A Barangay ambitious in securing their playoffs spot versus an Army holding on to extend their journey in the MPL. Which team's grit will overpower the other in their second encounter?

The first game's drafting phase started off pretty menacing with the Julian, Masha and Fanny picks from the Barangay, meanwhile the Phoenix Army's picks were pretty standard all around, with the Balmond, Paquito and Karrie in the first phase. To control OMG's picks, TNC grabbed the Ruby and Kadita, whereas OMG ended up with more crowd control and damage from the Khufra and Clint.

TNC started off the game pretty aggressively, heading in deep into the Barangay's jungle, finding pickoffs onto the members of OMG which redulted in an easy turtle take by the Phoenix Army. TNC understood their win conditions through the combination of Ruby and Kadita, however OMG were able to commit onto them first to prevent TNC's plans. A chaotic teamfight emerged at the top lane, wherein OMG were able to perform multiple setups, however their damage was lacking which led to TNC outplaying the Barangay and securing the first Lord. Since OMG still lacked damage output, they had difficulties in securing the next lord which was slain by the Phoenix Army instead, eventually and slowly exposing the base of the Barangay. With a decisive pickoff onto Kelra care of Kramm, all of OMG's damage is lost, paving the way for TNC to end the game. 

The Phoenix Army rekindled their fire as they take the first game of the series against Brangay Omega, 1-0.

In Game #2, OMG started the drafting phase with Beatrix open, while TNC responded by getting the Julian backed up with the Esmeralda. Lacking crowd control, OMG grabbed Ruby and Yve to finish off their lineup, meanwhile TNC's composition was full off abilities to neutralize their opponents. 

Both teams were more careful in the early game as compared to the previous game; things only went heated around the turtle takes. Although teamfights happened here and there towards the mid game, both teams showed discipline all throughout, knowing their own capabilities and respecting each other at the same time. The Barangay had the upper hand during the first Lord dance since Raizen was two levels above SDzyz, and SDzyz committed his Heavy Spin too early, giving the go signal for OMG to slay the Lord. 

With OMG's insane burst damage coupled with their pickoff potential, OMG penetrated through TNC's mid and top lanes, eventually sieging and finidng the Phoenix Army's base and bringing the series to a thrid game.

The final game's drafting phase started off with an unusual Balmond first pick from the side of the Barangay, which led TNC to steal the Beatrix, along with the Yve. OMG responded by stealing the Ruby once again from Benthings and drafting Kelra's pocket pick Claude. TNC drafted tanky picks such as the Esmeralda, Grock and Thamuz to keep up with the damage potential of OMG. Overall, both teams were relatively even, and it will all depend on their execution.

Tension was all around the map for both team, pressuring each others lanes and heavily contesting neutral objectives. It was a slow game in terms of kills at the start of the game transitioning to the mid game, although skirmishes were very apparent between OMG and TNC. The Phoenix Army were very efficient in taking down turrets without having the need to trade off anything, while OMG secured the Turtles and the first Lord. The opportunity to take the second Lord arose for the Phoenix Army when they were able to pick off Mikko and Kelra. With this, an evident lead favored onto the side of TNC, opening up the map for themselves. A compelling exchange of conceal plays sparked a teamfight around the 20-minute mark by the Lord pit; it looked like TNC had the upper hand, but OMG, a veteran when it comes to these scenarios, found a path to counter initiate, eliminating most members of TNC. 

The Phoenix Army's blaze fell short as the Barangay performed a reverse sweep, winning the series 2-1.

GAME 1 (20:17) - OMG 11 (L); TNC 15 (W)

GAME 2 (12:31) - OMG 8 (W); TNC 5 (L)

GAME 3 (23:19) - OMG 7 (W); TNC 9 (L)

GAME MVPs