Team Liquid PH (TLPH) finally met their match, falling 2–1 to Malaysia’s Selangor Red Giants (SRG) in Round 3 of the Swiss Stage of the M7 World Championship in Jakarta, Indonesia, on January 13.
The Cavalry had looked unstoppable, riding a 10-game win streak since the MPL Philippines Season 16 Lower Bracket Finals—a run that included a 4–0 sweep of SRG in the SEA Games finals. This time, however, the story was different. SRG’s imports, gold laner John “Innocent” Banal and EXP laner Mark “Kramm” Rusiana, proved decisive for the four-time MPL Malaysia champions.
Team Liquid Draws First Blood
The series opened with an intense back-and-forth battle in Game 1. TLPH held a slight edge by winning key objectives and then started gaining momentum after a crucial four-man takedown at the 10-minute mark. Yet Innocent single-handedly turned the tide on Sora, wiping out all five members of TLPH to record the first savage of the M7 World Championship, becoming only the third player in tournament history to do so. Despite his heroics, SRG was unable to fully capitalize, as TLPH stayed composed, wrestled back control, and closed out the win.
SRG Fights Back
It did not take long for SRG to respond, taking command early in Game 2 and jumping out to an 11–1 score with a 6,000-gold advantage. Team Liquid was unable to recover from there, allowing SRG to even the series.
SRG Completes the Comeback
Team Liquid found themselves in the same situation in Game 3. The Giants, led by Sekys on Hayabusa and Kramm on Uranus, set the pace from the start and dominated throughout. The Cavalry showed glimpses of life and dragged the game past the 20-minute mark, but SRG’s lead proved too much to overcome, allowing them to complete the come-from-behind win.
With that victory, SRG proved Team Liquid is beatable and advanced to the knockout stage with a perfect 3–0 record, joining Indonesia’s Alter Ego. Team Liquid, meanwhile, will have another chance to qualify in Round 4 of the Swiss Stage.
