Photo: MPL PH

By Tiffany Dela Cruz

Team Liquid PH dispatcher ONIC PH, 2-0, to complete a first-round sweep of the MPL Philippines Season 17 regular season on Sunday at the Victoria Sports Tower

The reigning MPL PH champions finished the opening round with a spotless 7-0 record heading into the second half, firmly establishing their dominance early in the season and setting the pace for the rest of the field.

Team Liquid PH was tested early in a marathon 22-minute Game 1 clash against ONIC PH, but stayed composed in the closing stretch to make the right plays down the stretch and draw first blood in the battle of the former world champions.

Photo: MPL PH

Sanford “Sanford” Vinuya’s play on the Freya proved to be pivotal, as he finished with five kills and four assists against two deaths in the close 12-11 victory.

Building from that Game 1 momentum, Team Liquid PH closed out the series with a commanding 10-3 victory in Game 2, wrapping things up in just 12 minutes of action to complete the sweep.

Karl “KarlTzy” Nepomuceno on the Suyou dominated throughout the series-clinching win, putting up nine of the team’s total 10 kills in the win to go along with one assist.

Despite the loss, ONIC PH still managed to end the first round at the third spot with a 4-3 win-loss record.

Meanwhile, Aurora Gaming PH snapped a three-game losing streak via a 2-0 triumph over the struggling AP Bren, to end the first round on a high note.

Jan “Domengkite” Del Mundo posted eight kills and four assists against two deaths in their 17-minute Game 1 win, before registering a 7-1-2 line on Harith to lead the 14-minute Game 2 victory.

Aurora moved up to the fourth spot with a 3-4 slate, while AP Bren slid to the sixth spot with a 2-5 card.