TNC Pro Team finally secured a win after an impressive 2-0 sweep of Minana Evos in Week 1 of the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Professional League (MPL) Philippines Season 12 at the Shooting Gallery Studios in Makati City.
The team, which finished 8th in Season 11, was reeling from a painful 2-0 loss to AP.Bren Esports the day before. They have now improved to a 1-1 record (3 points), securing the sixth spot in the standings.
Despite the convincing victory, TNC’s head coach, Jemson “Scholar” Ignacio, believes they still have more to show this season. He said, “Kahit nanalo kami ng 2-0, yung laro namin kanina hindi pa yun yung laro talaga namin. Kasi kapag nagpapractice kami, iba pa rin yung performance.”
Minana took an early lead with a dominant 10-2 kill score and controlled the match until the 18th lord dance, during which TNC positioned themselves accurately, allowing Kristofer “Hesu” Calderon (Xborg) to eliminate Christian “GoyongAR” Martinez (Pharsa).
In the following sequence, TNC took the initiative, with Ben “Benthings” Maglaque (Chou) executing a precise Way of the Dragon set-up on Jan “DomengAR” del Mundo, sparking a game-winning 5-3 wipeout.
In Game 2, the Phoenix army controlled the match from the beginning, but a remarkable 13th-minute lord fight helped Minana recover from a 5k net worth deficit.
However, TNC avoided a total collapse when John Vincent “Innocent” Banal (Claude) unveiled a timely Blazing Duet during an 18th-minute inhibitor turret defense, securing a double kill and sparking a 4-1 exchange to win the series.
Minana remains winless in two games, both via sweeps.
