Aurora Gaming PH avenged their Swiss Stage loss by outlasting Team Liquid PH in a 2–1 thriller to reach the M7 World Championship semifinals.
Aurora Gaming PH exacted timely revenge on rival Team Liquid PH, pulling off a gritty 2–1 victory in the M7 World Championship quarterfinals on Sunday, January 18, at the MPL Arena XO Hall in Jakarta, Indonesia.
The win was payback for Aurora’s earlier loss to Team Liquid during the Swiss Stage and sent RORA into the semifinals, continuing the team's deepest international run to date.
Game 1 was tightly contested through the early stages, but Aurora seized control after the 20-minute mark behind clutch team fights.
Jungler Jan Domengkite Delmundo starred on Granger, finishing with an explosive 8/1/5 line while dealing a massive 136.7k total damage to tilt the opener in RORA’s favor.
Team Liquid PH answered back in Game 2, refusing to bow out quietly.
Veteran roamer Jaypee anchored the response with a steady Khaleed performance, posting a 2/1/6 KDA while absorbing 72,834 damage as TLPH forced a decider.
Game 3 once again went down to the wire, but Aurora leaned on its frontline presence when it mattered most.
EXP laner Edward took over on Yu Zhong, registering 4/2/5 and 29.5k damage as RORA outlasted Team Liquid in late-game engagements to close out the series.
Despite both teams posting identical 3–1 records in the Swiss Stage, the tournament’s pairing system dictated this early All-Filipino showdown.
Swiss seeding first matched teams with perfect 3–0 records against those finishing with 3–2 records, while squads with matching 3–1 marks were paired against each other.
That format placed Aurora Gaming PH and Team Liquid PH on a collision course, leaving the remaining teams to face off accordingly.
With the victory, RORA advances to the semifinals, where it will await the winner of the quarterfinal clash between Indonesia’s Alter Ego and ONIC ID.
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Kiko Demigillo’s journey in sports storytelling began with a deep passion for games and athletes, which eventually grew into a full-fledged career.
Now a dedicated sportswriter, Kiko covers a wide range of beats for One Sports, including the PVL, UAAP, PBA, and various international tournaments.