ONIC Philippines opened the MPL Philippines Season 17 slowly, struggling to build momentum after suffering a series of shocking losses to Team Falcons and TNC Pro Team — but a chance to stop the bleeding awaits in Week 3 starting Friday at the Victoria Sport Tower in Quezon City.
But it certainly won’t come easy.
The Super Family open Week 3 by facing an on-the-rise AP.Bren side who’s quickly emerged as a potential dark horse with wins over Smart Omega and TNC Pro Team before losing to defending champion Team Liquid in three games.
READ: Savero welcomes challenge in proving he belongs as MPL PH elite
After taking a breather on Saturday, the Super Family will turn their focus on Aurora Gaming PH, the reigning world champions.
The Northern Lights have kept their championship-winning roster intact—providing a stark contrast to ONIC’s ongoing adjustments with new import Clayton “Savero” Kuswanto and rotational play between Jann “Kirk” Gutierrez and sixth man Nowee “Ryota” Macasa in the EXP lane.
This is no ordinary match between Aurora and ONIC PH; it is a continuation of a storied rivalry.
Back in Season 14, ONIC PH edged out Aurora in a thrilling 4–3 grand finals victory. ONIC’s last win over Aurora came in Season 15, when the Super Family secured a 3–2 triumph in the upper bracket semifinals, sending the Northern Lights to the lower bracket and eventually out of the competition.
Since then, however, Aurora has dominated the rivalry, defeating ONIC PH in every meeting of Season 16 with identical 2–1 scorelines.
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