Rookie sensation Edferdz “Ferdz” Fernandez made a stunning debut, leading Team Falcons to a dominant 2-0 sweep over Aurora in their MPL Philippines Season 16 opener on Friday at the Green Sun Hotel in Makati City.
The victory was a complete turnaround from their Season 15 debut, where Team Falcons fell victim to a 2-0 sweep at the hands of eventual champions Team Liquid PH.
This time, they end Week 1 sitting on top of the standings after opening day.
Head coach Robert “Trebor” Reyes couldn’t hide his delight, especially with the performance of his rookie exp laner.
“Sobrang masaya kasi maganda yung pinakita namin sa first game namin. Last season yung first game namin talo eh. Kaya ngayon masaya ako kasi panalo kami. Tapos yung kay Ferdz, sabi niya sakin nung Game 1 kabado daw siya. Eh. Babawi daw siya ng Game 2. Ayun nga, napakita naman niya yung laro niya,” he said.
In Game 1, Team Falcons pulled off a comeback after trailing by 10k in net worth, powered by Marco “Super Marco” Requitiano’s Moskov heroics—highlighted by a daring 4-on-5 base turret defense in the 15th minute.
Super Marco sealed the win with a crucial double kill early in the 24th minute, finishing with a clean 3-0-5 KDA to hand Falcons the first game.
Ferdz then took over in Game 2, showcasing poise and confidence beyond his years. Playing Cici, he closed out the series with a 4-1-5 KDA to complete the sweep for Team Falcons.
