AP.Bren, ECHO, ONIC PH, RSG, and Minana EVOS have already punched their tickets to the playoffs, but there is still a missing piece.
With only one spot up for grabs and one week left of regular season action, MPL Philippines Season 13 should get more heated as teams rally to rack up more points heading to the playoffs.
The playoffs are fast approaching, but let’s look back at the week that was first.
Day 1: Minana sweeps ONIC, ECHO beats TNC
Minana EVOS stunned ONIC PH via a sweep, securing their playoff ticket on Friday at Shooting Galleries Studio in Makati City.
In the opener, ONIC picked Chip to enable their fast rotation, but Minana responded with a crowd-control-heavy lineup with Ruby, Vexana, Fredrinn, and Yu Zhong.
The White Tigers made the Sonics cautious in securing objectives, as they are capable of putting them in the penalty zone.
Jan "Domeng" Delmundo delivered a stellar performance on gold laner Harith with a 6-0-1 KDA.
In game two, ONIC attempted to turn the tides with King "K1NGKONG" Perez’s 17-minute lord steal, but Minana pressured the defenseless base.
Coming off the bench, John "Perkz" Sumawan on Grock was the star for Minana with a 1-2-5 KDA.
Next up, ECHO went head-to-head with the TNC Pro Team looking for three consecutive wins.
In game one, ECHO held on after building a massive lead, taking out three members of TNC during the last clash to secure the victory.
Jaypee "Jaypee" Cruz got the MVP citation on Kaja with a 3-0-12 KDA.
However, TNC bounced back and refused to give ECHO an easy sweep.
In game two, ECHO’s gap slipped away after three TNC members cornered Karl “KalTzy” Nepomuceno’s Julian in the top-lane jungle area.
The Phoenix Army dominated the Orcas, tying the series at one apiece.
Dean "Raizen" Sumagui was hailed as the MVP after displaying his commendable jungler mechanics on Fredrinn with a 4-2-12 KDA and perfect kill participation.
ECHO denied TNC’s hope to mount a reverse sweep in game three.
The Orcas secured the last lord uncontested to deliver the final blow.
Alston "Sanji" Pabico’s aggressive play style on Faramis with a 9-0-5 KDA earned him the MVP badge.
Day 2: RSG and ECHO revenge, Omega sweep
RSG got sweet revenge via a reverse sweep against AP.Bren, halting the latter’s march to a third consecutive win.
In game one, AP.Bren ran down RSG during the 14-minute period clash near the lord objective after Marco “Super Marco” Requitiano scored a double kill on Claude.
Arvie "Aqua" Antonio, as Angela, was the last man standing from the Raiders’ side, and the Hive saw this as opportunity to end the game.
Super Marco delivered a splendid performance on Claude with a 4-1-6 KDA.
In game two, RSG had a huge map control that sparked their reverse sweep attempt.
The solo kill of Nathanael “Nathzz” Estrologo’s Paquito on Super Marco’s Natan diverted AP.Bren’s attention, while the rest of the RSG crew took the lord objective with ease.
The Raiders finished off the Hive even before the clock hit the 12-minute mark.
Clarense "Kusey" Camilo received the MVP award for Harith with a 3-1-3 KDA.
Game three was a close fight, but RSG finally took the momentum after taking out AP.Bren’s jungler, Michael “KyleTzy” Sayson, during the last lord dance.
Without hesitation, the Raiders locked in to destroy the Hive’s base.
Dylan “Light” Catipon on Mathilda shined bright after leading the Raiders’ charge to victory with a 3-1-7 KDA and 91% kill participation.
Meanwhile, ECHO came back with a vengeance against Minana in their rematch.
In game 1, the Orcas utilized Sanji’s Lou Yi and Jaypee’s Chip for fast map rotation, surprise team fight initiations, and stealing resources from Minana’s jungle.
They continued their momentum in game two as they finished Minana in just 10 minutes.
Sanji clinched back-to-back MVP citations after giving a masterclass on Lou Yi with a 7-0-6 KDA and Faramis with a 3-2-11 KDA.
On the other hand, Smart Omega saw a glimmer of hope in keeping their playoff contention alive after stunning Blacklist International via sweep.
In game one, Smart Omega showcased a tough defense as Blacklist International failed to execute a base siege.
The moment of truth arrived when Omega punished Stephen "Sensui" Castillo’s bad positioning on Carmilla during the 17-minute lord mark.
As a result, Omega got the lord with no contentions and picked up the victory.
Game two shared a similar storyline, with Barangay Omega turning the tables against the Codebreakers.
Fresh from MDL, Joshua "Ch4knu" Mangilog returned to the MPL stage and made an instant impact that propelled Smart Omega past Blacklist International.
Ch4knu received back-to-back MVP titles on Minotaur with a 1-4-11 KDA and Mathilda with a 1-0-13 KDA.
Day 3: TNC out of playoff contention, Omega back-to-back wins, and ONIC sweep
RSG took TNC out of playoff contention after a quick sweep.
In the opener of Sujday’s triple-header, TNC had the lead in the early game, but the momentum shifted when Aqua stole the lord with Vexana.
Light’s precision on Franco for pickoffs earned him an MVP award with a 2-2-10 KDA.
In game two, the Raiders exhibited discipline, not conceding any deaths in the first five minutes.
With a timely Heartguard to protect the Raiders during team clashes, Aqua’s Angela was the star of the match with a 4-0-10 KDA and 88% kill participation.
Omega went for a back-to-back wins this week after taking down M5 World Champions AP.Bren in a best-of-three match.
In game one, Barangay Omega thrived in the late game, ending the grueling 31-minute clash against the Hive.
Jomari "Jowm" Pingol’s stellar marksmanship on Natan obtained the MVP badge with a perfect 6-0-0 KDA.
In game two, the M5 Champions quickly recalibrated and dominated Barangay Omega.
AP.Bren captain Angelo “Pheww” Arcangel’s Vexana ran a tight ship with a 2-1-6 KDA.
In game three, AP.Bren picked Fanny as a shock factor, but Omega handled it with finesse.
Nowee “Ryota” Macasa’s Benedetta petrify play delivered a game-winning maniac streak against AP.Bren.
He was hailed as the MVP with a 7-1-4 KDA.
AP.Bren concluded their week 6 campaign with 29 points, ahead of ECHO with 28 points. Both teams share identical 9-3 records.
Meanhwile, Blacklist International decoded ONIC for a crucial win, pulling off a reverse sweep.
In game one, ONIC’s tough sustain and map presence were too much to handle for Blacklist.
Jomarie “Escalera” Santos' valiant Grock initiations helped him get the MVP title with a 0-1-13 KDA.
The narrative in game two changed in favor of Blacklist, as Agent Zero Edward “Edward” Dapadap on Benedetta showcased a dominant performance at the exp lane.
Edward guided the Codebreakers to victory with a 3-0-1 KDA.
Blacklist then headed to the third game, proving their resilience and grit against ONIC.
Edward’s flawless performance on Cici with a 6-0-6 KDA boosted the Codebreakers for a comeback.
Blacklist International are currently
in the sixth spot with 16 points, one point away from booking the last playoff spot.
The MPL Philippines regular season will conclude on May 5.