The supposed showdown between Aurora Philippines and Team Liquid Philippines on Friday night with huge playoff implications has been called off due to Severe Tropical Storm "Opong". Richard Esguerra (file photo)
By Ivan Saldajeno

MANILA--With Severe Tropical Storm "Opong" expected to ravage Metro Manila on Friday, MPL Philippines decided to call off its scheduled Friday night matches at the Green Sun Hotel Ballroom in Makati.

Onic Philippines was supposed to face off against AP Bren in the first match, while Aurora Philippines was scheduled to battle Team Liquid Philippines in the nightcap.

With Onic PH, Aurora PH, and Liquid PH currently the Top 3 in the team standings, the rescheduling of their matches will now have more bearing in the race for the two first-round byes in the playoffs.

"The decision is in line with the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA)'s advisory and our Safety Team's recommendation. The league prioritizes the health and safety of our teams, staff, and fans. A separate announcement will be released soon detailing the rescheduled matches and ticketing," MPL Philippines said in a statement.

This marks the first time since Season 10 that MPL PH has had to postpone matches due to stormy weather.

Exactly three years ago, MPL PH had to reschedule the clashes pitting RSG Philippines and Nexplay Evos in the first match and Blacklist International and Liquid PH, formerly known as Echo, in the second match due to Typhoon "Karding".

The matches eventually pushed through on Oct. 3, 2022, with RSG PH sweeping also-ran Nexplay Evos to seal the third seed in the playoffs and Blacklist stunning Liquid PH with its own 2-0 sweep to steal the top seed.

Meanwhile, the premier pro esports league also said that the remainder of the Week 6 fixtures this coming weekend will push through as scheduled.

"The league will closely monitor official weather advisories and on-ground safety," MPL PH further said.

Aurora and Onic PH will face off in the main match of the Saturday night tripleheader.