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| Jonard "Demonkite" Caranto delivered masterful performances in the last two games to steal the M7 upper bracket finals from Selangor. Moonton |
MANILA--Aurora Gaming Philippines fought back from being on the brink of relegation to beat Selangor, 3-2, in the upper bracket finals of the M7 World Championship early Friday (Philippine Time) at the Tennis Indoor Senayan in Jakarta.
Aurora PH, coming off a lethargic Game 3 that brought the team down to a 1-2 deficit, found itself in huge trouble as Selangor raced to a 4-0 lead in Game 4, taking Edward Dapadap down three times in the early goings.
However, Dominic "Domengkite" Del Mundo, who played badly as Granger in Game 3, went on revenge mode using the same hero as the middle game period was approaching.
In a huge moment, Dapadap secured the second Lord as Jonard "Demonkite" Caranto struggled to sneak his retribution, and Aurora PH cleared two lanes to gain a huge advantage.
Muhammad "Yums" Suhairi thought he found a breakthrough after setting up the kill against Del Mundo.
However, Dapadap surrounded Selangor with his Black Dragon Form to set four kills, leaving Muhammad "Sekysss" Zaman all alone to defend his base.
After completing the wipeout, Aurora PH destroyed Selangor's base to seal the Game 4 win and force Game 5.
In the decider, Aurora PH, featuring a surprise Akai pick from Caranto, banked on a solid macro gaming to build an 11,000-gold lead while maintaining its discipline amid Selangor's late-game potential.
Despite Selangor's gallant stand to prolong the game in hopes of a comeback, the team eventually faltered after getting wiped out in the team fight for the evolved Lord, clearing the way for Aurora PH to finally finish Game 5.
Aurora PH's win ensured that a Filipino team will be in the M-Series finals for the sixth straight edition.
Selangor, on the other hand, will await whichever prevails in a tough gauntlet for the last spot in the lower bracket finals.
Golden Road-seeking Team Liquid, Aurora Turkiye, Team Spirit, and Alter Ego are disputing the last spot on the M7 podium.
Liquid faces Aurora Turkiye in the first match, while Alter Ego, the last hope for Indonesia to rule M7 on home soil, will host Team Spirit in the nightcap of the Friday doubleheader in the lower bracket quarterfinals with the losers going home.
