How MTB and DexStar Prepared Aurora Türkiye vs ONIC PH

After Coaches Aniel “Master The Basics” Jiandani or MTB and Dexter “DexStar” Alaba took the challenge in leading the reigns for Aurora Türkiye in the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Mid Season Cup (MSC) 2025, every MLBB fans was shocked on the performance of their first match of the tournament.

The win of Aurora Türkiye over ONIC PH, so far, was the biggest upset in the MSC 2025.

Despite coming from a country where the game MLBB was not that popular as it was unlike in the regions here in Southeast Asia, the Turkish squad showed what they’re made of. 

And of course, it was undoubtedly thanks to the brains of coaches Master The Basics and Dex Star on how they managed to defeat ONIC PH in their first match of MSC, 2-1.

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How Coach MTB and DexStar Rigorously Prepared Aurora Türkiye

After Aurora PH was eliminated by Team Falcons PH last MPL Philippines Season 15 in the Lower Bracket Semifinals in the playoffs, Master the Basics and DexStar were tapped by Eric Khor, General Manager of Aurora, to coach their Turkish squad.

They trained with the veteran Filipino champion coaches for three weeks. 

“Pagkatapos na pagkatapos namin malaglag sa MPL PH Season 15, sinabihan kaagad kami ni Boss Eric na mag-coach kami sa Turkey because wala pa silang coach. Sinabi naman niya na in case na if manalo kami or mag-qualify kami (Aurora PH), hahanap sila [ng papalit sa amin]. Pero naging available kami ni Dex Star, kaya kami yung kinuha,” said Master the Basics in an exclusive interview with ALL-STAR.

Their preparation with Aurora Türkiye was not as easy as it looked.

The two Filipino coaches and the Turkish squad only had three to four weeks of preparation for the MSC 2025 tournament. Players from Aurora Türkiye even flew to the Philippines to train with their Filipino counterparts there. 

They were playing like amateur teams in the Philippines.

The first thing Coach MTB and Coach DexStar noticed about the Turkish team was that they were playing like an amateur team from the Philippines. And it was a tall order to keep them up to shape in time for the MSC, which was only weeks away.

“Basically, yung ginawa namin is parang meron na silang ginagawa [preparation] pero parang silang amateur team sa Pilipinas. Wala silang sistema kung paano mag-practice, wala silang sistema kung ano ba ang ginagawa sa practice, as in parang silang amateur team na walang nag-guide,” MTB said.

“Plus, wala silang nakakalaban or nakaka-scrim na malakas na team kaya iyon yung pina-experience namin sa kanila. Kumbaga, [sinabi namin sa kanila na] ito yung ginagawa namin sa Pilipinas, i-apply natin sa inyo. Basically, kung ano yung ginagawa namin sa Pilipinas, iyon lang din yung ginawa namin sa kanila,” he continued.

MTB and DexStar’s Surprises Against ONIC PH

The stunning 2-1 upset by Aurora Türkiye against ONIC PH was not just by luck, nor because of the influence of the two veteran Filipino coaches. It was because of the three to four week intense preparation by the whole team.

The Game 1 win of the Turkish squad against the reigning world champions was one of their surprise pocket picks.

“I think may factor lahat ng bagay eh. Number one, maganda yung naging preparation namin kung paano kami naghanda against ONIC PH.  Siguro may surprise factor iyon sa kanila kase nga wala namang nag-pick ng mga ganoong hero sa group stage, walang nagi-Ixia. Medyo siguro nabigla sila doon,” Master the Basics revealed.

He also discussed how they analyzed the gameplay of Aurora Turkey, recognizing potential in their style but identifying something missing. 

By addressing that gap and incorporating it into their own approach, it certainly will unlock a new level of performance

“Tapos yung gameplay. Kase kahit ako noong una kong nakita maglaro yung Aurora Türkiye na parang [sinabi ko] bakit hindi na lang kayo maglaro? Ganyan kayo maglaro pero parang may kulang. So yung kulang na iyon na lang yung finill namin. And sa tingin ko if nagawa namin iyon is malayo talaga yung mararating ng team,” he continued.

And filling up that gap is what made the Turkish squad take down the reigning world champions in their first game in the MSC 2025.

The Potential is There

Despite having the chance to slay one of the most feared teams participating in the tournament, MTB believes that the potential for Aurora Türkiye is there to finish strong up until the end.

“Sa ngayon, sa tingin ko, potentially, pwede. Hindi ko sinasabing hindi [malayo mararating ng team]. Depende ito sa magiging growth ng team, growth namin as coaches, and growth ng players during this time. Kase tingin ko hindi pa ito yung full potential ng team,” he said.

As the tournament progresses — with more matches ahead and stronger opponents to face — MTB understands that true growth lies in the knowledge and experience their players gain along the way. 

When those lessons take root, that’s when Aurora Türkiye will truly reach their full potential.

And, they might even take the title.

“I think malaki pa yung kayang growth ng mga ito. Kaya habang tumatagal ang tournament, mas nakaka-gain sila ng knowledge and experience na, I think, mas mare-reach namin yung buong potential ng team na pwedeng maghatid sa amin hanggang sa dulo,” he concluded.