By: Jan Marcus Montevirgen
Aurora secured a spot in the lower bracket finals after sweeping Blacklist International, 3-0, in their MPL Philippines Season 14 lower bracket semifinals clash on Friday at the Green Sun Hotel in Makati.
Aurora will now face Falcons AP.Bren in a best-of-seven series on Sunday at 5:00 p.m. at the same venue.
Despite being a newly formed team this season, Aurora has proven to be a serious contender, with this win guaranteeing them a top-three finish.
In the decisive Game 3, Jan “Domeng” Del Mundo stood out, dominating the 16-minute and 24-second match with an impressive KDA of six kills, one death, and one assist.
“Maganda naman yung naging preparation namin ngayon compared sa kanila kasi yung mga ginamit nila kanina, yun din talaga yung ginamit nila noong first and second series nila. Kaya mas napaghandaan namin,” said head coach Aniel “Master the Basics” Jiandani during the post-match interview.
Aurora bested Blacklist International in their first matchup, sweeping them 2-0.
However, during the final week, the Tier One-backed squad bounced back with a 2-1 victory to end their regular season on a high note.
This time, Aurora closed the book.
In Game 1, Jonard “Demonkite” Caranto’s Ling dominated the map, posing the biggest threat to the Codebreakers during the entire 12-minute and 52-second match. He was named match MVP with a perfect KDA of five kills, zero deaths, and six assists.
Meanwhile, in the second game, Renejay “Renejay” Barcarse’s Chou paved the way for his team to claim the match point, finishing with a flawless record of two kills, zero deaths, and three assists.
Aurora, who finished fourth in the regular season, eliminated defending champion Team Liquid Philippines with a thrilling 3-2 victory last Wednesday.
On the same day, Blacklist also had a successful start to the playoffs, sweeping Smart Omega 3-0.
However, in the upper-bracket semifinals, both teams faced tough competition against the top-seeded squads. Aurora fell to Fnatic ONIC Philippines, 3-0, while Blacklist lost to Falcons AP.Bren in a close match, 3-2.
