It wasn’t their cleanest performance, but Team Liquid Philippines got the job done on Friday, securing a 3–1 victory against Aurora Turkiye to continue their lower-bracket charge in the Knockout Stage of M7.
Aurora Turkiye Takes Game 1
Game 1 belonged entirely to the Turkish squad, which completely outclassed the defending MSC champions and ended the game in just 11 minutes. Aurora’s jungler, Tienzy, was a force on Leomord, finishing with a perfect 5-0-5 KDA.
Aurora Gamble Backfires in Game 2
Riding the momentum from their dominant opening win, Aurora looked poised to carry it into Game 2. However, their draft immediately raised eyebrows after they unveiled a surprise Lucas pick—a hero that had never been used throughout the tournament. That gamble backfired, as the Cavalry punished Aurora in the early stages, cruised to as much as a 9k gold lead, and eventually took down all of Aurora’s turrets.
Despite the overwhelming deficit, Aurora proved difficult to put away. A few key mistakes from Team Liquid, combined with Sigibum’s brilliant play on Esmeralda, allowed Aurora to claw its way back into the game.
Facing the pressure of potentially falling behind 0–2, the Cavalry played with greater discipline. Their patience paid off at the 22-minute mark, when they found the perfect initiation, wiping out Aurora in a full team fight to tie the series.
KarlTzy capitalized on the moment, securing every takedown on Yi Sun-shin to claim his second Savage in M-series history. After the match, Aurora’s coach, Sacit “Badgalseph” Arslan, revealed that the Lucas pick was actually a mispick and also labeled Team Liquid’s performance in Game 2 as “desperate.”
Team Liquid Surges Ahead in Games 3 and 4
The stampede continued in Game 3, with Team Liquid surging ahead in the opening minutes. Aurora managed to find some solid initiations, but the Cavalry always had an answer. From that point on, Aurora never truly threatened Liquid, as TLPH finished strong and reached match point first.
Game 4 turned into a full-on brawl, with both squads trading blows right from the start. However, the momentum shifted at the 8-minute mark, when Team Liquid PH overcommitted in an attempt to catch Tienzy. Aurora punished the overextension immediately, securing four kills and seizing control of the game.
The Turkish squad maintained the pressure as the game transitioned into the 12-minute Lord contest. In a decisive play, Lunar on Sora caught out KarlTzy’s Hayabusa, resulting in a swift takedown of the star jungler. Capitalizing on the man advantage, Aurora swept through the ensuing team fight, claiming three more takedowns and securing the Lord.
With the lead and the Lord on their side, Aurora seemed poised to close out the game. However, the tide turned when Pagu made a crucial error, diving deep into Liquid’s turrets but failing to find a target. Sensing blood in the water, TLPH pounced on the exposed roamer.
Once the fight broke out, Oheb became the difference-maker. His perfectly timed Blazing Duet tore through the enemy backline, forcing Aurora into retreat, completing the miracle defense and flipping the momentum in the Cavalry’s favor.
The deciding moment came moments later at the next Lord fight. A slight miscalculation from Tienzy proved fatal, as Oheb punished his positioning and shredded the Harley with massive damage. With half of his HP gone, Tienzy was forced to retreat and was unable to contest the objective.
With the enemy jungler sidelined, TLPH comfortably secured the Lord. Using the empowered wave to breach the final defenses, the Cavalry charged into the enemy base, completing an incredible comeback to close the game and the series.
Grand Finals Within Sight?
Team Liquid now awaits the winner of the clash between Indonesia’s Alter Ego and Team Spirit. Meanwhile, the reigning MPL Malaysia champions and Team Liquid conqueror, Selangor Red Giants, stand tall in the Lower Bracket Finals.
On the other side of the bracket, fellow Philippine representatives Aurora Gaming PH have already secured their spot in the M7 Grand Finals after completing a flawless knockout-stage run, capped by a thrilling 3–2 come-from-behind victory against SRG in the Upper Bracket Finals.
