Aurora ended Smart Omega’s hot streak with a stunning 2-1 victory, wrapping up Week 2 of MPL Philippines Season 14 on Sunday at the Green Sun Hotel in Makati City.
With this win, Aurora improved to 3-1, maintaining solo third place in the standings. Despite the loss, Omega stayed in second place due to a superior net win over Aurora, even though both teams now have identical 3-1 records.
Aurora captain Renejay “Rejenay” Barcase acknowledged Omega’s strong performance, particularly praising rival roamer Joshua “Ch4knu” Mangilog for setting the tone for their opponents.
“Para sakin sobrang ganda po ng laro niya. Wala rin po akong masabi sa laro niya. Siguro Mas naging better lang yung team namin, hindi yung individual players. Lahat naman kami nagperform kanina, pati yung kalaban po namin lahat din sila nagperform. Malinis din talaga laro nila. Sadyang samin talaga pinalad tong laro na to,” shared Renejay.
Jonard “Demonkite” Caranto led the way in the opening game, showcasing his skills with a maniac killing streak on Nolan late in the 16th minute. This performance capped off a 5-1 wipeout, giving Aurora a 1-0 lead.
It seemed a sweep was on the horizon when Demonkite, playing as Ling, secured a triple kill during a 21st-minute skirmish, resulting in a 4-2 exchange in favor of Aurora.
However, Joshua “Ch4knu” Mangilog, playing as Hylos, executed a brilliant defense in the 22nd minute. His play bought enough time for Jomari “Jowm” Pingol, using Claude, to fend off the base turret siege with his own triple kill, leading to a major reversal and tying the series at 1-1.
Game 3 remained balanced until late in the 11th minute, with only a combined six kills. Jan “Domeng” Delmundo, playing Moskov, picked off Nowee “Ryota” Macasa, helping Aurora secure the lord objective.
This pivotal play allowed Aurora to initiate a base turret siege early in the 13th minute, clinching the series win.
Aurora will have a chance to reclaim the top spot on Friday, August 30, as they face the undefeated Fnatic Onic Philippines.
