Aurora Gaming stun Team Liquid PH with unconventional drafts at MSC 2026

Wasif Ahmed Published July 24, 2026

The biggest upset of the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) Mid-Season Cup’s (MSC) group stage so far has been Team Liquid PH falling to Aurora Gaming 2–0.

Team Liquid PH are the favorites to win the MSC 2026, and their opening loss against Aurora came as a huge upset. All credit, though, goes to Aurora Gaming as they put together a strategic masterclass of unique drafts to get the win.

The Turkish team made unconventional picks in both of their games.

In game one, Ahmet “Rosa” Taha Batır, the mid-laner for Aurora, picked Rafaela. Facing him was team captain Alston “Sanji” Pabico with Eudora. The game was a one-sided affair, where Aurora wrapped things up before the 10-minute mark.

Speaking in a post-match press conference, Sanji remarked that he was definitely surprised by what happened there.

​“Yes, I was surprised. We haven’t faced any opponent who have done such an unconventional pick. Rafaela pick really did well in the match for them.”

The second game, on the other hand, saw Barat on the EXP lane and Paquito on the gold lane. While these are surprises, Liquid’s gold laner Dave “Teddyqt” Viaña said that this wasn’t completely unconventional and that he had played against the hero on the lane before.

Liquid’s EXP laner, “Sanford” Marin Vinuya, though, was caught off guard with how the pick was utilized.

“I’m surprised with what they did to Barrett. So I think it’s really commendable for them to do that, to invade early and use the Barrett as well.”

Once again, Aurora Gaming made quick work of their opponents to close the series 2–0.

The person behind the strategy is Aurora’s new coach, Neil “Midnight” De Guzman, who is from the Philippines himself. The team signed him just earlier this year. Notable, Turkey is set to play host to the M8 World Championship Finals in January 2027.

​Ong “Aeon” Wei Sheng, the coach for Liquid, agreed that Midnight’s Filipino experience may have played a part in the draft today.

“How ML is played here [Indonesia, the Philippines, and Malaysia] compared to how it is played in their region is a bit different. So I think it’s a mixture of both [Turkish and SEA regions’ playstyles]. Like he mixed those together well.”

​Aeon was also asked about Aurora’s unique playstyle and draft. He said that Team Liquid now has some work to do.

“I wouldn’t say we didn’t expect it [Aurora’s draft]. We expect them to be super aggressive from the early game. But at the same time, we, of course, didn’t expect that we won’t be able to hold it off. So, that would mean that our game plan and our idea is wrong. There’s something that we will reevaluate, and hopefully we’ll come back strong.”

Not the only upset at MSC 2026’s Group B

This wasn’t the only upset of the day, though. Selangor Red Giants, the MSC 2024 champions and the third-placed team at the M7 World Championship, fell to Cambodia’s PRO Esports 2–1.

As a result, two of the favorites to win the MSC will now continue their journey through the lower bracket of the group stage.

Featured image credit: MOONTON