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The Northern Lights held true to guide the Philippines to their sixth straight M-Series title.
Not even the mightiest of Indonesia was enough to stop the Philippines’ MLBB dominance as Aurora Gaming PH rose as the M7 world champions. They swept aside Indonesia’s Alter Ego in a 4-0 landslide victory at the Tennis Indoor Stadium Senayan, Jakarta, Indonesia.
Since day one, M7 has been nothing but a tournament of surprises. Predictions were cast aside as upsets seemed to happen at every step of the way. The grand finals themselves was unexpected as Aurora and Alter Ego are the second seed of their respective regions. In essence, none of the favorites really reached everyone’s expectations of them.
Indonesia’s first seed, ONIC, had a massive tumble from glory in M7 and the Philippines’ first seed, Team Liquid PH, started looking shaky after their loss to Malaysian champions Selangor Red Giants. But when the favorites started to falter, that’s where the underdogs started their rise.
Aurora’s shocking win against Team Liquid in the upper bracket quarterfinals set them on a clear path to the trophy. With steady and measured progress, they beat Alter Ego in the semifinals then SRG in the upper bracket finals to give themselves a chance to defend the Philippines’ M-Series throne.
Meanwhile, Alter Ego didn’t take their loss against Aurora lightly. In one jam-packed day, they took down Team Liquid and SRG, the first seeds of two major regions, so that they could get their revenge on Aurora at the grand finals. Momentum was high for both squads and it was anyone’s guess who’d become the M7 world champions.
Banishing the Shadows
At the start of the tournament, no one expected the second seed of Philippines and Indonesia would be squaring off in the grand finals. Both teams were made to look like the second fiddle by the end of their respective seasons. And by that token, it’s impressive how both leveled up a lot in M7. But there was still doubt being cast on Aurora even though they were the first team to make grand finals.
Since their founding, Aurora has had a reputation for choking, either at international tournaments or in matches where it counts. Their Games of the Future 2025 run was looking good until it wasn’t, and their M6 run was incredibly disappointing. Even all the way to the M7 grand finals, there was a fear that they’d trip before the finish line.
But, keeping true with the theme of M7, the grand finals was not what people were expecting. In a stunning display of dominance, Aurora outclassed Alter Ego at every point in the series. EXP Laner Edward Dapadap played without fear – fitting for a man on his fifth M-Series appearance and determined to win his second. But he couldn’t do that without the help of his Roamer, Dylan “Light” Catipon. The two were play-making machines to the point that Alter Ego were just getting overwhelmed in every game.
From being branded as chokers to lifting the M7 trophy, Aurora have definitively proven their doubters wrong. With a 4-0 sweep, Aurora have banished their demons, defending the Philippines’ MLBB dynasty to become the M7 world champions.
Banner photo from MOONTON Games.
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