THEY have won almost everything there was to win.
Domestic titles. International crowns. A year defined by dominance, where Team Liquid did not merely follow the meta—they bent it to their will, dismantling opponents regardless of region, playstyle, or stage.
Now, in the M7 World Championship, only one trophy stands between them and a feat no MLBB team has ever achieved.
The Golden Road.
It is the final step in a journey that has humbled champions, broken dynasties, and turned near-perfection into painful what-ifs. Over the years, only a select few teams dared to chase it, and even fewer came close—but none completed it.
The question is simple—yet enormous: will Team Liquid finally be first to complete the Golden Road?
An Impossible Dream?
The Golden Road is not a victory earned in a single championship, but a year-long trial by fire. It demands absolute supremacy across all major competitions within a single competitive season—domestic leagues, international tournaments, and the ultimate stage, the M-Series World Championship.
It is not enough to peak once. Teams must survive domestic leagues where rivals study every move, then international events where unfamiliar playstyles and metas from different regions collide.
MPL analyst Caisam “Wolf” Nopueto considers the Golden Road one of the most brutal challenges in esports—not because it is impossible, but because it demands sustained dominance under constant pressure.
“First of all, we can’t deny how difficult it is to achieve the Golden Road. Once a team wins even just one championship—let’s say MSC—they’re immediately under the spotlight. Even in the MPL regional league, they’re closely monitored. It’s really difficult to build and sustain that,” Wolf said in an exclusive interview with SPIN.ph.
Paradoxically, success becomes the enemy.
“The longer a team stays together, the more problems can arise. Even a winning team like Team Liquid isn’t immune to issues,” Wolf added.
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Beyond pressure lies another unpredictable enemy: the game itself. MLBB is constantly evolving. Patch updates reshape strategies, demand new hero pools, and can render entire playstyles obsolete overnight.
“Some patch updates might not be favorable for a specific team. When a team gets hit by a bad patch, what happens then? Sure, you can say you’ll adjust, but it’s still different when you already have mastery of the game,” Wolf explained.
Consistency alone is no longer enough. A Golden Road demands excellence that survives constant change. History proves this path is unforgiving.
Almost, Not Quite
Before Team Liquid, others once stood on the brink of making history.
Blacklist International, Selangor Red Giants, and ONIC Indonesia are all Southeast Asian teams that came close to the Golden Road, building historic streaks, only to see a single international tournament wipe out months of dominance, ending their dreams in heartbreak.
Blacklist International became the first Filipino team to come close to the elusive Golden Road after winning MPL Philippines Seasons 7 and 8, powered by the rise of the “Royal Duo” Wise and OhMyV33NUS, and dominating ONIC PH at M3—only to be ineligible with an MSC 2021 loss to Execration.
In 2023, ONIC ID stood just one game away from completing the Golden Road at the M5 World Championship, pushing AP.Bren to a thrilling best-of-seven Grand Finals.
In the decisive final moments, Kairi “Kairi” Rayosdelsol’s Baxia was caught in the mid lane, allowing AP.Bren to seize the opportunity and end ONIC ID’s run. That year, ONIC ID had seemed untouchable, winning MPL Indonesia Seasons 11 and 12 and conquering MSC 2023 against Blacklist International.
The following year, the Selangor Red Giants ruled 2024 with back-to-back MPL Malaysia Season 13 and 14 titles and an MSC 2024 championship over Falcons AP.Bren, only to be swept by Team Liquid ID at the M6 World Championship lower bracket finals.
They became living proof of a brutal reality: a year of dominance can still collapse in a single moment. Will Team Liquid meet the same fate—or carve their name into history?
Why Team Liquid Is Still Standing
With stakes at their highest and the world watching, Team Liquid appears unburdened at M7. The reason is simple: rather than dwell on the enormity of the Golden Road, they focus on one step at a time.
Team Liquid suffered a 1–3 loss to Malaysia’s Selangor Red Giants in the M7 Swiss Stage, but instead of dwelling on it, the Cavalry treated it as a timely eye-opener ahead of the Knockout Stage.
“Actually, that (the Golden Road) isn’t our priority. We want to take things one step at a time. We don’t want to think about it too much because I don’t want to put pressure on the players. What we want first is to secure a spot in the knockout stage and focus on every opponent there. If there’s something we need to adjust, we’ll adjust it, because that loss was a big thing for us," Team Liquid’s Country Manager Mitch Liwanag explained in an exclusive with SPIN.ph.
“We learned a lot from it. At the same time, we realized there are still things we need to improve and adjust within our team,” she continued.
“We can’t assume that we’re already strong just because we’ve won in other matches or other tournaments. Our real focus is to beat every opponent we face."
After the loss, Liwanag admired the team’s willingness to learn, particularly Kiel “Oheb” Soriano, whose mental toughness and hunger for improvement led him to tirelessly expand his gold lane hero pool.
Oheb showed his willingness to adjust after playing Sora for the first time in their sweep of the Yangon Galacticos.
“They were actually tested after SRG, when they lost. I realized then, ‘Okay, they don’t really put themselves on a pedestal.’ They wanted to learn more, and they accepted that there was still so much they needed to improve on," Liwanag shared.
“You know what I like even more? Kiel (Oheb). Kiel told us, especially me, ‘Ate, I can already use all the marksmen. Give me heroes I haven’t even used on stage yet, and I can adjust.’ So I’m very proud of this guy, Oheb. He never stopped learning. At the same time, together with his teammates, they’ve had so many realizations,” she added.
READ: Team Liquid joins 'Rora in M7 KO stage after masterful rout of YG
Team Liquid turned 2025 into a year of dominance, winning consecutive MPL Philippines titles, lifting MSC 2025, and standing atop the SEA Games podium with SIBOL. Everywhere they went—they won.
From the 33rd SEA Games in Thailand, they went straight into the grind for M7 in Jakarta. The demanding schedule could have taken a toll, but Liwanag ensured the team stayed mentally and physically fresh.
“I don’t allow us to go without rest… The players really, really need that rest. I don’t want them to get exhausted,” Liwanag said, treating recovery as seriously as competition.
“We make sure they get enough sleep. We buy vitamins for them, and we make sure they eat at the right times. When it comes to mental health, there’s really just one thing players need to help them recover: proper rest during rest days," she continued.
"So we make sure they get to see their families or their girlfriends, because that’s what they truly need—spending time with their loved ones,” she added.
What Makes Team Liquid Lethal in M7?
Team Liquid’s main five lineup features players with an impressive trophy haul—from local MPL titles to M-Series glory.
Analyst Wolf cites their individual talent, tight-knit chemistry, and ability to solve challenges together as the traits behind their year-long dominance.
“There are so many things we can consider as to why Team Liquid is such a big threat. First of all, the strength of their individual players. Individually, they are already really strong. We all know the G.O.A.T. (KarlTzy) and Sanford are among the very best. Jaypee is one of the most improved players. Then you have Sanji and Oheb now, who are very reliable,” Wolf explained.
When all the pieces come together, the result is a team that moves as one. Each player is already elite on an individual level, but it is the chemistry they have built over time that truly sets them apart.
There is no need for long adjustments or trial and error, as they instinctively understand their roles and responsibilities the moment the game unfolds.
Problems are addressed almost instantly, decisions are made with confidence, and solutions come naturally. Fueled by trust and familiarity, every player knows exactly what is required of them to win, allowing the team to operate as a single, seamless unit rather than five separate parts.
Once the match begins, nothing else matters. It becomes five players locked in, fighting for a shared dream. Team Liquid isn’t just playing against other teams—they’re playing against pressure itself.
“I think the team that can truly finish a Golden Road is one with extremely strong mental fortitude. And I would say that among all the teams I’ve seen, this one (Team Liquid) is by far the most solid," Wolf shared.
"I feel like their mental fortitude is very hard to break. Only the best teams can do it. I mean, only the teams with the best mental fortitude can do it and Team Liquid is one of those teams."
More importantly, this roster has shown an ability to adapt without losing identity—a rare trait in a meta-driven esport.
The Final Step
At M7, immortality waits.
One final test against the world’s best. Team Liquid is close to making history just like the legendary teams before them that once stood and fell.
Hypothetically, if Team Liquid completes the Golden Road, what impact would it leave?
“The impact it will have on the MLBB scene is that, as Filipinos, there will be nothing left for anyone to say against us. We will truly be the strongest region. Those five—Sanford, Karl, Oheb, Sanji, and Jaypee—what will happen is it will become extremely hard to argue against them as the best in their respective positions. Especially Karl, the G.O.A.T., KarlTzy. Like, the only way to surpass the G.O.A.T. in the future is to win a Golden Road—or even two Golden Roads,” Wolf expressed.
“Players and teams will become even more competitive. Because if I were a player and I saw that someone completed the Golden Road, I’d want to reach it too. So all the teams would really strive harder and get even more fired up to play ML,” he added.
The Golden Road has never been completed because it was never meant to be easy. It exists to separate dominance from immortality.
Now, the stage is set.
Will Team Liquid finally finish the Golden Road or will they be reminded why it is the rarest achievement of all?
At the M7 knockout stage, the world will finally have answers/
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