ONIC Philippines secured their fifth win of the season after edging out TNC Pro Team, 2–1, in Week 4 of MPL Philippines Season 16 on Sunday at the Green Sun Hotel in Makati City.
The reigning M-Series champions have now won three of their last four outings, improving to 5–2 and climbing to second place as the season enters its halfway point.
Head coach Tony “Ynot” Senedrin expressed a sigh of relief after ONIC finally won their first rubber match this season, suffering from losses the past two times their series went the distance.
“I think may mga conditions lang pagdating sa set-ups, kung pano yung gagawin namin against sa gagawin nila. Obviously nung Game 2, mas nagawa nila (TNC) yung kelangan nila gawin sa first turlte. Nung last game, mas nagawa namin yung mga conditions namin,” added Ynot on their curse-breaking win.
ONIC revived the Brody pick through Duane “Kelra” Pillas in the gold lane, but it was King “K1NGKONG” Perez (Lancelot) who stole the spotlight in Game 1.
His maniac in the 11th minute sealed ONIC’s dominance as he closed the opener with a flawless 6–0–2 KDA.
TNC answered back in Game 2, sparked by Frediemar “3MarTzy” Serafico’s (Arlott) precise Final Slash setups.
His key 13th-minute midlane ambush led to two unanswered pickoffs and a lord take.
From there, TNC gained momentum, capped by Justine “Zaida” Palma’s (Yi Sun-Shin) triple kill in a drawn-out 17th-minute clash that resulted in a 5-for-2 wipeout to level the series.
ONIC, however, left nothing to chance in the decider.
Banking on their tried-and-tested Joy, Granger, and Gatotkaca picks, the Sonics powered past TNC to secure the series win.
Kelra (Granger) delivered an immaculate performance with seven kills and one assist against zero deaths.
With the loss, TNC slid to a 3–4 record but held on to solo fifth place in the standings.
ONIC will begin the second half of the season against defending champions Team Liquid PH, looking to replicate their 2–0 victory in their first-round encounter.
