In one of the most thrilling series that the league has ever seen, reigning champion Aura PH proved once again that it is a cut above the rest.
The back-to-back kings of MPL took down Execration, 2-1, in exhilarating fashion in the regular season of the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Professional League-Philippines, Saturday evening.
And in the midst of it all was Rafflesia, who delivered the jaw-dropping plays that lifted the two-time titleholders in games one and two.
In the opener, Aura PH took advantage of the diminishing gold mechanic — feeding Rafflesia (Diggie) off to the Execration bunch, which ultimately delayed their farming capabilities.
The pocket tactic, which was never seen before in the professional scene, proved to be a puzzle that Execration could not solve.
Rafflesia, despite posting a career-low 21 deaths, was named SMART MVP with 14 assists. That, along with his delaying tactics that proved to be vital in Aura’s win.
Aura PH then lost grip in Game Two, surrendering the victory to Execration and tying the scores at 1-all. But luckily for them, Rafflesia once again stepped up to the plate.
Despite holding a huge advantage in the early goings of Game Three, Aura PH surrendered the lead to Execration, no thanks to the clutch plays by Ch4knu (Atlas) and Hate (Harith) in the mid-game.
With the momentum now on their side, Execration began attacking the lord in hopes of upsetting the defending champions. However, Rafflesia (Luo Yi) executed a perfectly timed diversion, teleporting himself, Jaypee (Yi Sun Shin), Greed_ (Selena), and Kielvj (X.borg) onto the back lanes of Execration.
The quartet then ambushed an out-positioned Execration side, taking down Hate, Bennqt (Masha), and E2Max (Valir), while also sealing the kill on the lord.
Ch4knu and S4gitnu tried to defend the Execration camp, but a five-man Aura PH was too much for them to handle.
In other games, Blacklist International handed NXP Solid a rough 2-0 beating following a stellar debut yesterday. On the other hand, Cignal Ultra eked out a close 2-1 victory over BSB.
