THE FAVORITES
AURORA WERE UNDERDOGS not too long ago. Now, they are the favorites.
At the M7 World Championship, Aurora arrived as the “backup” team from the Philippines. They were not exactly seen as the team to beat.
They arrived as a team people had forgotten how to believe in.
But they nearly swept the Swiss Stage. They swept the Knockout Stage. They dismantled opponents with efficiency. The world should have paid attention. And yet, the numbers told a different story: only 2.7 percent of fans believed they would win.
“Siguro kaya kami naging underdogs… is because yung previous tournaments na nasalihan namin, hindi naging maganda ang resulta. Kaya nawala kami sa radar,” said Assistant Coach Dexstar.
They were not ignored by accident. They had, in a way, earned it by being chokers in past tournaments.
And that became their advantage.
“Kasi… yung paghahanda nila sa mga teams such as TLPH, ONIC, and SRG, mas grabe compared sa paghahanda nila sa amin.”
The Problem of Being the Favorites
Now, the opposite problem presents itself. The problem of being the favorites.
Even before MPL PH Season 17 started, casters already tagged Aurora as the S-tier team to beat in the local league.
Now, they are the team everyone studies and prepares for.
In a league like MPL Philippines—where every team believes it can beat anyone—that attention is dangerous.
“If we’re the favorites, we need to be more disciplined,” Edward says.
“We experienced being favorites before, this isn’t new to us. Just keep improving because other teams will eventually catch up.”
This is the paradox of being the favorite: it demands more from you than it gives.
Inside Aurora, they resist the idea of being a standard.
“Sa MPL kasi, wala ka dapat tinitignan na standard,” says Coach MasterTheBasics. “Mas priority ng teams ngayon ay sundin ang structure and system nila.”
There is a defiance in that belief. Copying, in their eyes, is a dead end.
“Kasi lahat naman ng kumokopya… hindi mo siya mahihigitan. Kailangan gumawa ka ng sarili mong sistema kung gusto mong mahigitan ang mga kalaban mo.”
Aurora did not become world champions by chasing what worked for others. They became champions by trusting what they built—returning to it even when it failed, even when it looked outdated, even when it cost them games.
“Kahit noong natatalo kami, doon at doon lang talaga kami bumabalik sa sistema namin… doon kami nagsimula, at doon din kami nanalo.”
The Challenge of Season 17
If there is one thing every player on Aurora agrees on, it is this: the Philippines is harder than the world.
“Sa naging career ko sa MPL Philippines, siguro mas naging mahirap sa akin ang local kasi lahat ng teams na kalaban mo, competitive talaga,” Domeng says. “Mas grabe lang talaga sa MPL PH.”
Because while Aurora has already conquered the world, they have yet to conquer home.
That absence matters.
“May mga ganoon pa ring questions,” Light admits. “Sinasabi ng karamihan… hindi mo mapre-predict kung sino ang magcha-champion. Lahat may mindset na kaya nilang talunin kahit sino.”
If the world championship made them famous, an MPL Philippines title would make them undeniable.
“Season 17 is an opportunity to prove we can be champions in MPL,” Calad says.
“Season 17 is a chance to win an MPL trophy,” Domeng adds.
“Season 17 is a stepping stone to make history,” Dexstar says, already thinking further ahead. “No one has achieved the Golden Road. This is the first major tournament after M7, it’s a good stepping stone for us to achieve the Golden Road”
“Even though I’ve already achieved the trifecta of trophies in MLBB–MPL, MSC, and M Series–I want to keep on collecting trophies as long as I can compete. Maybe I’ll grow old here!” Light said.
Aurora Wants to Complete the Impossible: Golden Road
The Golden Road is an impossible sequence. The clean sweep of everything that matters: The Season Split, the MSC, and the M Series.
And Season 17 is the first step to completing that path.
“I’ve loved competitive environments since I was young… that’s always been my drive—it’s what keeps me hungry,” Dexstar says.
The team laughs when he says it. It is a running joke that Dexstar is always eating, always hungry.
Everyone here is still chasing something.
For Edward, it is the missing pieces—MSC, SEA Games, and yes, “also money!”
For Yue, it is the feeling itself. “It feels good to be in a very competitive scene. You will miss that feeling when you take a break.”
For Light, it is something deeper, almost lifelong. “Gusto ko palaging nakikipag palakasan… gusto kong kunin nang kunin hangga’t kaya ko pa. Dito siguro ako tatanda!”
For Demonkite, it is legacy but he doesn’t want others to crown him.
“I want to create my own legacy… I want to achieve greater things in MLBB to the point that I will be satisfied.”
He pauses, then clarifies something important.
“No. Ayaw ko ma-label as GOAT… iba pa rin kapag na-satisfy mo yung sarili mo with your own achievements.”
There it is—the refusal to be defined by labels, even “favorite.”
Being Hunters vs Being Hunted
It’s scary to be the favorites. But what’s scarier is being stagnant.
“Mas nakakatakot yung hindi mag evolve,” Dexstar says. “Kapag hindi kami nag evolve… makakahabol sayo.”
So Aurora prepares as a team that remembers exactly what it felt like to be overlooked.
They understand both sides now—the freedom of being ignored, and the pressure of being seen.
They know what it means to hunt. They are learning what it means to be hunted.
“As a coach, it’s always better to be the hunter,” MasterTheBasics says. “But… if they hunt us, we should be ready.”
“However they see us, even if they hunt us, it is up to us how to hunt them back.”
Aurora knows what it means to be overlooked, and now they’re learning what it means to be watched. Being the favorite doesn’t change how they play, it just changes how everyone else sees them.
And if Season 17 proves anything, it would be whether Aurora can evolve fast enough that the gap never quite closes.
This ALL-STAR Special Feature is powered by Infinix.
Photos: Vyn Radovan • Art Director: Karlota Tuazon • Poster Art: Juan Marco Matriano • Interview and Words: Mario Alvaro Limos
For more exclusive esports stories, click here.
