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Many seem to have written out Aurora for the championship and coach Master the Basics likes it that way.
Aurora coach MtB continued to add to M7 surprises as they beat tournament favorites Team Liquid and increased their chances for a world championship.
Many were stunned as Team Liquid have beaten Aurora Gaming PH in the previous five games they’ve played. A majority of fans see Aurora as underdogs and consider their victory over Team Liquid a massive upset. This is despite the fact they’re still the second best team from the Philippines, the region with five M-Series titles. And let’s not forget that they had a historic 15 match win-streak leading up to the grand finals of MPL PH S16. However, coach Aniel “Master the Basics” Jiandani prefers it that way.
“Pagdating sa amin, I think pabor sa amin na puro upset yung laban,” said MtB. “Kasi hindi namin kami yung favorites mag-champion dito. So mas-gugustuhin namin maka-upset ng maka-upset.”
The morale boost over winning against Team Liquid can also not be understated. Though it was some time ago, a 4-0 sweep in the grand finals after an exceptional season can devastate a team in the long run. Aurora had to overcome their rivals and to do that they had to rely on each other.
“I think yung key factor is yung pagtitiwala namin sa isa’t-isa,” said MtB. “Natalo na kami ng ilang beses ng Team Liquid so sinabi ko sa kanila ‘guys, tiwala kayo sa draft at tiwala ako sa execution niyo’. Nag tiwala lang kami sa isa’t-isa at alam ko kakayanin talaga namin.”
Trust has gotten Aurora this far but there’s still many challenges ahead if they want the M7 trophy. Malaysia’s Selangor Red Giants are still on the other side of the upper bracket and if Team Liquid make the long run through the lower bracket, they’ll definitely be hungry for revenge.
“Ang key dito ay maging consistent,” said Aurora’s coach MtB. “Kung anumang naging preparation namin sa anumang kalaban namin dito, gawin namin consistent pa din. Hindi pa rin kami pwede mag-relax kasi kahit na natalo namin yung isa sa mga pinaka-malakas na teams dito, pagdating dito sa M7, lahat ng teams pantay-pantay. Lahat dapat paghandaan namin kung paanon namin pinaghandaan yung Team Liquid.”
Banner photo from MOONTON Games.