By: George Torno
Aurora eliminated AP.Bren from playoff contention after a 2-1 victory in the final week of the MPL Philippines Season 16, Friday at the Green Sun Hotel in Makati.
The win extended Aurora’s streak to 12, while AP.Bren bowed out of the tournament and became the first team to be eliminated from the highly contested playoff race.
Aurora head coach Anniel “Master the Basics” Jiandani commended AP.Bren for unveiling creative drafts that caught them off guard, especially in the opening game.
“Maganda rin talaga yung ginawang play tiyaka strat ng AP Bren lalo na ng Game 1,” he said.
“Siguro what went right lang para sa amin is alam ng players kung paano laruin yung game kahit na kakaiba yung ginawa ng kalaban. So credits sa execution ng mga players,” he added.
The Hive came out swinging in Game 1, pulling off a 4-for-0 wipe just seven minutes in to set the tone for a dominant opener.
During the 12th-minute Lord dance, John “Lord JM” Marl (Alice) initiated the clash with a Flicker–Doom Waltz that caught all members of Aurora, allowing Arvie “Aqua” Antonio (Pharsa) to follow up and secure the wipeout that sealed the game.
Game 2 told a different story, featuring constant back-and-forth exchanges as Aurora controlled the map behind Dylan “Light” Catipon’s Grock.
Edward “Edward” Dapdap’s Alice then mirrored Lord JM’s Game 1 heroics, soaking up the damage from four AP.Bren members with the help of Kenneth “Yue” Tadeo’s (Angela) Heartguard to extend the series.
In Game 3, the Northern Lights completely took over, with Jonard “Demonkite” Caranto’s (Akai) and Dylan “Light” Catipon’s (Franco) seamless coordination locking down AP.Bren through relentless crowd control—opening the way for Edward “Edward” Dapdap’s (Lapu-Lapu) to deliver massive damage.
By the 15th minute, John “Lord JM” Marl (Alice) tried to spark a final stand with another Flicker–Doom Waltz, but Demonkite’s timely Heavy Spin turned the clash around, outplaying the Bees for a decisive wipeout that sealed the series for Aurora.
Aurora will look to extend their winning streak against Smart Omega on October 11 at the same venue.
