DEFENDING champion Team Liquid PH became the first to clinch a playoff spot in the MPL Philippines Season 17 after statement wins over M7 world champions Aurora Gaming PH and Twisted Minds in Week 5 of the tournament at Victoria Sports Tower in Quezon City, over the weekend.
The Cavalry remained perfect, posting a 9-0 slate and inching closer to the Northern Lights’ record 13-game win streak in the Season 16 regular season.
Leading the Cavalry’s charge, KarlTzy picked up three Game MVPs in Week 5, including two against Aurora Gaming and one against Twisted Minds, making it clear he’s nowhere near past his prime.
Liquid Mastery
Team Liquid PH continued its mastery of the Aurora with a 2-0 sweep last Friday, denying the reigning M7 World Champion’s bid for revenge after its Week 1 loss to the Cavalry.
In Game 1, Team Liquid PH controlled the early game despite Aurora taking two of the three Turtles, building an 8–1 kill lead in just seven minutes after Sanford “Sanford” Vinuya’s Terizla perfectly landed a three-man Penalty Zone–Flicker combo in mid lane.
Aurora tried to turn things around at the nine-minute Lord fight, but it backfired as Sanford pulled off another Penalty Zone-Flicker play, setting up KarlTzy’s Suyou for a double kill and an uncontested Lord take.
Team Liquid quickly closed out the game, finishing Game 1 in just 11 minutes with a massive 8,800 gold lead.
KarlTzy delivered a flawless 6-0-5 KDA on Suyou, giving Cavalry a 1-0 lead and further cementing his reputation as the barometer of the league when it comes to junglers.
Aurora fought back in the early game of Game 2, but Team Liquid gradually snowballed through superior map control and gold leads after Dave “Teddy” Viana’s Freya stole the nine-minute Lord objective.
After securing the 12-minute Lord uncontested, Team Liquid PH committed to the final push, with KarlTzy’s Yi Sun Shin eliminating Light’s Chou as Jaypee’s Hylos zoned out Domengkite’s Karrie with the Glorious Pathway.
KarlTzy secured back-to-back MVPs after posting a 4-0-4 KDA.
All in a weekend’s work
Like clockwork, Team Liquid PH walked out of Week 5 unscathed by bombarding Twisted Minds, 2-0, on Sunday to shut down the young squad’s bid for revenge
In Game 1, Team Liquid controlled the early game by securing all Turtle objectives and building a 6,000+ gold lead, highlighted by Alston “Sanji” Pabico’s Valentina play where he copied Caloy’s Raging Sandstorm and used a Flicker combo to set up a three-man engage during the 8-minute mid lane clash.
With the Lord marching on their side, the Cavalry went all in on the final push as Sanford’s Terizla landed a Penalty Zone–Flicker combo on three Twisted Minds members, while Teddy’s Karrie secured a double kill to complete the wipeout.
Sanji, using Valentina, was lethal and finished with a strong 3-1-10 KDA.
Team Liquid carried its strong form in Game 2, building an 8-3 advantage over Twisted Minds past the four-minute mark.
Lance “Lansu” Misa, on Phoveus, tried to swing momentum and secured a double kill on Sanji’s Zhuxin and Sanford’s Terizla around the 5-minute mark at the bottom river. That proved to be Twisted Minds’ last stand.
Despite repeated, desperate comeback attempts from the young team, Team Liquid proved too strong as KarlTzy’s Leomord slipped into the backline and secured a double kill during the 10-minute push on the mid and top inhibitor turrets.
KarlTzy’s Leomord delivered a flawless 7-0-5 KDA, powering the Cavalry to a series win and a playoff berth.
Team Liquid PH now faces its toughest challenge yet in a Week 6 Saturday rematch against the red-hot Team Falcons, winners of its last six, in a match where one of the league’s two best streaks comes to a close.
Week 5 Results
April 24 (FRIDAY)
Aurora 0 - 2 Team Liquid
ONIC PH 2 - 0 Twisted Minds
April 25 (SATURDAY)
Omega 2 - 1 AP.Bren
TNC 2 - 0 Aurora
Team Liquid 2 - 0 Twisted Minds
April 26 (SUNDAY)
AP.Bren 2 - 0 TNC
Team Falcon 2 - 1 ONIC
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