THE Northern Lights are just one series win away from realizing their north star.
Aurora Gaming PH secured the first spot in the M7 World Championship Grand Finals with a come-from-behind 3-2 win over Malaysia’s Selangor Red Giants in a thrilling upper bracket finals clash, Thursday at the Tennis Indoor Senayan in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Once doubted after a surprising Swiss Stage exit in the last M6 World Championship, coupled with several close calls in the domestic league, Aurora edges closer to history—one win away from finishing its redemption story and keeping the M-Series title streak alive for the Philippines at six.
They now await who'll be surviving the lower bracket bustle where Team Liquid, Aurora Gaming Turkiye, Alter Ego, Team Spirit and now the Selangor Red Giants will be disputing the right to be their dance partner in the final showdown.
Aurora shows grit
The first game saw Aurora PH and Selangor Red Giants trading blows in the early game, but Aurora’s disciplined playstyle ultimately decided the outcome.
At the 10-minute mark, a skirmish broke out in the top lane jungle as Dylan “Light” Catipon stunned two SRG members, leading to a four-man takedown and giving Aurora an uncontested first Lord.
Despite SRG’s valiant defense, Aurora stayed aggressive as Kenneth “Yue” Tadeo’s Lunox erupted for a triple kill during the 16-minute midlane siege, setting up Domengkite’s clutch double kill to seal the game.
The Game 1 MVP was Domengkite, demonstrating outstanding marksmanship on Claude with a 5-2-12 KDA.
In Game 2, SRG backed Aurora PH into a corner by relentlessly pressuring and invading Demonkite’s jungle, repeatedly denying the blue buff vital to his Fanny’s firepower.
Muhammad “Yums” Suhairi’s Hylos executed a perfectly timed Glory Pathway–Conceal combo during a 16-minute mid-lane jungle skirmish, catching Aurora PH by surprise and enabling SRG to run rampant as Muhammad “Sekysss” Zaman’s Leomord secured a double kill.
READ: Team Liquid keeps M7 run going as it sends Kairi, ONIC ID packing
SRG tied the series at 1-1 behind Mark “Kramm” Rusiana’s perfect 3-0-12 KDA performance on Uranus.
The Giants kept their foot on the gas in Game 3, and the turning point came at the 16-minute Lord skirmish when Yums’ Hilda slipped into the backlines to take down Domengkite’s Granger, paving the way for SRG to stomp Aurora PH and lock in the 2-1 series match point.
Hazziq “Stormie” Rizwan was a reliable force with his Zetian’s global vision and pulled off a 2-1-13 KDA.
Game 4 saw SRG attempting to close out the series, yet Aurora PH remained calm. Demonkite on Fredrinn scored a double kill at 21 minutes, sending SRG members fleeing, leaving Sekysss alone on Yi Sun Shin to guard the base, and ultimately leading the Aurora siege.
Edward manifested the world champion spirit onto Yu Zhong, posting a 1-4-7 KDA to tie the series at 2-2, surviving despite three early deaths after being repeatedly ganked by the Malaysian champions in the early game.
Aurora Gaming PH continued riding the momentum in Game 5 and dominated SRG across major objectives and map control and even racked up a massive 12,000 gold lead.
SRG stretched Game 5 to 23 minutes long, but Demonkite’s Akai seized the crucial final Lord, leading Aurora to wiping out SRG and ultimately claiming the intense series.
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