AURORA Gaming PH punched a ticket to the M7 World Championship Knockout Stage upper bracket finals after beating Indonesia’s Alter Ego Esports with a 3-1 victory on Wednesday evening in Jakarta, Indonesia
The Northern Lights continued to rewrite its story, sitting just a win away from the Grand Finals after suffering a heartbreaking Swiss Stage exit last M6.
Next up for Aurora, the MPL Malaysia champions Selangor Red Giants in the upper bracket finals.
Northern Lights find form
In Game 1, Aurora PH and Alter Ego traded early blows, but Dominic “Domengkite” Del Mundo on Freya swung the momentum in Aurora’s favor with a double kill during the 4-minute turtle fight.
Alter Ego fought back during the 9-minute jungle clash, as Arifudin “Arfy” Dingarai’s Minsitthar landed a three-man Spear of Glory, threatening to cut their deficit. However, Edward “Edward” Dapadap’s Lapu-Lapu turned the tide, securing a triple kill and granting Aurora an uncontested Lord.
The Indonesian squad made another gamble during the 14-minute Lord clash. Syauki “Nino” Sumarno on Sora picked off Cedrix “Demonkite” Caranto on Yi Sun Shin, creating the perfect setup for Dalvin “Hijumee” Putra to score a triple kill and wipe out Aurora’s team.
The moment of truth arrived near the 17-minute Lord pit when Domengkite’s Freya delivered another double kill, dismantling Alter Ego’s formation and leading a wipeout that opened the way for Aurora’s game-ending push.
Edward, playing Lapu-Lapu, earned Game 1 MVP honors with his fearless play and an impressive 6-2-10 KDA.
In Game 2, Alter Ego bounced back after putting pressure and invading the jungle resources of Demonkite's Yi Sun Shin behind Alexander “Alekk” Owen's Hilda, forcing Aurora into defense.
Even with Aurora PH’s determined defense, Arfy unleashed a game-winning triple kill with Granger during the 13-minute lord fight, forcing Demonkite to fend off Alter Ego alone.
Nino, playing Yu Zhong, delivered a commendable 4-1-3 KDA performance, helping Alter Ego tie the series at 1-1.
Game 3 saw Aurora PH retake momentum as it refused to fold under Alter Ego’s aggression in the early game.
Aurora PH capitalized on the perfect opportunity to end the game when Dylan “Light” Catipon, playing Khaleed, landed a flawless Raging Sandstorm-Flicker combo to stun three Alter Ego members, with Kenneth “Yue” Tadeo’s Zhuxin following it up with a double kill at 16 minutes.
Domengkite on Harith propelled Aurora PH to a 2-1 match point with a stellar 4-0-6 KDA.
As expected, Alter Ego went for an aggressive tempo with a Fanny pick from Muhammad “Yazukee” Wahyudi, easily finding angles to access Aurora’s backline.
Alter Ego kept the pressure on, yet Aurora PH’s composure and solid defense shone through as Demonkite’s Leomord secured the 17-minute Lord, fueling the Northern Lights’ stunning comeback to obliterate Alter Ego.
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