By: George Torno
ONIC Philippines secured an upper bracket berth after pulling off a 2–1 reverse sweep against TNC Pro Team on the final day of the MPL Philippines Season 16 regular season, Sunday at the Green Sun Hotel in Makati.
ONIC head coach Anthony “Ynot” Senedrin emphasized that defeats are opportunities for the team to pinpoint weaknesses and learn from their mistakes.
“When you start looking at things subjectively, makikita mo naman na the team tried to do everything they can to sustain the game at ma-reverse. Kasi pag natalo ka ng isang game, it’s up to the coach kung paano i-seset yung mood ng players right after eh,” he said.
In Game 1, TNC took control early thanks to Joshua “Ch4knu” Mangilog’s Grock, who expertly utilized broken walls and maintained relentless aggression, keeping the Sonics on the defensive.
By the 20th minute, a pivotal clash broke out in the bottom lane when Frederic “Bennyqt” Gonzales’s Chou caught King “K1NGKONG” Perez’s Yi Sun-shin off guard, triggering a four-man takedown that sealed the opening win for TNC.
ONIC, however, bounced back in Game 2. The Sonics dominated the early game, securing all Turtle objectives and building a 7K gold lead within the first 10 minutes.
TNC clawed their way back in the late game, but ONIC found their breakthrough during a massive 24th-minute skirmish.
Frince “Super Frince” Ramirez’s Pharsa unleashed a perfectly timed Feathered Air Strike, followed by Borris “Brusko” Parro’s Avatar of the Guardian, connecting on three enemies—resulting in a wipeout that forced a deciding Game 3.
Despite the low-scoring nature of Game 3, it featured intense back-and-forth team fights, with both sides refusing to give in.
During a 14th-minute siege on TNC’s base turret, King “K1NGKONG” Perez’s Lancelot pierced through the backline, while Grant “Kelra” Pillas’s Claude followed up with a devastating Blazing Duet, eliminating two key targets and closing out the series.
With the win, ONIC secured its spot in the upper bracket of the MPL Philippines Season 16 playoffs, which begin on October 23 at the Cuneta Astrodome.
