By: George Torno
Aurora PH extended their hot streak to 11 after outlasting TNC Pro Team, 2-1, in the penultimate week of the MPL Philippines Season 16 on Sunday, October 5, at the Green Sun Hotel in Makati.
The Northern Lights now sit atop the standings with an 11-1 record, securing the top playoff seed heading into the final week of the regular season.
“I think medyo nahirapan din kami kasi prepared talaga sila sa amin, so isa na naman yon sa mga i-aadjust namin,” Coach Anniel “Master the Basics” Jiandani said of TNC’s performance.
“Sa totoo lang gusto talaga namin malaman kung ano ba yung butas sa ginagawa namin,” he added.
Game 1 saw constant back-and-forth exchanges until TNC scored a four-man wipeout in the 10th minute to secure the Lord objective.
Aurora, however, weathered TNC’s aggression as Edward “Edward” Dapdap (Arlott) executed a Flicker-Final Slash combo, catching four enemy heroes during the 18th-minute Lord fight.
This set up Dominic “Domengkite” Delmundo’s (Wanwan) Crossbow of Tang to seal the opening win.
In Game 2, TNC turned the pressure on Edward (Uranus), breaking through Aurora’s defenses and securing the Lord by the 12-minute mark.
Joshua “Ch4knu” Mangilog’s (Akai) perfectly timed Flicker-Heavy Spin caught Jonard “Demonkite” Caranto (Lancelot), followed by Zaida’s (Yi Sun-shin) Mountain Shocker that also took down two, extending the series.
Game 3 belonged to Aurora, as Light’s (Badang) initiations led to crucial objectives and several unanswered kills.
By the 14th-minute Lord push, Aurora capitalized on Kenneth “Yue” Tadeo’s (Yve) Real World Manipulation to catch four TNC members, followed by Edward’s (Lapu-Lapu) Bravest Fighter that secured two kills to close out the series.
Aurora will now set their sights on AP.Bren, facing them on Friday, October 10, at the same venue.
