Filipino fans were eager to witness an all-Filipino grand finals showdown in the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Mid Season Cup 2025. But their hopes were dashed on Friday as ONIC Philippines fell in a grueling five-game thriller against defending champion Selangor Red Giants OG Esports.
Head coach Tony “Ynot” Senedrin pointed to the drafting phase as a key factor in their defeat, noting that they lost every match where they were on the red side and had the second pick.
“Sa buong series kasi sa first pick lang kami nanalo. Never nanalo yung second pick. I think may mga situation dun na pwedeng i-gear towards doon sa ibang pick kaso I decided otherwise. Siyempre kung di mo mabigyan ng proper tools yung mga players, mas mahihirapan,” Ynot told Tiebreaker Times in an exclusive interview.
The entire series unfolded as a back-and-forth slugfest, with each game ending in a one-sided stomp. Whichever team had first pick typically ran away with early momentum and converted it into an overwhelming victory.
In the deciding Game 5, SRG had first pick once again and built a massive 10,000 gold lead. ONIC struggled to mount any response to their opponents’ relentless aggression, ultimately conceding the match and the series.
“Above that meron ding mga situations na kailangan iimprove lalo na pagdating sa mga decision-making nila ingame. Maraming factor kasi talaga eh pero syempre lahat kami nagsastart talaga sa draft,” Ynot added.
It was a bitter pill to swallow for ONIC, a team that had previously captured two international titles in the last eight months. Still, Ynot believes this loss can be a catalyst for growth.
“It would depend. I think yung unang titignan talaga is yung mental fortitude, kung ano yung willingness na iimprove pa moving forward. Ano pa ba yung mga gustong mangyari. Maraming factors diyan. Yun nga, yung tatamarin ka ba pagkatapos? Mas gaganahan ka ba? Those are some of the things that we’ll definitely talk about,” he said when asked about how the team might respond moving forward.
“Pero I’m pretty sure na andiyan yung gigil eh. And let’s see. Another season, unfortunately we didn’t get the result that we wanted pero wala eh. Kailangan may talo and unfortunately, ngayon kami yun.”
ONIC Philippines will need to regroup quickly as they still have a bronze medal match on the horizon, facing the loser of the ONIC Esports vs. Team Liquid Philippines semifinal.
