From world champions to a team desperately trying to stay alive in the playoff race, Aurora Gaming’s sudden collapse in MPL Philippines Season 17 has become one of the league’s biggest surprises.
Aurora entered the season carrying the prestige of being the reigning M7 world champions, expected by many to contend for another MPL crown behind a veteran core led by Jonard “Demonkite” Caranto, Edward “Edward” Dapadap, and Kenneth “Yue” Tadeo. Instead, the team now finds itself fighting to avoid an early exit after absorbing a painful defeat against Onic Philippines on Sunday at the Victoria Sports Tower.
The loss marked Aurora’s fifth straight defeat, extending a downward spiral that began in Week 5 and continued against Team Liquid Philippines, TNC Pro Team, Twisted Minds, Team Falcons, and now Onic.
For a moment, it looked like Aurora had finally rediscovered its championship form. Demonkite gave the struggling squad an explosive start in Game 1, masterfully piloting Harley with four kills and six assists to punish Onic’s rotations and secure the opener.
Aurora’s aggression and tempo resembled the disciplined style that helped the franchise capture the M7 world title earlier this year.
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MPL PH S17 Team Standings after Week 7:
One playoffs spot left, and its completed
TNC is still not yet eliminated however, unless they pull a miracle upset#MLBB #MPL #MPLPH #EsportsPH #MPLPHSeason17 #LakasNgPinas pic.twitter.com/p5sOR56Bja
— Cerberus. (@dmgcerberus) May 10, 2026
But the momentum quickly vanished. Onic adjusted in the next two games and exposed Aurora’s inability to maintain control once the pace shifted. Frince “Super Frince” Ramirez delivered a flawless Game 2 performance on Gord with two kills and three assists without a single death, before Cyric “K1NGKONG” Perez completely took over Game 3 on Suyou with a devastating seven kills and seven assists in another deathless outing.
The defeat dropped Aurora to a troubling 3-9 win-loss record, currently placing the former champions near the bottom of the standings with their playoff hopes hanging by the thinnest margin.
Despite the collapse, Aurora head coach Aniel “Masterthebasics” Jiandani still believes the team is slowly recovering its identity.
“Konti pa. Hindi pa 100 percent bumabalik ‘yung form pero nakitaan naman natin ng improvement. So konting mastery pa sa ginagawa namin,” Jiandani said.
Onic head coach Jeniel “Haze” Bata-Anon admitted Aurora’s opening-game draft caused serious problems, particularly Demonkite’s Harley pick which snowballed early and dictated the pace.
“‘Yung Harley kasi, ‘yung hero na ‘yun, malaking factor siya sa meta ngayon kasi grabe siya mag-snowball. Ang OP (overpowered) niya kasi. Kaya naman siya tapatan pero nag-snowball lang nang malala nu’ng first game. Tapos hindi na namin na-sustain. Wala kasing makasabay sa Harley,” Haze said.
The timing of Aurora’s skid has made the situation even more alarming. Earlier in the season, the squad was still viewed as one of the league favorites after retaining the same championship-winning roster that captured the M7 World Championship with a dominant 4-0 finals victory over Alter Ego in Jakarta.
Aurora still has a narrow path to the playoffs, but there is little room left for mistakes. The team faces Smart Omega on May 16 before closing the regular season against AP Bren on May 17.
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