By: Jerod Orcullo
ONIC Philippines handed Aurora PH its first loss of the season, pulling off a thrilling 2-1 reverse sweep in MPL Philippines Season 15 on Saturday at the Green Sun Hotel in Makati.
The victory also served as payback for ONIC’s first-round defeat to Aurora.
Much like their previous clash on March 1, the series came down to a decisive Game 3.
This time, however, it was the SONICS who had the upper hand. They dominated the “Northern Lights” in Game 2, securing a lopsided win in just 11 minutes and 38 seconds.
Riding that momentum, ONIC controlled the final game from start to finish, sealing the series in 15 minutes and 27 seconds. Kirk “Kirk” Gutierrez’s Hilda was a force to be reckoned with, finishing with six kills and two assists without suffering a single death.
During the post-game press conference, ONIC head coach Tony “Ynot” Senedrin credited his team for their strong hero compositions and effective execution.
“Solid talaga. I mean, alam nila yung conditions ng heroes nila, yung dapat nilang gawin. Even at Game 1, kahit na-stop kami, they were constantly finding ways para mapagana yung hero setup nila,” he said.
“So Game 2, Game 3, it was very evident na na-pickup nila yung pace, na naiintindihan nila yung setups ng both sides, so naging madali for them to execute.”
Aurora drew first blood in the series, claiming Game 1 after Renejay “Renejay” Bacarse’s setup on Kalea led to a four-man wipe of ONIC at the 14:10 mark, leaving King “K1NGKONG” Perez alone to defend their base.
Now riding a five-game winning streak, the “Super Family” will aim to extend their dominance when they face Team Falcons on Friday at 5:00 p.m. at the same venue.
Meanwhile, Aurora will look to bounce back as they go up against AP.Bren later that day.
