TNC Pro Team shrugged off an opening-game stumble to assert their mastery over Team Falcons PH, completing a 2-1 reverse sweep in Week 6 of MPL Philippines Season 16 on Saturday at the Green Sun Hotel in Makati City.
The Phoenix Army secured their fourth victory of the season, moving to 4-6 and pulling ahead of the bottom four teams to take solo fifth place.
Head coach Patrick “E2max” Caidic praised his wards who showed confidence throughout the series despite dropping the opening game.
“Nakita ko ang taas ng confidence ng team talaga sa mga objectives. Sa mga team fight, yung mga decisions nila on point. Sobrang ganda rin talaga ng pinakita nila,” said E2max after TNC snapped a three-game slide.
After losing Kyle “Kyletzy” Sayson (Baxia) during the 19th-minute lord dance in Game 1, Rowgien “Owgwen” Unigo (Mathilda) stepped up as the hero, providing the crucial sustain to help TNC survive a 3-on-4 disadvantage.
David “FlapTzy” Canon (Arlott) followed through with a stellar play of his own, scoring a double kill midway through the 20th minute to seal a 5-for-2 wipeout and secure a 1-0 series lead.
In Game 2, TNC pulled out a surprise Bane pick in the gold lane, which paid off quickly as Frederic “Bennyqt” Gonzales notched a double kill during the 2nd-minute turtle fight, leading a 4-for-2 trade.
From there, the Phoenix Army never looked back, building as much as a 13,600 gold lead before wrapping up a 15-minute equalizer to force a decider.
It was all TNC in the final game, as they cruised to a dominant 12-minute closeout to complete the comeback victory.
Joshua “Ch4knu” Mangilog led TNC’s rampage in the decider as he finished with 11 assists while only conceding one death, spearheading TNC’s 18-2 dominance on the kill score.
Team Falcons PH is now in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time in franchise history as they remain dead last at 2-8.
