In a thrilling rematch, Aurora Gaming once again proved its mastery over Team Liquid, taking a hard-fought 4-3 victory on Saturday, October 24, to book its spot in the MPL Philippines S18 Grand Finals.
Following their statement 3-1 win in their upper-bracket showdown, the Northern Lights faced the Cavalry for a second time in the Lower Bracket Finals. This time, Aurora Gaming dug deep through a full seven-game battle, eliminating the defending champions and earning a shot at its first MPL title.
Aurora Gaming Unleashes Fire, TLPH Strikes Harder
The epic rivalry lived up to its reputation right from Game 1, with both sides trading heavy blows in the opening minutes. While Aurora Gaming managed to edge ahead early, Liquid quickly countered by taking out four of its members at the nine-minute mark. The Northern Lights, however, regained control with a four-man wipeout of their own in the next team fight.
But the tide turned in the late game. KarlTzy and Teddy took over, finding crucial pickoffs to spark a turnaround. Team Liquid then went on a stampede, securing the next Lord and eventually closing out the win. Sanford delivered the game-winning play on his Atlas and finished with a 0-2-16 KDA, while Teddy was equally impressive on Harith, posting an 8-2-8 stat line.
Refusing to back down, Aurora stormed into Game 2 with a dominant 6-1 kill lead by the nine-minute mark. Team Liquid was still within striking distance at that point, but a costly error from Karl resulted in two key pickoffs, allowing RORA to end the game quickly and equalize the match. Nathzz was named MVP in Game 2 with a superb 4-1-5 stat line on Yu Zhong.
Like in Game 2, Aurora pounced early in Game 3, racing to a 4-1 kill lead. RORA maintained control over the next few minutes behind Koyl, who posted a 5-1-4 line on Nolan. However, TLPH found its breakthrough past the 10-minute mark. Following a chaotic back-and-forth clash around the Lord, the Cavalry powered through behind a massive triple kill from Teddy. The Cavalry built on that momentum and landed the knockout punch in the next Lord fight, wiping out all five Aurora Gaming members to take a 2-1 series lead.
Nathzz Clutches Up as Aurora Gaming Stops the Stampede
Game 4, however, belonged entirely to RORA. The defending world champions once again dictated the early fights, opening up a 6-2 kill lead and a 5,000-gold advantage through eight minutes. This time, RORA remained in complete control, stretching its lead to an overwhelming 11,000 gold by the 15-minute mark. Although Team Liquid hung tough and pushed the game past 20 minutes, Aurora proved to be too much—executing a four-man wipeout in the final Lord fight to even the series once more. Both frontliners were impressive for Aurora in Game 4, with Light posting a 0-0-12 KDA on Kalea and Nathzz going 2-1-9 on Barats.
Nathzz just couldn’t be denied at that point. Together with Yue, the duo proved to be an absolute nightmare for Liquid in Game 5, making all the big plays and steering RORA to a commanding 11-2 kill lead and an 8,000-gold advantage by the nine-minute mark. Things went from bad to worse for TLPH when Aurora pulled off a clean four-man wipeout during the first Lord fight. Team Liquid never recovered, allowing Aurora to push ahead in the series, 3-2.
Facing elimination in Game 6, Team Liquid responded like true champions. It put on a masterclass, jumping out to an 8-0 kill lead in the first six minutes and controlling the match from start to finish. Sanji rose to the occasion with a 3-1-9 performance on Zhuxin, while Teddy was untouched on Harith, finishing with a perfect 5-0-7 stat line.
Aurora Gaming Holds On for the Win
Team Liquid brought all that momentum into the decider, firing on all cylinders early in Game 7 to build an 8-3 kill lead. TLPH looked well on its way back to the Grand Finals—until the second Lord fight flipped the script. Despite Liquid starting the clash on the front foot, a series of crucial errors gave Aurora the opening it needed to pull off a game-shattering five-man wipeout.
It was a massive statement win for the Northern Lights. Though Aurora Gaming lost some of its biggest stars this season and struggled early on with a 1-3 start, it powered through when it mattered most—taking down top-ranked Liquid to earn its spot back in the World Championship for a chance to defend its title. For Team Liquid, its historic four-peat bid has officially come to an end.
