MANILA, Philippines – Team Liquid Philippines completed the historic three-peat as they took the MPL Philippines Season 17 championship after a masterful 4-2 victory against Team Falcons inside the Filoil Centre in San Juan City, May 31.
Sanford Vinuya was named as the Finals MVP for the third time after a dominant performance to help the squad lift the Immortal Cup.
The Clash of Titans
After Team Liquid finished first and Team Falcons second in the regular season, the two squads clashed in the biggest stage for all the marbles.
The series saw the Cavalry put up an early lead in the first two games, just before Team Falcons struck back to even out the series in the next two games.
In Game 5, Sanford put up a flawless 8/0/2 performance with his Paquito, featuring a pair of double kills to send Liquid to the brink of winning the crown.
In Game 6, the Falcons led early, but crucial pickoffs by Karl “KarlTzy” Nepomuceno and Alston “Sanji” Pabico at the 10-minute mark helped them regain the lead and eventually secure their third consecutive title.
The victory cemented Team Liquid’s legacy of being the first team in league history to clinch three consecutive championships spanning from Season 15 up to the present.
“This is probably our sweetest championship. Before the season started, a lot of people doubted us, and we proved them wrong. In a way, this was our revenge arc,” KarlTzy shared.
Fall of the flight
Team Falcons Head Coach Francis “Ducky” Glindro shared that the finals loss devastated the squad, as they were two wins away from the crown.
“It’s in the training room because we’ve already noticed some things that work for us. Maybe before, I focused on those too much, but they didn’t translate into our games today. I know it was winnable for me, which is why you’re right—it’s kind of devastating, at least for me,” as Ducky shared on the factors behind the squad’s loss.
Despite missing the crown, Team Falcons expressed optimism and hopes to learn from this season’s run heading into their campaign in the Esports World Cup (EWC), slated in Paris, France.
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“I’ll sum it up in one sentence. We’ll do better. It’s as easy as that. Anything I would say aside from that would sound as an excuse,” Ducky added.
Both teams will banner the Philippine flag while defending the country’s MSC crown in the EWC from July 22 to August 1, as 16 teams in the main stage compete for the $3,000,000 prize pool. (By Clyde Jan Pascual, INQUIRER.net Intern)
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