Entering Week 7, Aurora came in as the league’s hottest team with nine straight wins, and they kept the momentum going with another dominant showing against Twisted Minds PH, moving within two victories of securing an outright upper-bracket berth.
The streak marked a historic milestone for the franchise, surpassing their previous record of eight consecutive wins set just last season.
But unlike last season’s undefeated run that fizzled out with a winless playoff campaign, Aurora has entered Season 16 with a renewed mindset — one that has fueled what is shaping up to be the most dominant stretch in their league history.
“We learned from our past mistakes talaga. Last season, hindi naman sa overconfident pero confident kami na kaya namin lahat,” said Aurora head coach Aniel “Master the Basics” Jiandani in an exclusive interview with Tiebreaker Times.
“Ngayon kasi ang mindset ng team is ano talaga ‘wala tayong team na titignan nating mahina.’ As in lahat talaga ng team, sasabayan natin.,” he went on.
“Kumbaga, walang team na hindi natin gawin yung best natin, parang ganun. Siguro yun yung nakatulong kung bakit kinaya namin yung dalawang top teams.”
Aurora’s streak is even more remarkable considering they lost their team captain, Renejay “Renejay” Barcase, during the offseason.
Fortunately, the addition of Season 9 and MSC 2022 champion roamer Dylan “Light” Catipon has proven to be a seamless fit, with his presence elevating the team’s overall performance.
“Ang mindset talaga ng team, ang goal lang natin for this regular season is maka-playoffs lang. As in maka-playoffs lang muna talaga tayo. After natin maka-playoffs, dun tayo gagawa ng way,” added MTB.
“Kung ano man natutunan natin lahat nung regular season is ia-apply natin sa playoffs. Swerte lang din talaga na yun nga, nag-win streak kami so mas makakapaghanda pa kami nang mahaba for playoffs.
“Hindi namin tinitignan talaga yung standings. Kasi nga yung goal lang talaga namin is makapasok sa playoffs eh. Swerte lang din talaga na nag-win streak.”
By Week 6, Aurora had already secured their place in the postseason, becoming the first team this season to officially book a playoff spot.
Despite their dominance, Aurora refuses to be complacent.
Instead of adopting the mindset that they are already championship-caliber, the team has chosen to focus on one game at a time in hopes of exorcising the ghosts of last season.
“Ayokong maging mindset yun yung nasa championship-caliber na kami kasi ever since talaga, ganun yung mindset namin — na kaya namin lahat ng team. Pero ngayon kasi, ang gusto ko talagang maging mindset is tapusin muna natin yung laban. Kumbaga tapusin natin hanggang dulo,” he said.
“Walang mag-iisip ng kahit anong bagay na kaya natin mag-champion, dahil tinalo natin lahat nung regular season, pero I think hindi talaga yun yung basis. Nanggaling na kami dun. Natalo namin lahat pero laglag agad so ngayon ang mindset talaga namin is walang magre-relax,” MTB continued.
“As in tapusin natin yung buong season hanggang playoffs kung pano tayo naglalaro mula umpisa.”
With a renewed mindset and more cohesive gameplay, Aurora now sets its sights on making a deep run in the Season 16 playoffs.
