Team Liquid Philippines returned to the MPL Philippines stage in emphatic fashion, steamrolling AP.Bren 2-0 in Week 7 of Season 18.
Following their heartbreaking run in the Asian Games, the Cavalry found their footing on familiar ground, delivering a commanding performance and giving the squad a much-needed boost for their S18 campaign.
Team Liquid Come Roaring Back
Team Liquid took charge early in Game 1, controlling the map and claiming the opening two Turtles. The Cavalry stayed on the attack at the five-minute mark with Jaypee and KarlTzy flanking LanceCy and SpiderMilez, taking both out cleanly. But AP.Bren immediately retaliated with Jamespangks shutting down Karl before JMPinkman and Shizou joined the fight, adding two more kills. Despite that, TLPH quickly restored its advantage, piling up a 5,000 gold lead after the first ten minutes.
Team Liquid remained firmly in control from there, getting the upper hand in the teamfights and eventually securing the second Lord. The Cavalry then finished the job, capitalizing on that Lord siege to take down both Shizou and LanceCy to seal the Game 1 win.
Unlike in Game 1, the Bees made the opening statement in Game 2. They secured all of the first three Turtles and established a 3,000 gold lead within the first seven minutes. TLPH, however, soon found an answer with KarlTzy scoring a crucial double kill. The star jungler took over from there, posting a spotless 6-0-2 stat line through 11 minutes to lead his team back into the fight.
TLPH then completed the turnaround when Jaypee’s Minotaur stole the second Lord, handing TLPH full control of the game. Team Liquid capitalized heavily on the Lord siege, wiping four members of AP.Bren and leaving only Jamespangks standing. With the massive advantage, TLPH looked ready to end the game, but Jamespangks had other plans. He brilliantly outplayed three members of TLPH to secure a clutch triple kill before following it up with a cold-blooded solo kill on Karl to completely stop the siege. Despite his heroics, Team Liquid powered through, securing the third Lord and eventually closing out the series.
Team Liquid Stand Tall but Face Ultimate Test in Week 8
The victory marked Team Liquid’s third win in their last four games and their second sweep of AP.Bren this season. The result also solidified the Cavalry’s place in the top two, improving to a 9-2 record.
For AP.Bren, however, the loss officially eliminated them from playoff contention. Their third consecutive defeat dropped them to 3-10 in the standings, marking the fourth straight season that the Bees have failed to advance to the playoffs.
Team Liquid now faces a heavy test in Week 8’s season finale, featuring a stacked three-day slate. They open Day 1 against BennyQT and Twisted Minds, before clashing with third-seeded ONIC on Day 2. Finally, on Day 3, they get a shot at redemption in a high-stakes showdown against top-seeded Team Falcons.
