The most loaded MPL PH Season 17 roster cycle in recent memory is done, and the regular season opens on March 20 at a brand new venue. Eight teams. Two Indonesian imports. One blockbuster opening night. Here is everything worth tracking before a single draft screen loads at Victoria Sports Tower.
#Why MPL PH Season 17 Feels Different
This is not a typical offseason shuffle. MPL PH is welcoming international player imports for the first time in league history, with Indonesian gold laners Clayton "Savero" Kuswanto (ONIC PH) and Sultan "AeronnShikii" Muhammad (Team Liquid PH) crossing regional lines. That alone rewrites the competitive calculus for an entire season.
The league also moves into Victoria Sports Tower in Quezon City, the Philippines' largest indoor sports gym. Bigger venue, bigger stakes. The regular season runs eight weeks in a double round-robin format, with matches every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from March 20 through May 17.
And the opening night matchup tells you everything about the season's ambitions: Aurora Gaming versus Team Liquid PH at 5:00 PM. M7 World Champions against the reigning MSC titleholders. No warm-up games here.
#All 8 MPL PH Season 17 Rosters
Aurora Gaming PH (RORA)
The M7 World Champions keep their championship roster intact. Edward remains in the EXP lane. Demonkite jungles. Yue, Domengkite, and Finals MVP Light round out a squad that swept Alter Ego 4-0 in Jakarta just two months ago.
Aurora is the team to beat, and they know it. Stability is their weapon. While every other franchise reshuffled, the world champions changed nothing.
Team Liquid PH (TLPH)
Team Liquid enters MPL PH Season 17 without Kiel "Oheb" Soriano, who announced an indefinite break from competitive MLBB. That is a massive hole. Oheb was one of the most decorated gold laners in Philippine history.
The replacement: AeronnShikii from Indonesia. He joins an otherwise intact core of KarlTzy in the jungle, Sanji mid, Sanford EXP, and Jaypee roaming. Daiki slots in as sub gold laner, with Santi as backup roamer.
The question is not whether AeronnShikii has skill. He does. The question is whether the communication barrier costs Team Liquid tempo in the early weeks.
ONIC Philippines (ONPH)
ONIC PH bets on Savero to fill the enormous shoes left by Duane "Kelra" Pillas at gold lane. Savero's arrival from Indonesia gives ONIC a mechanically gifted marksman, but the same language integration challenge applies.
The rest of the roster stays: K1NGKONG jungle, Super Frince mid, Kirk EXP, and Brusko roam. Ryota subs in the EXP lane. Coach Haze and Coach Bluffzy manage the bench.
Juan Sports labeled ONIC PH the "dark horse" of Season 17, and that reads right. Their S16 third-place finish came with a known weakness: closing out late-game scenarios against disciplined teams. If Savero's firepower fixes that, ONIC could challenge for the title.
Team Falcons (FLCN)
The biggest single-player storyline of the offseason lands here. Salic "Hadji" Imam replaces Angelo "Pheww" Arcangel in the midlane.
Think about the weight of that swap. Pheww is a two-time world champion, an MPL PH Hall of Legends inductee. Team Falcons released him and brought in Hadji, who carries his own two MPL titles and an M3 crown from his Blacklist International era.
Hadji joins a stacked lineup: Flap EXP, Kyle jungle, Super Marco gold, and Owgwen roam. This is a squad built to compete for a championship immediately.
AP.Bren (APBR)
Kielvj comes home.
After nearly three years abroad, competing across Singapore (Bleed Esports), China (XYG), and Cambodia (BURN x Flash), the veteran EXP laner returns as AP.Bren's captain. He inherits a roster that finished 8th in S16 with a brutal 4-10 record.
The full lineup: Kielvj EXP, Aqua mid, Jamespangks jungle, Shizou gold, and Nova roam. New head coach Giee (formerly of RSG PH) takes the tactical reins.
Kielvj himself acknowledged the pressure in his post-announcement interview: "Para sa akin, 'yung 'captain' sobrang bigat na role... Sa bawat shotcall ko, dapat tama." Every shotcall has to be right. That's the standard he is setting for himself.
AP.Bren is a redemption project. They missed playoffs for two consecutive seasons. Kielvj's leadership is either the fix or another chapter in a frustrating decline.
TNC Pro Team (TNC)
TNC runs it back with a veteran-heavy core. Ch4knu roams. Bennyqt handles gold lane. 3Mar takes EXP. LanceCy goes mid. Zaida jungles. Stowm subs in the midlane, with E2MAX as head coach.
This roster does not make headlines the way Falcons or ONIC do. But Ch4knu and Bennyqt bring a floor of consistency that keeps TNC dangerous in best-of-three formats.
Smart Omega (OMG)
Smart Omega lost Hadji. That alone defines their offseason. To fill the midlane void, they promoted Karl "Minguin" Gallantes, a former RRQ Kaito player who finished second in MDL Philippines Season 6.
John "Perkziva" Sumawan, previously Team Liquid PH's sixth man through the M7 World Championship run, joins as roamer. Jeymz remains at EXP, Raizen jungles, and Nets holds gold lane.
Smart Omega finished 7th in S16 and looks like a rebuild. The talent is young, the ceiling is uncertain, but Minguin's promotion from the development league gives this roster an identity.
Twisted Minds PH (TWPH)
The newest franchise in the league fields: Lansu EXP, Sionnn mid, Caloy jungle, and a supporting cast looking to prove they belong at the top level. Twisted Minds released Sensui from the roster just before the lock deadline.
This squad has the least proven track record among the eight teams, but MPL PH has a history of new rosters punching above their weight in Week 1.
#The Import Experiment: Savero vs. AeronnShikii
The subplot that will dominate discourse all season. Two Indonesian gold laners, both with proven track records in MPL ID, now face each other on opposing Philippine franchises.
Savero slots into ONIC PH to replace Kelra. AeronnShikii slots into Team Liquid PH to replace Oheb. Both are filling the shoes of gold lane icons. Both face the same adaptation challenge: learning to communicate with Filipino teammates in a league where shotcalling cadence and in-game callouts are deeply rooted in Tagalog and English code-switching.
The rivalry writes itself. When ONIC and Team Liquid face each other, it becomes a direct referendum on which import adapted faster and which franchise integrated better.
If both succeed, expect MPL PH to open more import slots in future seasons. If both struggle, the conversation shifts to whether the Philippines' domestic talent pool makes imports unnecessary.
#Three Storylines to Watch in MPL PH S17
Can Anyone Stop Aurora?
Aurora Gaming enters as the clear favorite. The M7 championship roster is untouched. Light's roamer play earned him Finals MVP in Jakarta. Edward's EXP lane continues to be the most consistent in the region. Demonkite's jungle pathing is world-class.
The only question: complacency. Every team in the league has had two months to study Aurora's M7 film. The meta will shift across eight weeks. Aurora's ability to evolve their drafts will determine whether they cruise to the regular season crown or get caught.
Hadji vs. Pheww's Ghost
Hadji replacing Pheww on Team Falcons is the kind of move that either looks genius or reckless by Week 4. Pheww was a foundational piece, but the roster decided it was time for a new voice.
Hadji brings a different midlane approach. His Blacklist International days showed a player comfortable enabling carries through utility picks, not just carrying himself. If Kyle and Super Marco thrive with more resources, Hadji's selfless style could elevate Falcons beyond what Pheww achieved.
Pheww, for his part, is currently a free agent. His status remains unresolved as of March 2026.
Kielvj's Last Stand?
Kielvj is 22, which is not old. But in MLBB esports years, a player who has competed across four countries and multiple failed rosters carries a different kind of mileage. AP.Bren's 4-10 record in S16 was a low point for a franchise that once held world titles.
If Kielvj cannot lift this roster into playoff contention, the narrative around his career shifts from "legendary talent finding the right home" to "diminishing returns." The pressure is real, and he knows it.
#MPL PH Season 17 Week 1 Schedule
The opening weekend at Victoria Sports Tower kicks off March 20:
- Friday, March 20: Aurora Gaming vs. Team Liquid PH (5:00 PM), Twisted Minds vs. ONIC PH (7:30 PM)
- Saturday, March 21: Two matches starting 2:30 PM
- Sunday, March 22: Two matches starting 5:00 PM
All times are Philippine Standard Time (GMT+8). Matches are best-of-three throughout the regular season.
For a full breakdown of MPL ID Season 17 rosters and predictions, check out our MPL ID S17 teams and roster preview.
#The Season Ahead
MPL PH Season 17 carries more narrative weight than any season in recent memory. The import experiment. A world champion defending on home soil. A Hall of Legends player replaced by another legend. A prodigal son returning to captain a struggling franchise.
The top six teams after eight weeks qualify for playoffs. From there, the road leads to MSC 2026.
March 20 cannot come fast enough.
