TL;DR: The MPL PH Season 18 regular season ends this Sunday, October 11, and it saved the biggest match for last. Team Falcons PH (12-1) and Team Liquid PH (11-2) clash at 7:30 PM PHT, and whoever wins takes the No. 1 seed. All six playoff teams are already set, kaya seeding na lang ang pinaglalabanan.
Eight weeks and 54 matches later, it all comes down to one best-of-three. Hindi na kailangan ng scriptwriter dito, mga ka-PGN. The two teams that met in the Season 17 Grand Finals will close out the regular season against each other, with first place on the line.
Where things stand
Here’s the official MPL PH table going into Sunday (match record, net game wins in parentheses):
- Team Falcons PH — 12-1 (+17)
- Team Liquid PH — 11-2 (+18)
- ONIC PH — 9-5 (+7)
- Aurora Gaming PH — 8-5 (+6)
- Smart Omega — 7-7 (-3)
- TNC Pro Team — 4-10 (-8)
- AP.Bren — 3-11 (-13)
- Twisted Minds PH — 0-13 (-24)
The main event: Falcons vs. Liquid
Grabe ang consistency ng Falcons this season. Their only loss? Way back pa sa Week 2, a 1-2 upset against Smart Omega. They also opened Season 18 by reverse-sweeping Liquid 2-1, sweet revenge after the Cavalry beat them 4-2 in the Season 17 Grand Finals last May.
Liquid, on the other hand ay hindi rin nagpapahuli. Their 2-0 sweep of ONIC on Friday kept them just one match behind, and they actually hold the better net game win, +18 to +17. Their only other stumble was a 0-2 loss to Aurora in Week 5.
So here’s the math, simple lang:
- Falcons win: they finish 13-1 and clinch the No. 1 seed.
- Liquid win: both teams end at 12-2, and Liquid’s net game edge (which only grows with a win) should hand them the top spot.
In short, kung sino ang manalo, siya ang No. 1. Both teams also kept their full rosters from last season, so this doubles as a real measuring stick before the playoffs. Liquid is chasing a historic four-peat, while the Falcons want to prove last May’s Grand Finals was a one-off. Revenge round two ba, o babawi ang Cavalry?
The undercard: Aurora’s shot at third
Before the main event, reigning M7 world champions Aurora Gaming PH take on Twisted Minds PH at 5:00 PM. On paper, lopsided. Pero may nakataya pa rin.
ONIC are done at 9-5 (+7), while Aurora sit at 8-5 (+6). That means:
- Aurora win 2-0: they jump to +8 and pass ONIC for third.
- Aurora win 2-1: both teams end at +7, and it goes to deeper tiebreakers.
- Aurora loss: ONIC keep No. 3.
Either way, it’s a solid regular season for both. ONIC did it in Pheww’s first season as head coach, and Aurora had to retool after Edward retired and Demonkite went on loan to RRQ Hoshi.
For Twisted Minds, it’s all about pride. They’re still winless at 0-13 and have taken just two games all season. One more loss and it’s a 0-14 campaign. Kahit eliminated na, expect them to go all out.
Six in, two out
Everyone else is done, so the playoff field is locked: Falcons, Liquid, ONIC, Aurora, Smart Omega, and TNC Pro Team. Omega sealed fifth with Friday’s 2-0 win over AP.Bren, and TNC grabbed the last ticket at 4-10. AP.Bren (3-11) and Twisted Minds are out.
Sunday only decides the order, pero sa hybrid playoff bracket, malaking bagay ‘yan. A higher seed usually means an easier road to the Grand Finals.
What’s next
Playoff matches are currently slotted for October 21 to 25 on the league schedule, with the venue still to be announced. The stakes go way beyond the trophy: the season’s top two teams earn tickets to the M8 World Championship, with the M8 Finals headed to Istanbul, Türkiye.
Catch Sunday’s double-header on MPL Philippines’ official Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok pages.
So, kabayan, sino ang pambato mo: Falcons o Cavalry? Drop your pick and your predicted scoreline in the comments.