RSG’s back-to-back MSC dream still remains intact, however ONIC PH do not plan to make that dream easy to reach. After recently defeating BREN Esports in the latter stages of the regular season, ONIC proves that they have the potential to perform in the playoffs. RSG, on the other hand, would need to bounce back from their previous matches and justify why they deserve a second MPL title and a slot to MSC. Which team will want it more?

It was no surprise that Fanny was a priority ban for both teams, as these teams both use the hero exceptionally well. Overall, the bans from both teams revolved around meta picks, and heroes who do well in pressure and pick offs. However, the Joy was left open, as it was s secured by ONIC who was on the blue side. RSG then responded with Kaja and Arlott, two heroes that can answer the Joy relatively well. ONIC reacted to the draft by picking Khufra that can counter RSG’s heroes, accompanied by the Claude for late game insurance. Both teams then revealed their respective mages, with ONIC securing Faramis, while Yve was picked by the Raiders.

The first turtle was secured by RSG, followed by them drawing first blood, despite ONIC leading in terms of early jungle rotation. After a slow sequence of events, the second turtle fight emerged, with ONIC this time securing it. However, RSG was able to trade off by picking off Kekedoot. ONIC continued to pressure their enemy’s jungle, however RSG were clever enough to trade in the form of kills. RSG maintained their lead and pressure, as they secured the first Lord. Despite the presence of Faramis’ Cult Altar, it was still a struggle for ONIC to sustain themselves during clashes against RSG. With RSG snowballing in this game, they easily secured the second Lord, giving them enough power and force to siege into the base of ONIC PH, winning the first game, 1-0.

The set of bans were almost similar for both teams, but ONIC drafted the Arlott first this time since the Joy was out of the table. RSG then responded with the Kaja and Fredrinn pick. ONIC reacted by picking Valentina and Karrie to have a pick off setup of their own. RSG secured the Yve once again, followed by a Hayabusa pick for 1rrad to respond to ONIC’s Lancelot pick.

With the help of Nathan and 1rrad, it was RSG who secured the first turtle, followed by a pickoff onto Ryota. RSG once again led in terms of kills early on into the game, but ONIC alleviated the damage by securing the second turtle. The flex Fredrinn pick did wonders for the side of RSG, as Nathzz utilized and maximized the hero exceptionally. Approaching the first Lord, RSG has the advantage in terms of map pressure and gold; ONIC would need to catch the Raiders off guard for them to have a chance to secure the neutral objective. And ONIC did exactly what they were supposed to do — Nets garnered a triple kill against the RSG, which gave ONIC a fighting chance in the Lord dance. ONIC’s Lord totally equalized the game in terms of turrets, but RSG still did not hold back. Lord number two fell into the hands of ONIC care of Nets, in exchange for Kekedoot, however RSG defended this easily. As the third Lord spawned, although ONIC had the better positioning, it was RSG who stole the Lord from their grasp. With RSG’s superb coordination, mechanics and macro gameplay, the Raiders took the chance to push all the way and secure the second game, match point for their side.

ONIC started the draft with picking the Joy for their side, which was valuable since the Kaja was banned. RSG then responded with the Fredrinn and Arlott once again. ONIC finally denied the Yve from the Raiders, accompanied by the Claude for Nets. RSG then drafted Franco in order to counter Joy and Claude’s mobility. RSG then secured Valentina, and ONIC chose Khufra as their roamer. Overall, ONIC needed to excel well in team fights, while RSG needed to excel in pickoffs and not get punished for it.

First blood was drawn by RSG care of 1rrad and company, which allowed the Raiders to easily secure the first turtle. RSG maintained absolute dominance in the early stages of the game, as RSG secured n eutral objectives and constantly pressured the enemy jungle side. At 6 minutes in, RSG stood with an almost 4,000 gold lead. However, ONIC secured the third turtle, followed by pickoffs to neutralize RSG’s lead. The Raiders then secured the first Lord of the game, enabling them to leave ONIC with only their base turrets remaining. Although ONIC attempted to force clashes against RSG, the lead of the Raiders was just too much. RSG eventually found the base of  ONIC after a crucial initiate from Nathzz, ending up with a sweep in RSG’s favor.

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