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| Photo from MPL Philippines |
by Drew Malihan
MAKATI - Joshua "Ch4knu" Mangilog and Smart Omega drew first blood to kick off the MPL Philippines Season 14 festivities, sweeping TNC Pro Team on Friday at the Green Sun Hotel.
It was a dominant performance by Barangay, who spoiled Caisam "Wolf" Nopueto's coaching debut in the league, with Jomari "JOWM" Pingol and Andrew "Andoryuuu" Flora delivering strong performances.
JOWM shone in Game 1 with his Harith pick, syncing perfectly with Ch4knu's Hylos. The Zaman Force and Glorious Pathway combination effectively disabled the dive-heavy composition from the Phoenix Army.
The gold laner registered five kills and six assists while only falling once, while Jayson "UK1R" Alupit's Aurora tallied three kills and eight assists.
Jomarie "Escalera" delos Santos's Chou struggled to pick off Omega's heroes, managing to assist in only six of TNC's ten kills while falling five times in 16 minutes. Meanwhile, Ken "Kzen" Pile's Nolan was shut down in the late game.
The Phoenix Army was caught off guard in the second game as Coach Lemuel Joshua "LEMBOT" Lucban opted for Hanzo for Andoryuuu, putting pressure on TNC's engagements.
The pocket picks worked well for Barangay, with Andoryuuu's 4/2/7 tally proving crucial, while Ch4knu's Minotaur contributed to all but one of Omega's 20 total kills.
TNC attempted to salvage the game in the 15th minute by successfully defending the first tower dive, but it was short-lived as Omega rebounded three minutes later to seal the victory.
UK1R's Vexana added seven kills and 10 assists for Barangay, while Escalera and Christian "Heads" Morada combined for 13 deaths for TNC.
Omega will look to cause an upset on Saturday when they face Falcons AP.Bren, while Escalera and Patrick "E2MAX" Caidic will face familiar faces the same day against Fnatic ONIC PH.
Follow him on X: @DMalihan_DPH
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