JAKARTA, Indonesia - The Golden Road stays unconquered.
Team Liquid joined the short list of elite teams who've tried, came close but ultimately came up short in completing the 'Golden Road' after bowing out to a gritty Alter Ego side, 3-2, in the lower bracket semifinals of the M7 World Championship, Saturday at the Tennis Indoor Senayan in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Winners of the MPL PH Season 15 and 16, and the mid-season cup, all the Cavalry needed was the M7 World Championship to complete the so-called 'Golden Road.'
But it just wasn't meant to be as the last Indonesian team standing thrilled its home crowd by stunning the so-called tournament's 'final boss' with a huge curveball in the end -- picking a Uranus for a jungle pick to throw off Team Liquid in the pivotal Game 5.
Now, the country will be cheering on Aurora Gaming PH , a team already sitting pretty in the grand finals, as it aims to make sure that the Philippines keep a stronghold on competitive MLBB supremacy.
Team Liquid exits with head held high
From the opener, it was certain that Alter Ego wasn't about to back down from the highly-intimidating Team Liquid side on the verge of immortality.
They quickly dominated the Cavalry, asserting its dominance by commanding the map, securing key objectives, and building a decisive gold lead from the get go.
The Cavalry tried to challenge the Lord, but Alter Ego proved unstoppable as Arifudin “Arfy” Dingarai’s gold lane Freya erupted for a game-winning triple kill at the 15-minute mark.
Team Liquid and Alter Ego went toe-to-toe in the early game of Game 2 which resulted in a nearly even gold difference.
Momentum swung toward the Cavalry after they demolished the outer top lane turret, led by Sanford “Sanford” Vinuya’s Yu Zhong securing a double kill and Alston “Sanji” Pabico’s Luo Yi executing a well-timed Diversion ambush to wipe Alter Ego.
Team Liquid held firmly onto their lead, pushing relentlessly to close out the game in just 12 minutes as minion waves flooded in from every lane for the final siege.
Sanford stole the spotlight with a commendable 4-3-11 KDA.
Team Liquid secured the 2–1 match point in Game 3 after Kiel “Oheb” Soriano’s Granger fired off a crucial double kill in the 15-minute Lord fight, enabling the Cavalry to take down four Alter Ego players and march on to end the game.
Karl “KarlTzy” Nepmuceno, playing as Leomord, earned the MVP honor and delivered an impressive 14–3-5 KDA performance.
Game 4 saw Alter Ego dominate Team Liquid, forcing a grueling Game 5 in just 12 minutes despite the valiant defense of Sanji’s Lou Yi.
In a virtual do-or-die in the decisive Game 5, it was Alter Ego who rolled the dice. They were rewarded heftily.
The Indonesian side gambled by putting the Uranus in the hands of their jungle Yazukee, a move that didn't look that entirely good in the early stages as Team Liquid took control on the onset.
That was until Uranus got his items and soon became a nuisance to a Team Liquid side who was lacking on shred, especially with Oheb playing on Esmeralda in the gold lane role.
The Golden Road dream finally shattered in the hands of Alter Ego soon after, when Hijumee's Zhu Xin erupted for a triple kill score during the 19-minute bottom lane clash.
With only Sanji’s Yve and Jaypee’s Khaleed left to defend the base, Alter Ego went unstoppable in its siege and ultimately secured the win in the thrilling best-of-five series.
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