Aurora beat Liquid 3–1 after surviving a five-game opener

Aurora Gaming PH beat Team Liquid PH 3–1 in the MPL Philippines Season 18 playoffs on 22 October. The official league schedule confirms the result, a day after Aurora needed all five games to get past Smart Omega.

GMA News reported that Aurora had trailed Omega 1–2 before winning the final two games at PhilSports Arena. That escape earned them a meeting with Liquid, who entered the playoffs with a 12–2 regular-season record and three consecutive MPL titles.

Aurora turn the pressure onto Liquid

The official Liquid–Aurora scorecards show a 22–12 elimination advantage for Aurora in Game 2 and a 16–1 advantage in Game 3. Those figures describe individual games; the completed series ended 3–1.

Aurora now meet Team Falcons PH, who swept ONIC 3–0 on the same day. The league lists Falcons–Aurora for 3 pm on 23 October and ONIC–Liquid for 7 pm. Both times are also Malaysia time.

Liquid still have a match to play

Liquid remain in the tournament. Their next fixture against ONIC keeps the possibility of a fourth consecutive title alive, while Aurora have turned a narrow opening escape into a win over the defending league champions. The next results will determine how those routes develop.