By: Jerod Orcullo
TNC Pro Team accomplished its best start since Season 9, staging a thrilling reverse sweep against Twisted Minds, 2-1, on the final day of Week 3 in MPL Philippines Season 15, Sunday at the Green Sun Hotel in Makati.
In a decisive Game 3, both teams unveiled surprise picks, with Salic “Hadjizy” Imam piloting Kadita in the mid lane and Tristan “Yawi” Cabrera opting for Akai as a roamer.
Ultimately, it was Salvick “Kouzen” Talarba’s Granger that proved to be the difference-maker for TNC, as he secured a Maniac at the 16:03 mark, setting up his team to close out the match just seconds later.
With the win, TNC matched its best season start since MPL PH Season 9, where it also held a 3-1 record after four games.
Setsuna “Akosi Dogie” Ignacio admitted he was just as surprised by TNC’s strong start, acknowledging that the team entered the tournament uncertain of how they would perform.
“Kahit din po ako nagdo-doubt eh. I mean honestly eh, nung ginawa namin ‘to ni coach Jem, then pumasok si coach ImBaDeeJay… Like I said sa paulit-ulit na interview na hindi po namin alam kung ano yung mailalabas naming result,” expressed Dogie.
After a rough loss in Game 1, the Phoenix Army bounced back in dominant fashion, overpowering Twisted Minds behind Sadia “Zaida” Palma’s stellar performance on Nolan. Palma took home the MVP honors with an impressive 11/0/7 KDA.
Desperate for its first win of Season 15, Jhonville “Outplayed” Villar and Twisted Minds battled fiercely to claim a hard-fought Game 1 victory in just 11 minutes and 36 seconds.
TNC will aim to extend its winning streak to four when it faces third-seeded Team Falcons in the final match of Day 1, Week 4, at 7:30 PM.
Meanwhile, Twisted Minds remains in search of its first win of the season and will go up against Smart Omega in the opening match of the same day at the same venue.
