TEAM Falcons sealed its playoff spot in the MPL Philippines Season 16 after a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Team Liquid Philippines, standing tall and fearless in one of the season’s most dramatic showdowns last Saturday night.
The final week of the MPL wouldn’t be complete without drama, and Team Falcons’ underdog redemption story proves that ruling them out as a strong contender would be a huge mistake.
Many moments unfolded in Week 8 of the MPL regular season, but how exactly did Team Falcons steal the spotlight?
Against All Odds
With no other options other than to go big or go home, these Falcons gave everything they had even in the face of a powerhouse Cavalry side after a turbulent regular season.
In Game 1, the two squads went nip-and-tuck, resulting in a long, grueling game where even the smallest errors could be punished and cost them the victory.
The moment of truth arrived when Kyle “KyleTzy” Sayson on Yi Sun Shin secured the crucial Lord objective during the 23-minute mark, capping it off with a double kill to pave the way for a four-man takedown against Team Liquid.
With only Karl “KarlTzy” Nepomuceno, playing as Lancelot, left as the last man standing, Team Falcons went on to secure the first win in the series – a win that certainly gave these Falcons the confidence they needed to go all the way and complete the upset.
The MVP of the game was none other than KyleTzy after delivering an impressive 8-2-9 KDA performance.
But the Cavalry wasn’t about to go down without a fight.
Team Liquid fought back with determination, taking control of key objectives and the gold advantage to tie the series at 1-1 in Game 2.
Jaypee “Jaypee” Dela Cruz, on Gatotkaca, opened the final clash with a bold Avatar of the Guardian dive, setting up the play for Kiel “Oheb” Soriano to unleash Wanwan’s Crossbow of Tang and pierce through Team Falcons’ backline.
Sanford “Sanford” Vinuya, playing as Arlott, also made his presence felt with a 3-1-8 KDA and 92% kill participation.
Team Liquid PH and Team Falcons both set the MPL arena ablaze with an intense Game 3, but it was the Falcons who soared higher—especially when tournament life was hanging by a thread.
The Cavalry had the momentum in its hands, but the Falcons stayed patient, building the key items needed to dismantle Team Liquid’s utility setup.
Team Falcons capitalized on an error from Jaypee, playing as Baxia, after he was caught out of position, sparking the fall of Team Liquid when Rowgien “Owgwen” Unigo on Kaja came up with a brilliant Flicker and Divine Judgement combo to eliminate Sanford’s Lapu-Lapu.
And just like that, Team Falcons went from being one match loss away from elimination to shocking the defending MSC and MPL champions to secure a playoff berth.
A Playful Destiny
Emotions will run high when Team Falcons and Team Liquid PH meet again for an anticipated rematch in the MPL Philippines Season 16 play-ins, where only one will move closer toward the Immortal Cup and the other will bow out in tears.
For Team Falcons, the redemption run continues in the playoffs as they aim to prove that securing a playoff berth was not by fluke, but by grit and unwavering fighting spirit.
For Team Liquid, the Golden Road dream of back-to-back MPL titles and qualifying for the M7 World Championship will be tougher and will ultimately test each and everyone’s resolve as champions.
MPL Philippines will resume on October 22 until October 26, where a new champion will be crowned at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City.
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