MPL PH Season 17 Week 1 Recap: Redemption Arc

The opening of MPL PH Season 17 Week 1 wasted no time delivering, as all eight teams finally hit the Land of Dawn to kick off the regular season. With a double round-robin format and every match counting toward playoff qualification, Week 1 already gave fans a glimpse of who’s ready to contend—and who still has work to do.

From statement wins to early struggles, here’s everything that went down in the first three days of action at MPL PH Season 17 Week 1.

Team Liquid PH and Team Falcons PH Set the Pace in MPL PH Season 17 Week 1

If Week 1 proved anything, it’s that the league’s top contenders are already separating themselves from the pack.

Team Liquid PH opened their campaign with a clean and composed showing, taking down the current M7 world champions, Aurora Gaming PH.  Their macro play looked polished, their teamfights coordinated, and most importantly, they showed the kind of consistency expected from a title challenger. The MVP of the match is no doubt the newcomer, Daiki as their Gold Laner, giving a stellar performance using Moskov, that can match up against the best in the world.

Meanwhile, Team Falcons PH also wasted no time asserting themselves back in the tournament. Their opening match against one of the favorites, ONIC Philippines showcased  confident drafting and synchronized teamfighting, allowing them to secure key victories early in the week. Team Falcon’s ability to dictate tempo—especially in mid-game objective fights—stood out as one of the defining traits of their MPL PH Season 17 Week 1 performance.

Both squads end the opening week looking like early favorites, reinforcing preseason expectations that they’ll be in the mix for top playoff seeding.

ONIC PH, Aurora Gaming PH Trade Blows in Competitive Openers

ONIC PH had a mixed but promising start to the season. They faced stiff competition right out of the gate, splitting results but showing flashes of brilliance with their newly acquired Indonesian import, Savero.

Their first game against Twisted Mind showed their adaptability, given their star Gold Laner, Kelra was replaced by an import. Everyone’s initial thoughts were ONIC PH having communication difficulties but they pulled it off with a statement win. Their 2nd match in the week was against Team Falcons, who showed promise, similar to reports of them being strong in scrims.

On the other side, Aurora Gaming showed resilience despite a tough opening schedule. While they dropped the opening key match against Team Liquid PH, they immediately bounced back against TNC Pro Team with a clean sweep to remind why they are the current world champions of MLBB esports.

Week 1 didn’t give either team a perfect start. But it did confirm they have the tools to challenge this season’s top tier.

Twisted Minds, TNC and Omega Stumble Out of the Gate

Not every team found their footing early. TNC Pro Team had a rough opening weekend, struggling to convert winnable situations into victories. Given their position during last year’s playoffs, they are highly ranked by the community due to keeping their same lineup.

Similarly, Smart Omega couldn’t find momentum in their first set of matches. Their aggressive style showed promise, but execution issues. Particularly in objective control, held them back. They were also surprised by their opponents with their newly developed playstyle this season.

As for Twisted Minds, they were up against clear favorites of the league. They had a good start during Day 1 opposing ONIC PH but it all boiled down to their grit facing the current MPL PH champions, Team Liquid for their next match. Unfortunately, week 1 was not in their favor, already down 0-2 at the start of the week.

With a long regular season ahead, both squads still have plenty of time to recover But Week 1 highlighted clear areas for improvement.

 AP.Bren shows signs of life

A team that flew slightly under the radar heading into the season, AP.Bren delivered a respectable performance to open their campaign.

AP.Bren leaned on disciplined teamfighting by showcasing unorthodox compositions and playstyle to secure key wins. Nobody ever imagined that AP.Bren, the last place finish of MPL PH S16 to be contending in the top spot currently of the leaderboards. With the return of the crowned prince, KielVJ, the team has been invigorated to become a threat to the league and finally get their championship mentality back, similar to old rosters of AP.Bren.

MPL PH S17 Week 1 Results Overview

The opening slate of matches featured several interesting matchups. Some of the best MLBB teams are off to good starts. The following is a list of all of the matches in MPL PH S17 Week 1:

• Team Liquid PH 2-1 Aurora Gaming
• ONIC PH 2-1 Twisted Minds PH
• AP.Bren 2-0 Smart Omega
• Aurora Gaming 2-0 TNC Pro Team
• AP.Bren 2-1 TNC Pro Team
• Team Falcons PH 2-1 ONIC PH

With the regular season running through mid-May, Week 1 is just the beginning of an eight-week grind where consistency will define success.

If MPL PH Season 17 Week 1 is any indication, it’s shaping up to be one of the most competitive and unpredictable splits in recent memory. And with seven more weeks to play, the real battle for playoff positioning is only just getting started.