The MPL PH Season 17 playoffs start May 27 at San Juan Arena, and the bracket already gives the league its first pressure test. Team Liquid PH and Team Falcons PH sit in the upper side after a ruthless regular season, while ONIC Philippines, Omega Esports, Twisted Minds PH, and Aurora Gaming PH fight through the opening round.
Team Liquid PH enters as the No. 1 seed at 13-1, with a 27-6 game record and plus-21 net game differential. That is not just first place, that is control from Week 1 to Week 8.
Falcons finish right behind at 12-2, 26-8 in games, and plus-18. The gap between first and second is one match point, but Liquid’s ceiling looks cleaner because they close messy midgames better.
For full regular season context, read our earlier MPL PH Season 17 standings report and track the broader league hub at MLBBHub MPL coverage.
#MPL PH Season 17 playoffs bracket starts with ONIC vs Aurora
ONIC Philippines faces Aurora Gaming PH on May 27 at 3:00 PM. That is the series with the most history and the most danger.
ONIC finishes third at 9-5, with a 20-13 game record. The numbers say stable, but not dominant, especially beside Liquid and Falcons.
Aurora slides into sixth at 5-9, but the last image of its regular season matters. Aurora beats AP Bren 2-1 on Week 8 Day 3, completing a reverse sweep to close the regular season with a playoff pulse instead of a survival shrug.
That AP Bren series is the kind of result that changes a room. Aurora drops Game 1, then tightens its setups around neutral objectives and forces AP Bren into late rotations, the exact kind of rhythm a lower seed needs in a single elimination opener.
ONIC cannot treat this like a standings mismatch. Aurora has already shown it can lose the first map and still drag a series into its preferred tempo.
#MPL PH Season 17 playoffs schedule puts Omega vs Twisted Minds in a knife fight
Omega Esports meets Twisted Minds PH on May 27 at 7:00 PM. On paper, this is the closest opening series.
Both teams finish 6-8. Omega takes fourth with a 15-19 game record and minus-4 differential, while Twisted Minds lands fifth at 13-20 and minus-7.
That three-game differential is thin, but it matters. Omega has more winning map pockets across the season, while Twisted Minds has more volatility in draft execution and midgame discipline.
Their regular season table tells the story. Neither team separates from the pack, but both do enough to keep AP Bren and TNC Pro Team outside the postseason.
The winner likely gets dragged into a much tougher tempo immediately. Liquid and Falcons have been sharper in closing Turtle to Lord transitions, and that is where lower bracket teams usually get exposed.
#Team Liquid PH enters as the MPL PH Season 17 playoffs benchmark
Team Liquid PH is the benchmark of the MPL PH Season 17 playoffs because its losses are rare and its bad games rarely become bad series. That separates a champion contender from a team with good weeks.
Liquid’s 13-1 record comes with a plus-21 game differential. Across the regular season, they win through map compression, not just hero comfort.
When Liquid gets the first Lord setup, opponents often lose both side lanes before they can contest the next wave. That is the most important detail heading into playoffs, because playoff MLBB punishes teams that defend in pieces.
This is where the PH top two differ from most regional contenders. In MPL ID, elite teams like ONIC and RRQ often create chaos through skirmish pressure, but Liquid’s best games look colder, cleaner, and more scripted.
That style is built for best-of series. It gives fewer openings to emotional swings, which matters when San Juan Arena starts pulling momentum toward the underdog.
#Falcons PH carries the best revenge angle
Falcons PH does not look like a second seed by accident. A 12-2 finish and plus-18 game differential means they punish weak drafts fast and rarely let bottom-half teams breathe.
Their regular season also gives the bracket its best narrative tension. Liquid sits above them by one match point, but Falcons has the kind of explosive early-game profile that can flip a grand finals rematch if both teams reach the last day.
Falcons is not as airtight as Liquid in extended map states. The tradeoff is pressure, faster collapses, and heavier punishment when opponents misplace a side lane.
That makes Falcons dangerous against teams coming from Round 1. ONIC, Aurora, Omega, and Twisted Minds cannot afford a slow opening five minutes if Falcons is waiting with side control and first-objective tempo.
#What the MPL PH Season 17 playoffs mean for AP Bren and TNC
AP Bren finishes seventh at 3-11 with a 10-24 game record. TNC ends eighth at 2-12 and 8-24.
Those are not unlucky records. AP Bren has enough name value to make every loss louder, but the evidence is blunt, they do not sustain enough winning map states to survive this regular season.
The Aurora reverse sweep is the final cut. AP Bren starts that Week 8 Day 3 series with a chance to end on pride, then loses the last two games to a team fighting for playoff identity.
TNC’s season is even harsher. Eight game wins in 14 matches leaves no room for interpretation, especially in a league where the sixth seed still goes 15-20 in games.
#Patch 2.1.67a sets the competitive window
The playoff meta sits on the Patch 2.1.67a window, listed by Liquipedia as the latest patch released on May 13, 2026. That matters for preparation, but this bracket is not about patch excuses.
The teams that win San Juan will be the teams that solve pressure, not the teams that complain about hero pools. Liquid and Falcons already prove they can win through different match states, and that is why they own the top two seeds.
Round 1 is where the bracket gets violent. ONIC has the cleaner season, Aurora has the fresher survival win, Omega has the better map differential, and Twisted Minds has enough volatility to ruin the script.
The read is clear. Liquid enters as the favorite, Falcons as the closest threat, and ONIC as the lower-seed team with the best path to disrupt the final weekend.
