FINALLY THE CURSE has been broken. The elusive trophy which has invaded the Hedgehogs has finally been secured.
Fnatic ONIC PH clinched the MPL Philippines Season 14 championship crown after defeating Aurora Gaming, 4-3, on Sunday at the Green Sun Hotel in Makati City.
The series was initially defined by Onic's dominance as they had a 3-1 lead, only for Aurora to storm back and force a 7th game.
After a grueling 7-game slugfest, Duane "Kelra" Pillas won the Finals MVP award. This also marks his first MPL championship, ending his 'uncrowned' king status.
Brusko's playmaking
It seemed Aurora had the momentum as the team secured key pickoffs, which even led to a wipeout at the early stages of Game 1, however the first Lord fight saw Fnatic Onic's macro plays prevail.
Seeing the strong crowd control presence from Renejay "Renejay" Barcarse, Borris "Brusko" James Parro decided to conduct risky jumps, which led to the former's demise.
However his sacrifices would ultimately eliminate Renejay's abilities, which in turn would create space for the rest of Onic to engage. Jann "Kirk" Solcruz Gutierrez finally had the room needed to utilize his Arlott and this also allowed Kelra to wreck havoc with his Lunox pick.
K1NGKONG the savior
Then to deliver the finishing touches, King "K1NGKONG" Cyric Perez would bombard his foes with his Suyou.
Aurora tried to solve this problem with their sudden entrances, but as long as K1NGKONG's counterattacking gameplan goes bonkers, Onic won the teamfights, leading to their Game 1 win.
The following games saw K1NGKONG erupt as his backdoor play with Suyou sealed Fnatic's victory in Game 2, while his Fanny caused a lot of problems in Game 3. However...
Aurora's comeback
Fnatic ONIC Philippines continued their momentum to Game 3 but Aurora Gaming pulled off a comeback.
Pushed against the wall, Aurora refused to back down and managed to turn the tides in their favor against Fnatic after a successful lord contention during the 13-minute mark.
Both teams displayed scrappy defense and mental fortitude in the high pressure game, but Aurora took control of Fnatic’s jungle resources and denied K1NGKONG on Ling from obtaining his purple buff.
One step closer to MPL title
Fnatic ONIC exacted their revenge against Aurora in Game 4, inching closer stamping their legacy and the MPL Philippines Season 14 title.
The Sonics delivered a masterclass on discipline, only conceding one death until the nearly 10-minute mark skirmish near the lord objective at the bottom lane.
Kelra on Harith exploded with a triple kill score during the 15-minute base siege, leading the way for a stunning wipeout against Aurora and sealing the match point for Fnatic.
The light within shines through
Aurora got ice in their veins, pulling off an epic comeback once again against Fnatic ONIC in Game 5.
Fnatic ONIC had the upper hand and flexed their prowess in the early game but it slowly slipped away when Aurora reached its power spike in the late game with a Cecillion pick.
Aurora remained patient and held tight with sturdy base defense to stave off Fnatic.
Despite Fnatic ONIC securing the lord objective during the 14-minute mark, Aurora saw a window of opportunity after eliminating three members of the Sonic squad, becoming unstoppable for a tower base siege to save another match point.
Forcing Game 7
As the series went on, Aurora pushed a final game all thanks to their ability to win Lord fights. It was difficult for Onic to engage especially against Aurora's Alpha-Harith combo in Game 6, leading to the final game.
It seemed the Northern Lights had the momentum on their side especially after securing two straight wins, and the first few clashes highlighted that Aurora may have pulled off a miracle.
However, Kelra stepped up in key moments and his kills became the turnaround condition. It likewise helped that the other pieces stepped up with Kirk and Frince "Super Frince" Ramirez making clutch plays.
The final game was a nail biter, but in the end it was Fnatic Onic who prevailed. Gone were those days when Onic suffered the fate of defeat in the finale as they have finally slayed their demons.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
