MAKATI, The first week of the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Professional League Philippines (MPL PH) Season 16 continued to rock the Green Sun Hotel with thrilling comebacks, victories that broke records, and historic performances on Saturday.
Twisted Minds maintained their strong start with a third consecutive series victory, Aurora Gaming concluded the evening with an exciting reverse sweep against ONIC Philippine, a dominant force, and TNC Pro Team finally made their breakthrough with their first victory of the season.
Phoenix Soar Past Falcons
After consecutive defeats, TNC Pro Team came into the day in dire need of a victory, which they achieved with a 2-0 sweeping of Team Falcons PH.
With a 4/1/4 performance, Justine “Zaida” Palma’s Lancelot sliced through the opposition in Game 1, setting the tone for the Phoenix Army. With an incredible 7/2/7 Granger performance, Benedict “Bennyqt” Gonzales ended the 23-minute suspenseful match. In late-game skirmishes, Falcons veteran David Charles “FlapTzy” Canon attempted to change the tide with his Benedetta, but the team lacked the durability to outlast TNC.
Frediemar “3Mar” Serafico was the star of Game 2. With four kills and nine assists, his Cici dominated teamfights, and Zaida applied constant pressure with his signature Fanny. At the 17-minute mark, TNC completed the sweep as the Falcons’ teamfight execution collapsed, providing the team with much-needed momentum heading into Week 2.
Twisted Minds Hand Omega a Second Straight Loss
Twisted Minds, meanwhile, extended their winning streak to three series with a 2-1 victory over Smart Omega, continuing their scorching run.
Mico “Nosia” Capil’s perfect Moskov (7/0/5) and Miguel “Sionnn” Alcantara’s utility Kagura dominated Omega in the one-sided first game, which ended in just 14 minutes.
But in Game 2, Omega fought back thanks to Kenneth “Netskie” Barro’s late-game Karrie and Salic “Hadji” Imam’s brilliant Kagura (7/2/12). Romero, Czedrick “SUPERYOSHI”provided the highlight moment of the series, pulling in three TWIS players to secure the equalizer.
In the decider, however, Twisted Minds slammed the door shut. In the ten-minute-long third game, Nosia’s Beatrix snowballed unopposed while Lance “Lansu” Misa’s Uranus controlled the tempo. Omega lost for the second time in a row without claiming a single Lord or Turtle.
Aurora Escape With Reverse Sweep Over ONIC
Aurora Gaming pulled off one of the biggest upsets to date, dramatically reversing ONIC Philippines as the evening came to a close.
In Game 1, Duane “Kelra” Pillas’ clutch Moskov Lord steal gave ONIC the lead and helped them win a 23-minute macro battle.
However, Aurora recovered well in Game 2. While Edward “Edward” Dapadap anchored the frontline with his Uranus, allowing his carries to dominate, Kenneth “Yue” Tadeo’s Kimmy (5/0/4) led an 11-minute stomp.
Game 3 turned into a memorable evening for Edward. The veteran EXP laner, who was playing in his 500th MPL appearance, gave an MVP-caliber Lapu-Lapu performance, finishing with a perfect 2/0/6 and even taking out ONIC’s Jann Kirk “Kirk” Gutierrez on his own. ONIC suffered their first defeat of the season as a result of Aurora’s strong crowd-control lineup suffocating their main damage dealers.
What’s Next
While the Falcons hope to recover against Smart Omega on Sunday, TNC will try to build on their breakthrough when they play the reigning champions, AP.Bren, next Saturday. ONIC PH will play again on Friday against the faltering Falcons, while Twisted Minds and Aurora Gaming will square off in a major matchup.
MPL PH Season 16 is already looking like one of the most unpredictable seasons yet, with early momentum shifting and surprises mounting.
