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| Twisted Minds PH is obviously the Team of the Week for Week 1 of MPL Philippines Season 16. MPL Philippines (file photo) |
THE opening week of MPL Philippines Season 16 brought about shocking results, giving us an early sign that this could be anybody's game on the road to M7.
I began doing a power ranking stuff on my personal TikTok page last season, but for this season, I decided to write them all here instead, especially since Week 1 of MPL PH 16 was "absolute cinema".
With that said, I decided to add some features to this power rankings stuff, and maybe I might do this for the PBA, too.
IMBA OF THE WEEK: Twisted Minds Philippines (2-0)
Headlining the shockers in Week 1 is Twisted Minds Philippines.
Considering that the club went on a major revamp and brought in the core of the MDL Philippines Season 5 champion Onic Nine Lives, many expected that Twisted Minds PH could struggle this early.
But lo and behold, Twisted Minds PH is on top of the league at 2-0, featuring a 2-0 shocker against Team Falcons Philippines.
imba of the week: TNC (0-2)
You may ask, "Bakit 'Imba of the Week' uli yung sub-headline mo?"
You see, "imba" works both ways. Imba, the Filipino esports slang for "imbalanced", means one is strong and the other is so inferior.
The all-caps version of "Imba of the Week" refers to my team of the week, while the lowercase version refers to the team that lagged behind this past week.
Well, it's pretty evident that TNC needs some more work cut out if they want to repeat their shock playoff return last season.
While they pushed the heavily revamped Smart Omega to the limit, TNC, despite being relatively intact with only former Smart Omega roamer Joshua "Ch4knu" Mangilog as the new guy replacing Tristan "Yawi" Cabrera, still fell short.
Coupled with a 2-0 sweep by Team Liquid Philippines, TNC is at the bottom again.
Lason of the Week: Twisted Minds Philippines (2-0, featuring a huge upset vs. Team Falcons Philippines)
Need I say more?
Twisted Minds PH's major upset against Falcons PH sent shockwaves to not just the MPL PH community but also to those abroad.
Granted that Team Falcons PH decided to make Ferdz Fernandez their starter for Week 1 instead of David "FlapTzy" Canon, but still, Twisted Minds PH beating Falcons PH is a stunner in itself.
That could also serve as a warning shot that anyone from the Philippines is a threat to the M7 world title this January.
And now, the power rankings from 8-1.
MPL Philippines Season 16 Power Rankings
8. TNC (0-2)
I said everything about them above, but Week 2 is TNC's bye week, which means after their lone battle against Falcons PH on Saturday, they have a long time to recalibrate to get themselves going for the rest of the first round.
7. Aurora Philippines (0-1)
Although they struggled against Falcons PH, I decided not to drag Aurora Philippines to the bottom because Week 1 was their bye week.
However, we should expect more from them as they will play twice per week for the next three.
Week 2 could be tough, though, as Team Liquid Philippines and Onic Philippines are waiting for them, but remember, Aurora PH already beat them in the past, although with Renejay Bacarse as the starting roamer.
For new support player Dylan "Light" Catipon, however, this is his chance to prove his worth.
6. Team Falcons Philippines (1-1)
Was the "Ferdz" experiment successful? I will still say yes.
After all, Fernandez starred in Falcons PH's season opener against Aurora, especially in Game 2 with a Cici masterclass.
However, that upset loss to Twisted Minds PH really stung them.
Fortunately for Falcons PH, its Week 2 assignments are winnable on paper: TNC and Smart Omega.
Falcons PH could also be well-conditioned, as it is also participating in the IESF World Esports Championships Southeast Asia Qualifiers under the Sibol banner.
The question: since Canon will be Falcons PH's starter in the Sibol week, will he also be activated for MPL PH?
5. Team Liquid Philippines (1-1)
It's safe to say that Week 1 was not a good way for Team Liquid Philippines to start its quest to reach the "Golden Road".
Defending M-Series world champion Onic Philippines sent an early warning to them by sweeping them in their early MPL PH finals rematch.
While they would beat TNC the next night, one can safely say that was an expected one for Liquid PH.
After Aurora PH, Liquid PH will face Twisted Minds PH in a champion-versus-champion showdown, which has become a must-watch following the latter's surprising Week 1.
With that said, it's still a tough draw for Liquid PH.
4. Smart Omega (1-1)
Smart Omega's new era was off to a relatively good start.
The MVP Group-backed squad showed right at the start of the new season that it can live without Mangilog as it took down TNC.
However, Smart Omega found itself at the back end of an upset by AP Bren.
Smart Omega takes on Twisted Minds PH next, and you can now call it tough opposition considering how the latter pulled off that upset against Falcons PH.
3. AP Bren (1-1)
AP Bren may have just found the better support cast for rising stars JC "Shizou" Valdez and James "Jamespangks" Mendoza.
With "Lord" JM Sebastian, Arvie "Aqua" Antonio, and Denniel "XNova" Gomez on board, AP Bren looks primed to make a postseason return at least after the Week 1 results.
They ripped the new-look yet star-studded Smart Omega in their season opener before pushing Twisted Minds PH to the limit the following night.
AP Bren will have Onic PH as its only assignment for Week 2 before taking the bye, which means they can still improve on what needs to work on to become a contender.
2. Onic Philippines (1-0)
If not for Twisted Minds PH's shock 2-0 start, I would have easily put Onic Philippines at the top of the power rankings since they swept no less than defending national champ Liquid PH.
But then again, we must remember that Onic PH is the reigning M-Series world champ, so they would rather want to qualify again there and not make the world title vacant already at the domestic level.
Taking the opening week bye, Onic PH has AP Bren and Aurora PH next, so 3-0 incoming?
1. Twisted Minds Philippines (2-0)
I already mentioned everything above about Twisted Minds PH's 2-0 start that rocked the MPL PH community.
This week, though, could determine if they are really for real as they have no less than newly-crowned MSC champion Liquid PH as their last Week 2 foe.
Smart Omega can also be described as tough, considering how they looked good, too, in Week 1.
Needless to say, this is an early acid test for the Nine Lives and friends.
The views and opinions of the writer do not necessarily reflect those of Dugout Philippines.
