WHAT was expected to be a clash of titans worthy of the Grand Finals came early at the M7 World Championship and Team Liquid made sure it's not the one exiting prematurely.
Team Liquid kept its Golden Road hopes alive by waving goodbye to hometown favorite and reigning MPL ID champion ONIC Indonesia after a 3-1 win in the M7 lower bracket opener, Thursday at the Tennis Indoor Senayan in Jakarta.
The long ascent from the lower bracket is far from over for the Cavalry, and the quest for the Golden Road only intensifies against Turkey’s Aurora Gaming in the lower bracket quarterfinals.
Signature Team Liquid stampede
Team Liquid and ONIC ID ignited the M7 stage in Game 1, giving fans a true champions’ clash as both squads exchanged heavy blows in every teamfight and objective contest, keeping the gold gap almost dead even.
The Cavalry slowly seized control of the game, dominating objectives and the map against ONIC ID, even building a massive 12k gold lead after claiming the second Lord objective.
Kiel “Oheb” Soriano, playing as Esmeralda in the gold lane, erupted for a double kill to push the Cavalry’s surge during the 15-minute top lane clash.
Alston “Sanji” Pabico, playing as Phrasa, made his presence felt and pulled off an impressive 5-1-10 KDA.
Team Liquid seized control early in Game 2, showcasing Sanji’s signature Lou Yi pick while having calculated aggression as they avoided giving up a single kill until the first turtle fight against ONIC ID.
READ: Immortality at Golden Road's end: Can Team Liquid pull it off?
With their backs against the wall, ONIC ID desperately searched for a pickoff to cut the deficit, and Nicky “Kiboy” Pontonuwu delivered with a clean Way of the Dragon–Flicker combo with his Chou onto Karl “KarlTzy” Nepomuceno’s Yi Sun-Shin during the 13-minute Lord fight—but it still wasn’t enough to halt Team Liquid’s charge.
ONIC ID held firm, but Team Liquid leaned on Sanji’s trademark Lou Yi surprise Diversion to the top lane during the 18-minute Lord fight, catching 3 ONIC members off guard while retreating to seal Game 2.
Sanford “Sanford” Vinuya, playing as Lapu-Lapu, lived up to his “Apex Predator” moniker, fearlessly diving into teamfights and finishing with a stellar 6-1-3 KDA.
In Game 3, ONIC ID poured their hearts out in hopes to reverse sweep the series, setting up the early game tempo with aggression to pressure Team Liquid.
Kairi “Kairi” Rayosdelsol, playing on Yi Sun Shin, erupted with a maniac kill score during the 7-minute clash to power up ONIC ID’s firepower and wipe out Team Liquid.
With Schevenko “Skylar” Tendean’s Ruby leading the way, ONIC ID used precise crowd control to eliminate Oheb’s Esmeralda and KarlTzy’s Lancelot while pushing the inhibitor turret at 10 minutes.
Sanz on Lunox pulled a perfect 5-0-14 KDA, helping ONIC ID extend the series against Team Liquid with 2-1 score.
Game 4 saw Team Liquid bounce back after seeing through ONIC ID’s gameplay, securing major jungle objectives and winning teamfights.
The turning point came when KarlTzy’s Fredrinn scored a double kill at the 16-minute mark mid-lane clash, capitalizing on ONIC ID’s failed Diversion attempt.
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