MAKATI – Saturday’s triple-header in MPL Philippines Season 16 had everything: comebacks, upsets, and streaks broken. Inside the Green Sun Hotel, Team Falcons PH finally ended their month-long drought, while AP.Bren and ONIC Philippines each grabbed pivotal victories as the playoff race tightened.
All three series went the distance, with every matchup finishing in a 2-1 scoreline.
Hive Stings Barangay Again
For the second time this season, the Hive prevailed in the thrilling battle between AP.Bren and Smart Omega.
Omega almost ended the series opener in 15 minutes, giving the impression that Game 1 was in their grasp. However, Kimmy, played by Arvie “Aqua” Calderon, took over late, destroying Omega’s front line and penalizing their overreach. In the 25-minute comeback victory, Aqua’s 9/2/6 KDA was named MVP.
In Game 2, Dean “Raizen” Sumagui’s Fanny used a cunning backdoor to level the series despite Bren’s gold lead, prompting Omega to respond. He was named MVP for his clutch play and 2/1/1 scoreline.
AP.Bren set the pace in the final. While Aqua’s Kimmy and Jan Carl “shizou” Valdez’s Bruno added to the damage, Denniel Denison “xNova” Gome’s Mathilda started fights with accuracy. Salic “Hadji” Imam’s 500th MPL game milestone was spoiled as the Hive ended the 21-minute victory to sweep their regular-season series against Omega.
With the victory, Omega dropped to 3-6 going into Week 6, while Bren improved to 3-5.
Falcons Flip the Script Against Twisted Minds
After a hard-fought victory over Twisted Minds PH, Team Falcons PH finally felt relief as they ended their seven-game losing streak.
First to strike, Twisted Minds won Game 1 in 19 minutes thanks to Miguel “Sionnn” Alcantara’s outstanding Kimmy performance (9/3/6).
However, in Game 2, the Falcons fought back. Marco “SuperMarco” Requitiano’s perfect Granger (7/0/7) was used to destroy Twisted Minds’ backline after David “FlapTzy” Canon’s Arlott delivered a devastating Final Slash.
The momentum carried into Game 3, where SuperMarco switched to Moskov and took over. His triple kill at the 13-minute mark turned the tide, allowing the Falcons to close the series and celebrate their first win since Week 1.
With the victory, Falcons improved to 2-7, while Twisted Minds dropped to 4-4 after suffering back-to-back series losses.
ONIC Edges Team Liquid PH in Reverse Sweep
In the day’s final showdown, ONIC Philippines rallied from a game down to stun Team Liquid PH and claim solo second in the standings.
TLPH looked sharp in Game 1, with Karl Gabriel “KarlTzy” Nepomuceno’s Yi Sun-shin and Kiel Calvin “Oheb” Soriano’s Wanwan leading a clean 16-minute victory.
But ONIC struck back in Game 2, thanks to Jaypee “Jaypee” dela Cruz’s pinpoint Franco hooks that turned teamfights around. Duane “Kelra” Pillas’ Harith capitalized on the space, finishing with a spotless 5/0/3 KDA to level the series.
In the decider, ONIC snowballed early behind Jann Kirk “Kirk” Gutierrez’s Phoveus (2/2/9), who shut down KarlTzy and Oheb before they could scale. ONIC cruised to victory in 18 minutes, sealing the reverse sweep.
The win boosted ONIC to 6-2, trailing only league leaders Aurora Gaming. Team Liquid PH slipped to 5-3 but remain in the top three.
