Aurora secured a return trip to the M-Series World Championship after defeating Team Liquid PH, 3-1, in the upper bracket finals of the MPL PH Season 16 playoffs on Friday at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City.
The regular-season top seed lived up to expectations, notching two convincing series victories in the playoffs to earn back-to-back M-Series appearances — this time hoping to improve on last year’s early exit.
Facing a resilient Team Liquid PH in a grueling series, head coach Aniel “Master the Basics” Jiandani was forced to make bold adjustments that led to an unconventional draft in their Game 4 closeout win.
“Yung Game 4, I think adjustment na lang talaga. I think nahirapan na yung Hayabusa ni Karl so inexpect namin na aagawin niya na talaga sa amin yung Fredrinn. So inadjust na lang talaga namin,” said MTB, who qualified for his third consecutive international tournament.
“Ang sabi ko nga kay Dex kanina kung maubusan ng hero si Domeng, tiwala na lang. Bahala na kung ano man maging hero niya. So ayun yung naging usapan namin dun sa pag-pick ng hero niya, and yun nga, dun sa pag-pick ng Ixia ni Domeng, tiwala naman kami sa kanya na kaya niyang gamitin yun at napa-practice niya rin naman.”
After splitting the first two games, Aurora seized control in Game 3, reaching match point with a commanding start that saw them take a 5-0 kill score and a 6k gold lead by the ninth minute.
Karl “KarlTzy” Nepomuceno (Hayabusa) tried to rally Team Liquid PH by securing the Lord objective in the 14th minute. But Jonard “Demonkite” Caranto’s (Fredrinn) double kill during the 18th-minute Lord dance sparked a decisive 5-for-2 team wipe — giving Aurora a 2-1 series lead.
In Game 4, Aurora pulled off a surprise Ixia gold lane pick that paid dividends early, establishing a 3,600 economy advantage by the 8th minute, thanks to Dylan “Light” Catipon’s (Gatotkaca) solid 2-0-2 KDA performance.
Jan “Domengkite” del Mundo then took over with the unconventional Ixia pick, finishing with an impressive 7-1-6 KDA in the closeout win that officially booked Aurora’s ticket to the M7 World Championship.
Aurora now await their opponent in the grand finals, where they’ll battle one of the remaining teams from the lower bracket for a chance to capture their first-ever MPL PH championship title.
