TWO TEAMS who weren’t expected to reach the top seed of the regular season faced off for the top spot. But after their battle, it was Onic PH who proved that they’re the team to watch as they were survived Omega Esports, 2-1.
The series was defined by the ruthless aggression from the Filipino Hedgehogs, led by the support duo of Ralph “Rapidoot” Adrales and Frince “SUPER FRINCE” Ramirez.
How Onic PH outlasted the comeback kings
While Game 1 saw Onic PH stumble from the rotational and positional setups at the latter stages of the Game, they avenged their loss in Game 2 by executing the same gameplan in Game 1 and giving Omega a taste of their own medicine.
It was Stephen “Sensui” Castillo who made a massive impact in this match as his Karina was the ultimate thorn towards Omega. At the early stages of the game, he synergized well with Frince “SUPER FRINCE” Ramirez and Ralph “Rapidoot” Adrales, and then outplayed and outmaneuvered the rest of the barangay.
At the 12th minute, he eliminated both Dean Christian “Raizen” Samagui and Patrick James “E2MAX” Caidic in a 2-v-1 situation.
Then, at the final Lord fight, he sneaked his way inside the bush and instantly bursted down Raizen. His overall performances bagged him the MVP award with his 12/3/1 KDA record.
Combined with his heroics was Onic’s decision to deny Duane “Kelra” Pillas his signature Wanwan pick by selecting the Agile Tiger for Kenneth “Nets” Barro.
After hitting on a winning formula in Game 2, Onic stuck with their dynamic support duo's early aggression at the decider. Adding to their advantage was SUPER FRINCE and Rapidoot's selection of their signature heroes.
This combo and Selena and Chou were an intimidating presence for Omega, as their crowd control slowed down any potential setups from Joshua “Ch4knu” Mangilog.
And even as Kelra was able to select his signature Wanwan pick, he was stifled as the Selena traps from SUPER FRINCE would reveal his presence, allowing Onic to limit his impact.
The dominos crumbled for Omega as they couldn't find an opening. By the latter stages of the gam,e Rapidoot made a crucial move to eliminate Renzio at the 16th minute, while Nets delivered the finishing touches as his shotgun play bursted down multiple members on the final push, giving the Hedgehogs the series win.
This is the second MPL powerhouse that the newly vamped Onic PH defeated in Week 3 as they stunned Blacklist International on the previous day. They even made a statement win over defending champs RSG PH during the previous week.
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