Team Liquid Philippines. Photo from Moonton Games
MANILA – Team Liquid Philippines (TLPH) closed the first half of the MPL Philippines Season 18 regular season at the top of the standings after posting a 6-1 match record and a 13-2 game record, putting the defending champions in strong position heading into the second half of the tournament.
TLPH capped its first-half campaign with a 2-0 sweep against ONIC Philippines on Sept. 12, extending its winning run after suffering one loss against Team Falcons in the opening week.
The Cavalry’s 13 game wins in 15 played give them a +11 game differential, keeping them ahead of Falcons despite both teams sharing the same 6-1 record.
“Wala naman masyadong statement eh, kasi Falcons pa rin yung tingin kong naghahari, kaya gusto kong makabawi sa Falcons,” Karl “KarlTzy” Gabriel Nepomuceno said on their win despite the game’s meta favoring ONIC.
READ: Amid pursuit of Asiad gold with SIBOL, KarlTzy also seeks redemption after MSC loss
Liquid’s gold laner, Dave “Teddy” Viaña now leads the league in KDA at 12.27 with 54 kills, 11 deaths and 81 assists. KarlTzy also recorded 84 kills during the first half, while Jaypee “Jaypee” Dela Cruz contributed a team-high 161 assists as the Cavalry established themselves as one of the strongest teams in the regular season.
“Di pa kami kuntento, gusto namin maging number one hanggang sa pinaka huli,” Alston “Sanji” Pabico said during the post-match interview.
The Liquid squad’s strong domestic start comes off after a difficult international campaign at the 2026 Esports World Cup (EWC), where TLPH suffered back-to-back 0-2 losses to Aurora Turkey and Entity7 despite being the defending champions back in 2025 EWC.
The early exit left the team without a win in the tournament before its return to MPL Philippines.
READ: Sibol general manager optimistic of PH's esports chances at Asian Games
TLPH has since turned its focus to the local tourney, with its current record keeping the team in contention for another MPL Philippines championship.
The first-leg finish also puts the Cavalry in position to continue its title defense and pursue a potential fourth consecutive championship.
The team will now enter the second leg with its sights set on maintaining its position at the top of the standings. TLPH is scheduled to face TNC Pro Team on Sept 18, followed by Aurora Gaming on Sept 19 and Smart Omega on Sept 20.
With the regular season still ongoing, TLPH will have to maintain its form in the second leg to secure the top seed heading into the playoffs and keep its championship run alive.