Following their mediocre run after winning the M4 World Championship and MPL PH Season 11 under the Echo banner, Jaypee became the target of constant criticism after taking over the roamer position from Yawi — giving rise to the tagline, “Kasalanan ni Jaypee ‘yan.” But the star roamer shut down his critics by letting his game speak for itself, shining once again when the Cavalry needed him the most.
Aurora Gaming PH has been on a strong run all season and has kept it going in the playoffs, surviving a feisty TNC squad in a close 3–2 series. After that, they first met Team Liquid in the upper bracket finals but it was a one-sided match, sending the Cavalry to the lower bracket with a 3–1 victory and securing their spot in the grand finals. TLPH has yet to win a series against Aurora at that point, losing all four games. After TNC pulled off the biggest upset of the playoffs by eliminating the reigning M-Champions, ONIC Philippines, they went on to face TLPH in the lower bracket finals but the Cavalry rose, taking the series 3–1 to set up a much-anticipated rematch.
TLPH kicked off the finals with a dominant start, taking control with a 15–4 kill score and building a big gold advantage in the opener. But Aurora refused to back down, successfully defending their base multiple times. However, they still didn’t have an answer for Oheb on the Harith, who secured two crucial eliminations in a late clash and finished with a perfect 12–0–6 KDA to lead the Cavalry to a 1–0 series lead.
The Cavalry once again jumped to a comfortable 11–2 lead in Game 2, with Karltzy and Oheb leading the charge. However, Sanji overcommitted on one play, which Aurora punished and eliminated three members of TLPH in the process. But Oheb survived and stopped their brief momentum, taking down Edward in a crucial 1v1. During the Lord contest, Oheb and Sanji caught Domengkite in a bad position which led to a wipeout and a 2–0 advantage for TLPH.
TLPH kept rolling as they built up to a 10k gold lead and a 13–2 kill score. Sanford sparked the onslaught with his Lapu-Lapu, while Karltzy was on point with the Hayabusa. Jaypee executed the game plan perfectly, earning the MVP honors on the Gatotkaca with a 0–1–11 KDA.
Liquid gained the upper hand again in Game 4, with Jaypee on the Hilda controlling the map and giving Demonkite a very hard time. But Aurora found a way to fight back, delivering a successful base defense and eliminating three members of Team Liquid. Demonkite also stepped up, stealing the Lord not once but twice. However, it was Sanji who found the perfect angle and executed a well-placed Diversion to seal the second straight title for Team Liquid.
With the win, Team Liquid kept the Golden Dream going. Jaypee secured the Finals MVP honors and also remained undefeated in four grand finals appearances in MPL Philippines. Aurora, on the other hand, settled for another second-place finish — their second in the last three seasons.
