TEAM Liquid's title defense is off to a flyer after taking back-to-back wins in a 24-hour span by sweeping Twisted Minds on Day 2 of the MPL Philippines Season 17 on Saturday.
The Cavalry was hardly challenged as Jaypee proved to be a nuisance for Twisted Minds in the sweep, coming in with a perfect Hylos performance in Game 1 to claim MVP honors in the first game, before unleashing well-timed set-ups with his raging sandstorm to turn the tide on what was a back-and-forth Game 2 and power the rout.
Day 2 turned out to be a day for sweeps as Aurora Gaming PH and AP. Bren got on the board by claiming respective wins over Smart Omega and TNC Pro Team.
Aurora got back on track after losing to Team Liquid on Day 1, while Bren sent a strong statement to kick off its campaign in the tournament.
The Signature Stampede
Team Liquid PH finished its Week 1 campaign with a clean sweep over Twisted Minds, securing a 2-0 match record.
After a close battle in the early goings of the game, KarlTzy kicked off Team Liquid’s snowball by claiming the game’s first Lord as the Cavalry went to their signature stampede and took control of the game.
Not even Mico “Nosia” Guevarra’s gutsy plays could turn the game around for Twisted Minds, as Team Liquid remained firmly in control even after Nosia secured the second Lord objective 13 minutes in.
Jaypee "Jaypee" Cruz secured the match MVP remarks giving TLPH their much needed zone in Game 1. He finished with a perfect 1-0-9 KDA.
The same thing happened in the first minutes of Game 2. The kill score remained deadlocked until the 13th-minute mark where Sanford's triple kill on Sora allowed TLPH to secure the Lord objective.
From there, the Cavalry marched their way to victory finishing the series 2-0 with a kill score of 17-11.
Sanford's mastery on Sora allowed him to take the Game 3 MVP with 7 kills, 3 deaths, and 6 assists together with an impressive 75% kill participation.
The Hive Attacks
AP.Bren shrugged off a flat start and completed 2-0 sweep against Smart Omega to notch its first regular season win in the MPL Philippines Season 17.
Smart Omega took control early in Game 1, building a gold lead over AP.Bren while introducing a Hanabi pick not seen since Season 14.
AP.Bren remained patient in the late game, slowly closing the gap until gold and scores were nearly even. The momentum shifted after they secured the 20-minute Lord, powered by a double kill from James “JamesPangks” Mendoza on Suyou.
Playing on the defensive for pretty much the entire game, AP.Bren finally broke through, wiping out Smart Omega after it secured the final Lord and launched a decisive base push in the bottom lane.
JamesPangks earned MVP honors with a 7-2-4 KDA, securing AP.Bren’s first win of the series.
AP.Bren carried their momentum into Game 2, overwhelming Smart Omega with a lopsided 15-3 kill score. Kiel “Kielvj” Cruzem led the charge as Arlott, posting a strong 5-1-8 KDA to complete the sweep.
Standing on Business
Aurora Gaming PH vented its ire on TNC Pro Team with a 2-0 sweep, bouncing back from its Day 1 setback against defending MPL Champion Team Liquid.
In Game 1, Aurora Gaming put TNC on the back foot, as Cedrix “Demonkite” Caranto’s Guinevere landed a show-stopping Spatial Migration and Violet Requiem combo at the top-lane inhibitor turret, leading to a 4-man wipe that left only Benedict “Bennyqt” Gonzales on Moskov alive.
Demonkite made waves with his Guinevere pick, posting a flawless 2-0-9 KDA.
In Game 2, Aurora Gaming PH secured the series with a commanding performance, posting a 14-1 kill score, a 14,000 gold advantage, and closing the game in only 11 minutes.
Despite TNC’s valiant defense, Kenneth “Yue” Tadeo went off with a triple kill on Kimmy during the final mid-lane inhibitor push.
Roamers don’t always get the glory, but Dylan “Light” Catipon shined with a 1-1-12 KDA on Grock.
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