THE first order of duty for Aurora Gaming PH has already been accomplished – make it to the next round.
Now it’s all about ramping it up as the tournament goes full blast.
The Northern Lights advanced to the Knockout Stage after stomping Team Spirit with a 2-0 sweep on Day 5 of the Swiss Stage at the M7 World Championship in Jakarta, Indonesia.
READ: SRG stuns Team Liquid in three-game M7 Swiss Stage classic
By advancing to the KO stage, ‘Rora has now exceeded its previous run in the world stage after a disappointing run in M6 last year, bowing out in the Swiss Stage of the tournament.
In Game 1, Team Spirit relentlessly pressured Aurora PH’s gold lane while also securing key jungle objectives and dictating the pace across the map.
Despite Team Spirit having the upper hand, Aurora PH took a bold risk that paid off during the 19-minute Lord clash when Edward “Edward” Dapadap’s Sora caught Anton “Hiko” Pak’s Claude off guard in the backlines.
Team Spirit claimed the Lord, but Aurora PH immediately answered back, trading it for a full wipeout behind Dominic “Domengkite” Del Mundo’s Harith double kill.
In the blink of an eye, Aurora PH flipped the script, storming from the outer midlane turret straight into Team Spirit’s base.
Edward delivered a standout performance on Sora with a 2-3-7 KDA to help Aurora PH to get the first win in the best-of-three series.
In Game 2, Team Spirit played cautiously in the early game, but Aurora Gaming PH began shifting momentum after a 1-for-4 trade at the 5-minute turtle fight.
Team Spirit got a lifeline when Alexander “Oneshot” Sharkov executed a lord steal on Guinevere using a perfectly timed Spatial Migration and Energy Ball combo at the 10-minute mark.
Yet it wasn’t enough to halt Aurora PH’s momentum, as Domengkite’s Granger scored a double kill while Team Spirit attempted to push the bottom inhibitor turret.
Even with Team Spirit’s fierce resistance, Dylan “Light” Catipon on Chip executed a game-winning Conceal and Shortcut ultimate, ambushing Hiko’s Karrie at the 17-minute mark.
Light, playing as Chip, earned the MVP honors with a 0-2-18 KDA.
By advancing, Aurora Gaming PH became the first Filipino team to reach the Knockout Stage at M7, with Team Liquid getting a chance to follow them on the next stage.
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