Aurora Gaming Turkey Upsets Team Liquid PH at EWC 2026 MSC
Aurora Gaming Turkey pulled off a major upset at the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Mid Season Cup (MSC) at Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026, knocking out the defending champions Team Liquid PH on the second day of the event with a pair of unconventional drafts that left their opponents struggling to find momentum.
Key takeaways
- Aurora Gaming Turkey defeated defending champions Team Liquid PH during the MSC at EWC 2026 on day two.
- The standout moment was Aurora’s mid-lane Rafaela pick, described as an unconventional strategy that caught TLPH off guard.
- Despite TLPH’s early preparations, Aurora won Game 1 in under 10 minutes and TLPH managed no more than one kill across the match.
- In the second round, Team Liquid PH lost again after Aurora combined a Barats EXP lane with a Paquito gold lane.
- Coach Neil “Midnight” De Guzman said the team is comfortable experimenting, citing their “Dark System” mindset and patch-readiness advantages.
A mid-lane Rafaela surprise flips Game 1
With Team Liquid PH entering as the defending champions, many expected them to win their opening match. Aurora Gaming Turkey instead led with a “head-scratching” draft choice: mid-lane Rafaela, a hero more commonly associated with the roam role.
Team Liquid PH responded by drafting Esmeralda and Eudora to counter Aurora’s composition and sustain. Even with that plan in place, Aurora Gaming Turkey dominated quickly—taking the game in under 10 minutes. The defending champions were unable to rack up kills, failing to score more than a single kill throughout the match.
Second round pressure from Barats EXP and Paquito gold
Team Liquid PH did not find a recovery after the first loss. Aurora’s second-round strategy leaned into another unusual setup, pairing Barats in the EXP lane with Paquito in the gold lane. That composition helped Aurora secure the second result as well, eliminating any chance for the defending champions to stabilize.
Coach “Midnight” on the “Dark System” and patch advantage
In the post-match press conference, Aurora coach Neil “Midnight” De Guzman framed the victory as especially meaningful for his team, noting that TLPH had repeatedly been the side that knocked Aurora out of earlier tournaments.
When asked about the unexpected Game 1 draft, Midnight said the team draws inspiration from what they call the “Dark System.” He explained that in scrims they test “weird” ideas often, and that the team is comfortable operating within this mindset in Mobile Legends. He also compared the belief to the “Loser’s Queue” idea from League of Legends—where players feel the game places them with tougher teammates or opponents after a win streak.
Midnight added that the match wasn’t about Team Liquid PH making obvious errors. Instead, Aurora’s advantage came from knowing what works in the current patch, while other teams still needed to adjust to the meta shifts.
Looking ahead, Aurora Gaming Turkey will move into the upper-bracket semifinals of the MSC at EWC 2026. Team Liquid PH drops into the lower bracket and will need to fight for a Knockout Stage slot.
