twisted Minds PH in a three-game thriller, while Team Falcons PH rallied from behind to survive a tough challenge from TNC Pro Team.
Barangay takes all-important win
Smart Omega got off to a strong start with a narrow 14-minute victory in Game 1, thanks to another standout assassin performance from Andrew Lew “Andoryuuu” Flora. The rookie jungler tallied six kills and four assists with Hayabusa, while substitute roamer Czedrick “Super Yoshi” Romero stepped up in place of Joshua “Ch4knu” Mangilog, delivering three kills and seven assists on Kalea—including a pivotal Tsunami Slam on James “Jeymz” Gloria’s Phoveus.
Twisted Minds struck back in Game 2 with a dominant showing led by Salic “Hadji” Imam. The veteran midlaner was in full control with Yve, posting a 5/0/7 KDA to shut down Andoryuuu’s Helcurt and force a decider.
But it was all Omega in Game 3, as they unleashed a 17-3 rout in just under 11 minutes. Andoryuuu’s Ling carved through the opposition with seven kills and five assists, while Jayson “UK1R” Alupit’s Zhuxin dished out 13 assists and two takedowns in a clinical team effort.
The win gave Smart Omega their second series win of the season—both against Twisted Minds PH, who now fall to 2-10 and face a must-win matchup against AP.Bren to stay in the playoff race. Omega will need to pull off an upset against second-seeded Aurora on Saturday to boost their postseason hopes.
Falcons soar after early stumble
Team Falcons PH bounced back from a Game 1 setback to take down the Phoenix Army in a tight three-game series.
TNC struck early with a 17-7 victory in the opener, anchored by Tristan “Yawi” Cabrera’s classic Chou performance, tallying 11 assists and a kill in 19 minutes while keeping Angelo “Pheww” Arcangel’s Luo Yi under control.
Falcons captain Pheww only managed six assists while falling five times, and Vincent “Pandora” Unigo—playing as EXP Laner for the first time in his MPL career—struggled on Gatotkaca with just six kill contributions.
Game 2 was a nail-biter, but Falcons found their rhythm by shutting down Justine “Zaida” Palma’s Joy and letting Michael “KyleTzy” Sayson cook with Hayabusa, notching five kills and six assists. KyleTzy’s late-game pickoff on Zaida turned the momentum as TNC lost their map control heading into the 20-minute mark.
Falcons closed it out in style with a 20-7 blowout in Game 3. Pandora shined in his new roaming role, using Kalea to perfection with one kill and eight assists while neutralizing Benedict “Bennyqt” Gonzales’ Harith.
Marco “Super Marco” Requitiano’s Beatrix also delivered with six kills and five assists, while TNC’s Fredrinn-Mathilda combo faltered as they were forced into losing team fights instead of map pressure.
With the win, Team Falcons PH temporarily climbed to third place and will have time to regroup before facing AP.Bren next week. TNC, meanwhile, will hope to turn things around against Aurora Gaming as they scramble for better playoff seeding.
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