ONIC Philippines clinched a spot in the grand finals of MPL Philippines Season 15 after a commanding 3-0 sweep of Team Liquid PH on Friday at the Green Sun Hotel in Makati City.
Duane “Kelra” Pillas is ready to return to the MSC stage for the first time since the 2022 edition held in Malaysia. He previously earned the Grand Finals MVP award and led his team to the championship title in the pandemic-hit 2021 MSC tournament.
Coach Tony “Ynot” Senedrin believes that ONIC has now reached its tip-toff form and just needs to stay consistent to successfully defend their title.
“I think overall, maganda yung mga nangyari. Definitely, yung map movement namin, lahat, pati decision-making. I’m very proud sa mga players,” he said.
“I think yung consistency yung pinaka-question sa players, including sa’kin sa drafting. We just need to keep it up and make sure that we’re always one step ahead sa kung sino man makakalaban namin sa finals.”
Jann “Kirk” Gutierrez set the tone in Game 1 with relentless pressure using Gloo, helping ONIC secure multiple neutral objectives.
His disruptive presence proved crucial during the 15th-minute Lord fight, where he managed to isolate Kiel “Oheb” Soriano (Moskov), opening the opportunity for ONIC to execute a 5-for-2 wipeout — capped by King “K1NGKONG” Perez’s (Suyou) clutch triple kill.
In Game 2, the Sonics showcased poise in a tense 17th-minute skirmish.
Kelra (Harith) and K1NGKONG (Hayabusa) teamed up to deliver five kills in a dominant 5-for-1 exchange, sealing the victory and putting ONIC at match point.
ONIC then surprised fans in Game 3 with a bold draft choice, picking Angela — a decision that paid off as they converted it into a dominant closeout victory to complete the sweep.
Kelra collected six kills and two assists in their 16-minute closeout victory.
