FORMER teammates and fellow rookies collide in the much awaited matchup between the revamped Onic PH and the Execration squad that has rebranded itself as Smart Omega.
Onic’s Karl Mico “Mico” Quitlong and Mark “Markyyyyy” Ectobanez were up against their former teammate, Omega’s Robert Remar “Hito” Candoy. The three of them were once part of the early iterations of Work, considered to be one of the most exciting amateur teams in the scene.
But in the end, it was Mico and Markyyyyy who had the last laugh as they grinded their way to a 2-1 series win over Omega Esports.
How Onic PH prevailed in MPL-PH Day 2 results
In Game 1 of the series, Onic displayed their signature split pushing strategy, led by Markyyyyy’s Sun. His masterful display of the Monkey King has allowed him to punish Omega’s turrets, which propelled him to dominate Hito’s Esmeralda.
If Hito struggled to make an impact in Game 1, he managed to redeem himself in a Game 2 slugfest.
Onic managed to secure Allen Jedric “Baloyskie” Baloy’s signature Natalia pick, a throwback to his MPL-PH season 5 finals performance. Similar to what happened in Season 5, his Natalia was a pest in the early to mid game.
However, this was later thwarted by Hito’s tactical surprises. Besides Baloyskie, Hito made crucial plays in shutting down the escape mechanics of Kairi “Kairi” Rayosdelsol’s Harley. His efforts combined with Omega’s crucial play at the 24th minute secured their victory.
Though Omega’s rookie was impressive in Game 2, his impact was limited in Game 3 as he struggled to contend with Markyyyyy’s Natan and Nowee “Ryota” Cabailo’s Yu Zhong. In the end, Omega were forced to yield due to Onic’s aggressive wave clear lineup.
During the series, Onic made a drastic shift of going for a team oriented lineup in games 2 and 3, contrasting their signature split pushing game. Markyyyyy expressed his thoughts on their tactical changes during the post-match interview.
“Noong game 2, nag-try lang kami, pero noong game 3, tinodo namin,” said Onic’s former 6th man.
Echo vs. Bren Esports results
As Onic secured their second straight series win, Echo redeemed themselves with a dominant display with a 2-0 sweep of the M2 World Champions, Bren Esports. Both Jaymark Aaron “Hadess” Lazaro and Rion “Rk3” Kudo delivered solid performances in both games, which complimented Christian “Rafflesia” Fajura’s setups.
The matchup between the defending MPL champions, Blacklist International, and fan favorite Nexplay EVOS, is currently ongoing.
Blacklist vs. Nexplay EVOS results
The day's final match saw the defending MPL champions Blacklist International nearly stumbling from Tristan “Yawi” Cabrera’s setups. Though his valiant efforts provided Nexplay a surprising come-from-behind Game 2 victory, Blacklist was able to survive his Game 3 onslaught and secured the series win as Edward “Edward” Jay Dapadap made crucial plays to weaken Nexplay’s backlines as Blacklist secured their second win of the season, 2-1.
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.
