MANILA, Philippines – The long-awaited title has finally come for Onic PH.
In a thriller, Fnatic ONIC PH withstood a fiery last-gasp stand by Aurora Gaming, 4-3, to snag the MPL Season 14 crown at the Green Sun Hotel in Makati, on Sunday, October 20.
ONIC led 3-1 early but had to survive two gutsy Aurora wins in Games 5 and 6, before ultimately sealing the elusive title in the final match.
The win gave ONIC its first-ever MPL title since entering MPL in Season 4 three years ago. It was also the first championship for all individual Onic players.
The victory capped a dominant tournament by ONIC, which took the top seed with a 13-1 slate in the elimination rounds.
“We are aiming for a dynasty. Not just now,“ ONIC coach Tony Sederin said. “Chapter one done. Onto the next, ESL, M6.”
Both ONIC and Aurora will represent the Philippines in the Mobile Legends M6 World Championship set to happen in December.
Despite losing the Lord fight down the final stretch, ONIC weathered Aurora’s push to take the crown, following an up-and-down affair to finish the game.
It was the first MPL finals series that went the distance since Season 7 in 2021, when Blacklist International took down Execration, 4-3.
“It was really hard to close out a series, no matter what sport it is… Maybe if we won this in 4-1, we would have been more complacent before M6,” said Sederin.
“It was an experience that we had to go through. This is the kind of winning attitude I want to see from this team,” Sederin added in Filipino.
Gold laner Grant “Kelra” Pillas took home the Finals MVP nod, playing a crucial role in keeping Aurora at bay for most of the series.
“I thought the championship was not for us,” said Kelra in Filipino. “After Game 5, I thought there was an MPL curse on me.”
Along with Kelra, ONIC consisted of Jann “Kirk” Gutierrez, King “K1NGKONG” Perez, Frince “Super Frince” Ramirez, Borris “Brusko” Parro, and Brian “Spider Milez” Santos.
With the win, ONIC bagged a grand prize of $35,000, while Aurora took home $20,000 for the runner-up finish. – Rappler.com