IN THE bracket of death, featuring an early outing between two of the top tier teams from the Philippines, it was Onic PH who carried on with their MPL-PH playoff momentum as they once again stood tall over Omega Esports with a 2-0 sweep over their foes.
Both games were a back-and-forth exchange of abilities, but ultimately, Onic proved that they had the better execution on the late game.
Baloyskie's late game heroics thwart Omega in MPLI results
By the 13th minute, Onic PH seemed like they could cruise their way to a Game 1 victory, as they eliminated all of the Tier 3 towers and killed key members from Omega.
But as their numerous fans and followers all know, the late game has always been their charm.
At the 14th minute, Dean Christian "Raizen" Samagui took back momentum after getting a kill on Mark Christian “Markyyyyy” Ectobanez. He even aided Omega's defense 2 minutes later.
Then came Duane "Kelra" Pillas, securing a surprise kill on his former mentor, Markyyyyy, near the Lord, while the partner in Onic's dynamic duo, Kairi "Kairi" Rayosdelsol, was killed.
However, Onic roared back with an an answer, via Allen "Baloyskie" Baloy's damage outburst with his Lunox, allowing them to secure the Game 1 win.
And his heroics carried on in Game 2 as he made a crucial Winter Truncheon play to allow Kairi to kill Raizen in a gruelling slugfest near the Lord.
A mix of hit-and-run and split pushing antics
In Game 1, Onic's lineup featured a mix of X.Borg, Claude, Jawhead, and Paquito. These heroes combined offer a degree of flexibility and mobility that caused havoc in Omega's lineup.
The rotations from Ian "Beemo" Sergio's Jawhead and Kairi "Kairi" Rayosdelsol's Paquito provided the setups which allowed their teammates to engage.
Meanwhile, a tactical switch was displayed when Markyyyyy's Claude was seen engaging the opposition, with Gerald "Dlarskie" Trinchera's X.Borg providing the follow up damage. There were also instances where the opposite happened.
The same antics could be seen in Game 2, with a few tweaks as Beemo unloaded his Chou and Kairi with his Hayabusa. The latter proved to be an x-factor in most teamfights as Omega struggled to deal with his extreme mobility and damage outburst.
And while the action took place, Markyyyyy was busy takingthe objectives in both games.
Preview: RRQ vs. Onic PH
With Team SMG making a bold decision to pit the two Filipino powerhouses, Dlarskie offered words of sympathy for Onic's opposing number.
"Nakakalungkot kase parehong PH yung nakatapat pero masaya kase kami yung naka-advance," he said during the post-match interview.
But Onic was feeling good about facing Indonesian powerhouse RRQ in the next round of the so-called bracket of death.
"Sobrang confident ako kase nakaka-scrim namin sila tapos nagiging maganda yung performance namin sa kanila. Excited din ako!" said Dlarskie.
He even drew comparisons between Kairi and his Indonesian counterpart, Albert "Alberttt" Neilsen: "Mas better si Kairi kase sa mga naging laro sa mga scrim namin sa kanila, siya yung nakakalamang at maganda yung ipinapakita niya."
His words have certainly spiced the upcoming matchup between Onic PH and RRQ.