In a dramatic turn of events, the two Filipino representatives in the M7 World Championship were drawn into a first-round showdown at the M7 Knockout Stage, with MPL S16 runner-up Aurora Gaming PH facing MPL champions Team Liquid.
It marked the second clash between the two squads after Team Liquid claimed their earlier best-of-one meeting in the Swiss Stage. This time, however, the script flipped. RORA edged out the Cavalry in a thrilling 2-1 battle on January 18, sending Team Liquid crashing into the Lower Bracket and finally getting their revenge after being defeated by them back in the MPL Philippines S16 Finals.
Game 1 Goes to Aurora Gaming
Both squads played methodically through the first five minutes of Game 1 before the action finally broke out at the first Turtle fight. Team Liquid initially had the upper hand, but Dylan “Light” Catipon’s Grock turned the tide, landing the Tectonic Charge on two players to help Aurora secure the objective. Later, at the 10-minute mark, RORA found Karltzy out of position and took full advantage, claiming the Lord objective. But the Apex Predator Sanford refused to let them get away with it, finding a two-man takedown to trade and swing the momentum back in their favor.
The Cavalry stayed ahead for the next few minutes, securing two Lords. But Light rose to the occasion once again, coming up with a perfect counter-initiation that enabled Domeng on the Granger to get a triple-kill and turn the fight around. Aurora maintained their control, later picking off Sanji. With Team Liquid down a member, Aurora not only secured the Lord but also eliminated Karltzy, then closed out Game 1.
Team Liquid Draws Even in Game 2
Game 2 opened with another back-and-forth exchange, with both sides trading objectives. But Jaypee soon changed the game. At the 4-minute mark, he predicted Demonkite’s position and dealt him heavy damage. DK attempted to escape, but Sanford’s Uranus was there to finish him off. Team Liquid continued to apply pressure across the map, with Jaypee repeatedly finding Demonkite’s Yi Sun-shin and slowing him down.
Domeng on the Freya tried to answer back, forcing a fight against Oheb on the Claude, but Team Liquid’s reinforcements arrived in time, taking him down while allowing Oheb to survive. From there, Team Liquid looked unstoppable, building a 6–2 kill lead and stretching their advantage to as much as 8,000 gold.
RORA briefly found hope when Karltzy on Lancelot dove into their base in an attempt to reach the backline and was punished for it. With the man advantage, Aurora forced a fight, but Oheb was there, setting up a perfectly timed Blazing Duet that instantly melted Aurora’s members, sealing the game and extending the series to a full best-of-three.
Fierce Game 3 Goes to Aurora Gaming
Neither side backed down in Game 3. While Team Liquid came out on top in the final Turtle fight, RORA quickly responded with key plays to even things up. Both teams showed great discipline during the Lord standoffs until the Cavalry seized their moment. Spotting Domeng out of position while managing the bottom lane, they rushed the Lord and secured the objective cleanly. Team Liquid then kept up the pressure with Karltzy leading the charge. He even found himself deep in the enemy jungle, yet managed to survive against both Demonkite and Domeng.
The Cavalry attempted the same play on the next Lord, but this time RORA was ready. Light triggered a perfectly timed counterattack, completely surrounding Team Liquid and stealing the Lord. Edward continued their assault, taking down Karltzy, then chased down an escaping Oheb for another kill. Left alone against four Aurora players, Sanford fought to extend the game, but one cannon minion was all Aurora Gaming needed to finish it.
Aurora Gaming, Team Liquid Headed to Diverging Paths
With the win, Aurora Gaming continues its march in the upper bracket, although it drew a tough matchup against MPL Indonesia runner-up Alter Ego on January 21. AE has dominated the tournament so far, winning all six of its games, including defeating MPL Indonesia champions ONIC ID with a clean 2-0 sweep.
Team Liquid, on the other hand, will take the much longer and much tougher route in their pursuit of the Golden Road. They will need to win four straight series to reach the finals, starting with a best-of-five showdown against ONIC ID on January 22.
