Defending champions Team Liquid Philippines delivered a massive statement over the weekend, stunning league leader Team Falcons with a dramatic 2-1 comeback victory in the final week of MPL Philippines Season 18.
Not only did the Cavalry avenge their earlier defeat, but they also shattered the Falcons’ 10-game winning streak. Despite some struggles, Team Liquid pulled through by winning their last five matches and finished the season at the top spot in the standings with a formidable 12–2 record.
Falcons Draw First Blood
The Falcons have been looking unstoppable throughout Season 18, and that showed in Game 1. After a back-and-forth affair in the opening minutes, Team Falcons broke the game open just past the four-minute mark with two crucial kills. They built on that momentum over the following minutes, putting TLPH on the back foot.
From there, the S17 runners-up never looked back. They wiped out the Cavalry in the first Lord fight and cruised to a decisive victory. It was a pure masterclass—Team Falcons secured every major objective, dominated the kill count 15–2, and opened up a massive 12,000 gold lead. Hadji spearheaded the onslaught, securing a triple kill during the final push to cap off an immaculate 9–0–3 KDA.
Team Liquid Pulls Through, Proves They’re the Real Deal
Both sides traded punches in the early minutes of Game 2. TLPH took the initial Turtle, but the Falcons quickly answered back, scoring a 3–2 team fight win to secure the second Turtle. However, a few errors from the Falcons allowed Liquid to pull in front, building a 9–5 kill advantage in the first eight minutes. Shortly after, Liquid scored a major breakthrough: Sanford’s Alice landed a massive set-up for a game-changing four-man wipe. TLPH took total control from there and eventually evened the series with a commanding 16–6 win.
The Falcons, however, came out firing in Game 3. After getting a big pickoff on Teddy, they utilized that advantage to secure the first Turtle before scoring two more kills. Through seven minutes, Team Falcons stayed in control, leading 5–0 in kills with a 2000 gold advantage.
The S17 runners-up kept the pressure on at the 10-minute mark. Although KarlTzy secured a crucial pickoff on Hadji, the Falcons quickly retaliated—taking down Teddy and Sanji before eliminating Karl and catching an escaping Sanford. But TLPH dug deep, brilliantly defending in the next team fights until the 16-minute mark where the game started to turn. During a crucial Lord fight, the Falcons initially had the upper hand, driving the Cavalry back, but a clutch set-up from Jaypee allowed Liquid to re-engage and stop Hadji. TLPH took control at that point. They rallied behind massive damage output from Karl and Teddy, claimed the evolved Lord, and pushed straight into the Falcons’ base to cap off an incredible turnaround.
KarlTzy was at the center of that comeback, with a 9–3–18 KDA on Aulus in the last two games. Teddy was equally important in the win, providing the firepower with a 7–0–4 performance on Freya in Game 2 before coming up big on Paquito in Game 3. Jaypee, on the other hand, was his usual reliable self, posting a 2–2–25 stat line on Minotaur.
All in all, Team Liquid delivered an outstanding performance in Week 8 of Season 18. On Day 1, they made light work of Twisted Minds, sweeping them 2–0, and shut down ONIC again on Day 2 with another sweep. Finally, on the third day, they proved that they’re still the team to beat with a big win over the Falcons. Riding this massive momentum, the Cavalry looks fully prepared to defend their crown and chase a historic four-peat.
