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| With two losses at the domestic level and two shocking upset defeats at the international level, Week 2 was simply not Team Falcons PH's week. MPL Philippines (file photo) |
WE could be in for a wild MPL Philippines Season 16 as Week 2 delivered crazier results.
In fact, right after the Saturday night matches, five teams were tied from 4th-8th at 1-2 before Smart Omega and Team Liquid Philippines prevailed in their ties the following evening to go up to 2-2.
Needless to say, this season could boil down to being the most competitive in recent history.
Who stood out? Who took the fall? And finally, will the power rankings shake up? Let's find out.
IMBA OF THE WEEK: Aurora Philippines (2-1, 2-0 this week)
The Team of the Week for Week 2 for me is Aurora Philippines.
I was actually torn between TNC and Aurora PH since TNC swept Team Falcons Philippines, and Aurora PH needed a third game each to diffuse Liquid PH and Onic Philippines.
However, you can't deny the fact that Aurora PH took down the two finalists from last season and the podium finishers in the MSC at that.
We should still give some flowers to TNC.
After all, I placed them as my "Team of the Weak" last week, and they sent a statement last Saturday.
imba of the week: Team Falcons Philippines (1-3, 0-2 this week)
Week 2 was grueling for Falcons PH.
They started the week by playing in the IESF World Esports Championships Southeast Asia qualifiers under the Sibol banner, and they finished it by playing twice in the domestic league over the past weekend.
Simply put, the busy schedule took a toll on them, dropping back-to-back 0-2 defeats to TNC and Smart Omega.
Worse, despite all the hype on them as the heavy favorites to rule the entire IESF event, all the more with Onic PH's Duane "Kelra" Pillas and Liquid PH's Sanford Vinuya as their Sibol reinforcements, Falcons PH failed to make it past the regionals, getting stunned by CFU Gaming in the semifinals and falling to Mythic Seal in the battle for third.
Onic PH and Liquid PH had to face off on Friday night, the same time Falcons PH had to play in the IESF qualifier playoffs, making life more difficult for the Sibol squad.
Now, Falcons PH may need to wait to see if they will be given an extra slot in the IESF WEC, with CFU and Team Liquid Indonesia already getting outright spots.
Lason of the Week: TNC and Smart Omega (both went 2-0 vs. Team Falcons Philippines)
Like I said above, we should still give TNC their flowers.
However, we should also give some to Smart Omega.
Beating Falcons PH at full force after reactivating David "FlapTzy" Canon, 2-0, is no joke.
Well, yes, Falcons PH is the "Off Team of the Week" as mentioned above, but this roster already won multiple titles since they were still representing AP Bren, so sweeping them out should be considered a huge win, especially if you're upset-seeking like TNC and the heavily revamped Smart Omega.
MPL Philippines Season 16 Power Rankings
8. Team Falcons Philippines (1-3)
Like I said above, this past week was simply not Falcons PH's week, and they have to play Onic PH, also coming off a loss, next.
Falcons PH has a "winnable" opponent later in Week 3 in AP Bren, but with TNC and Smart Omega catching them on off nights this past week, anything is possible.
Another question: will they keep Canon for Week 3, or is it high time Falcons PH reactivate Ferdz Fernandez to the starting EXP laner spot?
7. AP Bren (1-2)
Speaking of AP Bren, the team is somehow struggling to get inspiration from its season-opening match and dropped back-to-back ties, including one against Onic PH.
Luckily for AP Bren, Week 2 was their bye week, which means they have a longer time to regroup ahead of clashes against TNC and Falcons PH.
6. TNC (1-2)
After stumbling to start the season, TNC scored its breakthrough win by sweeping a weary Falcons PH side.
The cooler thing: TNC also had a Week 2 bye, which means a longer time to prepare for a winning run, especially with matches against AP Bren and Aurora next.
5. Team Liquid Philippines (2-2)
Liquid PH's Season 16 is currently a down-and-up season.
While you can argue that losing to Aurora was somehow expected, considering the quality of players they have, Liquid PH bounced back by giving league-leading Twisted Minds Philippines a reality check.
Still, a topsy-turvy start to a title defense could be a thing of concern, and Liquid PH has a chance to right the ship behind the scenes with a Week 3 bye and only Smart Omega to think about for the weekend.
4. Smart Omega (2-2)
Speaking of Smart Omega, catching Falcons PH off guard was a remarkable way to cap Week 2 following a 1-2 defeat to the then-unbeaten Twisted Minds Philippines the night before.
However, like Liquid PH, Smart Omega is also having an up-and-down season after four matches.
I actually thought of making both Liquid PH and Smart Omega tied at fourth, but because Liquid PH is the defending champ, I have to give them a lower rank.
Interestingly enough, Smart Omega's bye week is also Week 3, and its only assignment for the week is against Liquid PH.
Could the match spark a winning run for either of the teams, or will it just be another bright side of a season of inconsistency? We will only find out after Saturday night.
3. Onic Philippines (2-1)
Onic PH looked to be poised to go on a roll after opening the season with back-to-back wins, but their hopes for a perfect season were quickly dashed by streaking Aurora PH.
Onic PH can bounce back with "winnable" opponents, Falcons PH and Twisted Minds PH, coming up, but remember, both oppositions are also looking to bounce back, so expect tight battles ahead.
2. Twisted Minds Philippines (3-1)
If there is one thing you should remember about power rankings, it's this: being the number one team in the standings doesn't necessarily mean they're number one too in the power rankings.
Yes, Twisted Minds PH is still on top after Week 2, but having a 1-1 week gave me thoughts about whether I should keep them at number one in the power rankings.
Twisted Minds PH, featuring the Onic Nine Lives core that has been together for quite a while, needed a Game 3 to take down a Smart Omega side that you can still argue is looking for better cohesion since it's a brand-new quintet.
Twisted Minds PH then fell prey to Liquid PH through a 2-0 sweep, although Game 2 could have gone either way.
You can say that, probably, Twisted Minds PH is beginning to unravel, and Week 3 could basically determine if they are surprise contenders or mere pretenders.
Twisted Minds PH will play Aurora and Onic PH on back-to-back main events on Friday and Saturday nights.
1. Aurora Philippines (2-1)
Shooting down the two finalists from last season on back-to-back nights was enough for Aurora PH to make it to the top spot of the power rankings.
They could continue rolling as they have Twisted Minds PH and TNC next in Week 3, but remember, these teams are relatively on the winning track too, and could be up for a surprise, especially the former.
Another thing to keep in mind: being on either end of the "Imba of the Week", regardless of whether I capitalized the "I" and the "W" or not, does not necessarily mean they are number one and eight in the power rankings.
It just so happens that this past week, Aurora PH is the Team of the Week, and Falcons PH was so off.
As aforementioned, a close second to Aurora PH for Team of the Week as TNC, and they ended up sixth in my latest power rankings.
The views and opinions of the writer do not necessarily reflect those of Dugout Philippines.
