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The sting of previous losses lit a fire under Onic Philippines, who roared to a statement 2-0 win against reigning champion Team Liquid in MPL Philippines Season 16 on Saturday at the Green Sun Hotel.
The Sonics banked on the solid connection between gold laner Duane “Kelra” Pillas and jungler Cyric “K1NGKONG” Perez as they sent the Cavalry packing.
The victory not only gave Onic sweet revenge for its Season 15 grand finals loss to Team Liquid but also marked a fresh start following its semifinals exit in the 2025 Mid-Season Cup (MSC).
“Our loss in the Season 15 grand finals, I think we felt even more after losing in the MSC because that was a bigger achievement and the prize pool was also larger,” K1NGKONG said.
“It motivated us more to face the reality that we need even more effort and transparency in the team.”
Onic swung Game 1 fully in its favor when K1NGKONG’s Lancelot secured the third Lord at the 13th minute, then teamed up with Kelra’s Bruno to deliver double kills that led to a wipeout.
They didn’t even need the Lord, as the minion waves were enough to power their push and bring down Team Liquid’s base.
Kelra emerged as Game 1 MVP with seven kills and four assists, without a single death.
Team Liquid displayed its championship poise in Game 2, but the momentum shifted when Onic’s midlaner Frince “Super Frince” Ramirez (Selena) landed a crucial Abyssal Arrow on Karl “KarlTzy” Nepomuceno, setting up Kelra (Claude) for a key pickoff that turned the tide.
Another Abyssal Trap from Super Frince helped K1NGKONG take down Kiel “Oheb” Soriano’s Harith, allowing Onic to close it out and complete the sweep.
K1NGKONG earned MVP honors this time after another impressive performance on Lancelot, posting a spotless KDA of 9/0/9 to lead the victory.
In other games, rebuilding teams AP.Bren and Twisted Minds pulled off major upsets by defeating Smart Omega and Team Falcons earlier in the day.
AP.Bren outlasted Smart Omega with a 2-1 victory, led by an impressive showing from roamer Denniel “xNova” Gomez, whose masterful use of Khufra in Game 3 earned him MVP honors.
Meanwhile, Twisted Minds, composed mostly of rookies, shocked powerhouse Team Falcons with a clean 2-0 triumph, behind jungler Michael “MPtheKing” Endino (Lancelot) in Game 1 and midlaner Miguel “Sionnn” Alcantara (Selena) in Game 2.
