The reigning world champions, Aurora Gaming, are officially back, securing a commanding 2‑0 victory over Omega Esports in Week 3 of MPL PH S18 on September 6.
Coming into the series, Aurora Gaming had been on a strong run, winning two of their last three games and only dropping a close series to ONIC Philippines. That made this matchup a significant test for the Northern Lights, looking to maintain momentum from their first win of the season.
Aurora Gaming Strikes First
Game 1 opened on equal footing as both squads traded objectives back and forth. The turning point only arrived near the 8‑minute mark during a fight in Omega’s blue buff camp, where Aurora came out heavily on top—eliminating three Omega members while losing only Light.
From that point on, RORA’s sustain and burst damage became a major issue for Omega. Over the following two minutes, Aurora expanded their lead by opening up Omega’s inner turrets and claiming the first Lord.
Though Omega quickly dealt with the Lord, Aurora Gaming used the empowered minion waves to press into their base and pounced on the Barangay. Koyl on Paquito found a quick pick on Perkziva and they followed it up by taking down Louis while Raizen and Cull barely escaped. RORA continued their siege but Omega somehow managed to clear the minion waves to prolong the game. Still holding an overwhelming advantage, Aurora comfortably secured the next Lord and launched another base push—and this time, Omega could no longer hold the line.
It was a total team effort in Game 1, but Koyl took the MVP honors with his clinical play on Paquito, posting a clean 4‑0‑6 stat line.
The Northern Lights Shine Bright
Aurora Gaming came out strong in Game 2, winning the opening team fight. However, Omega answered right back, behind a standout performance from their young gold laner.
Cull put on a clinic on Brody, solo‑killing Domeng twice within the first four minutes. Omega seized the momentum from there, securing more kills over the next few minutes. Past the ten‑minute mark, Omega was clearly ahead with an 11‑3 kill advantage, led by an unstoppable Cull with a 4‑0‑4 KDA.
However, the Northern Lights turned the tide moments later. When Omega tried to invade their blue buff, Light on Marcel found the perfect flank from behind, catching all five Omega members and setting up a full five‑man wipe for Aurora.
The momentum shifted entirely in Aurora’s favor from there. During the 18‑minute clash around the Lord, Omega overextended to contest, leaving Cull exposed. Domeng immediately took advantage of that, shutting down Omega’s gold laner. He didn’t stop there—Domeng kept pouring on the damage to claim four more kills, securing a Savage to seal the comeback victory and sweep the series.
With his masterful playmaking, Light claimed match MVP honors with an incredible 0‑5‑27 KDA across the series.
After struggling early in the season, the Northern Lights are back on track. They completed a flawless Week 3, winning back‑to‑back series and four straight games to climb from 8th to 4th place in the standings. With how well they played this week, Aurora Gaming have clearly adapted to the current meta and their roster change. However, their momentum will be put to another tough test in Week 4 against a lethal Team Falcons squad.
