TNC Pro Team finally broke through with a hard-fought 2-0 sweep of Team Falcons PH, powered by Justine “Zaida” Palma’s stellar performance in Week 2 of the MPL Philippines Season 16, Saturday at the Green Sun Hotel in Makati City.
The victory lifted TNC into a tie for fourth place with defending champion Team Liquid Philippines.
Head coach Patric “E2max” Caidic expressed satisfaction with how the squad managed to translate their scrimmage success into the actual match.
“Ang goal namin is ilabas talaga yung laro namin. Kung ano yung nilalaro namin sa scrims, maipakita namin nang walang alinlangan then tignan na lang natin ano maging results,” said E2max.
“Then yun nga, maganda yung naging resulta. Ginawa lang naman namin yung mga usual na ginagawa namin sa training ta’s yun yung naging result,” he added.
“Masaya ako kasi nailabas yung talagang potential nung team. Sana magtuloy tuloy.”
In Game 1, TNC staged a remarkable comeback after trailing by 7,500 gold at the 15-minute mark. Zaida, using Lancelot, pulled off crucial lord objective steals that fueled their rally, eventually securing the 23-minute win for a 1-0 series lead.
During the game’s final lord fight, Zaida displayed his composure by securing the evolved lord before Frederic “Bennyqt” Gonzales (Granger) sealed the deal with a triple kill.
Riding the momentum, Zaida carried his team in Game 2 with six kills and five assists, closing out the sweep and securing TNC’s first breakthrough win of the season.
Team Falcons PH, meanwhile, slipped to the bottom of the standings with a 1-2 record after absorbing their second straight sweep defeat.
