M7 World Championship Knockout Stage Day 1 recap – Revenge Arcs and fallen kings

Day 1 of the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) M7 World Championship Knockout Stage opened with an intense set of matches. Powerhouse regions, the Philippines and Indonesia, are set on a collision course. Their representative faced off early in the bracket. With both regions stacked on both sides, the quarterfinals, both upper and lower brackets, are shaping up to be a nightmare draw for every remaining team.

That said, here is a quick recap of the matches for the M7 World Championship Knockout Stage Day 1.

Game 1 opened with Team Liquid PH taking early control behind the team-fight pressure of Alston “Sanji” Pabico’s Pharsa. This draft proved decisive in several key skirmishes. Aurora Gaming PH eventually found their footing through Jan “Domengkite” Delmundo’s Granger, who led the charge as RORA steadily secured major objectives and wrestled control of the map away from TLPH. The turning point came at the 23-minute mark, when RORA secured the Lord and immediately pushed down the mid lane to close out Game 1 of their M7 Knockout Stage match.

In Game 2, Domengkite opted for a Freya pick to counter Kiel “Oheb” Soriano’s Claude. Despite the draft adaptation, RORA struggled early, as Jaypee “Jaypee” Dela Cruz played a crucial role in neutralizing pressure and keeping Team Liquid PH stable. Momentum swung heavily in TLPH’s favor by the eight-minute mark, with a 6,000-gold lead and a 6–2 kill advantage. At 12 minutes, a desperate engage from RORA backfired, resulting in a team wipe that allowed Team Liquid PH to push and even the series.

The deciding Game 3 was played at a much more cautious pace, with frequent skirmishes but fewer kills. The first major breakthrough came at the 12-minute Lord fight, where Team Liquid PH seized control with Karl “KarlTzy” Nepomuceno leading the charge. The objective win translated into significant map pressure, as TLPH dismantled all of RORA's outer turrets. Aurora, however, responded in the next Lord fight with a team wipe, swinging the momentum back in their favor. That final fight sealed the series, sending Team Liquid PH down to the lower bracket of the M7 Knockout Stage Quarterfinals.

Game 1 started strongly for Aurora Gaming Turkey, with Ahmet “Rosa” Batır securing one of his signature picks in Yve. Yangon Galacticos answered with a Zhuxin pick for Kaung “Lina” Khant, but the response struggled to find impact early on. Aurora maintained constant team-fight pressure and quickly built an advantage, which grew even larger at the eight-minute mark when Lukasz “Pagu” Bigus exploded for a triple kill on Hilda.

Yangon Galacticos attempted to contest map control but were consistently shut down. They found a brief silver lining at 14 minutes after picking off three Aurora members and rushing down a Lord, momentarily equalizing the game and buying themselves some breathing room. Despite this, Aurora regained control, stabilized the map, and closed out Game 1 in 20 minutes.

Game 2 took a sharp turn in the opening minute when Han “Hannn” Swe’s Joy was immediately pressured by Sidar “Tienzy” Menteşe’s Yi Sun-shin, resulting in a stolen blue buff. The disruption crippled YG’s early rotations and triggered a domino effect that led to a rough early game. By the three-minute mark, Tienzy was already on a killing spree with a 3/0/1 KDA, and Aurora’s map pressure continued to suffocate YG’s access to resources.

At seven minutes, Aurora made a rare mistake that allowed Kyaw “Blink” Thuya’s Tigreal to find a strong engage, swinging the momentum back and forcing Aurora onto the defensive. The game remained tense until the 22-minute mark, when Blink misplayed another engage. Aurora immediately capitalized with a full team wipe, pushed straight down the mid lane, and secured the series victory in the M7 Knockout Stage Day 1.

Game 1 opened with both teams on even footing. Each side was willing to take risks for small advantages. Selangor Red Giants secured the Turtle at the seven-minute mark, giving them a modest 2,000-gold lead. Team Spirit managed to stay competitive through Stanislav “SAWO” Reshniak’s Hilda, who applied consistent pressure in lanes and team fights.

Team Spirit found a brief window at 13 minutes, trading a Lord take for three pick-offs. However, the momentum quickly slipped away as SRG continued to dominate objective contests, gradually stripping Team Spirit of map control and resources. By the 20-minute mark, Team Spirit’s base was exposed across all lanes, leaving them with few options to mount a comeback. A subsequent Lord push sealed the game, giving Selangor Red Giants the opening win of the series.

Game 2 of this M7 Knockout Stage match saw John “Innocent” Banal return to his signature Sora pick for SRG. However, the early spotlight belonged to Muhammad "Yums" Suhairi and his Badang. Every well-timed wall resulted in a pick-off, steadily widening the gap between the two teams. Team Spirit attempted multiple engages but were repeatedly shut down by Hazziq “Stormie” Rizwan’s dominant Pharsa, which controlled fights with ease. By the 16-minute mark, Team Spirit had made little progress, and before long, the Russian squad collapsed. Selangor Red Giants closed out the series with a convincing 2–0 victory.

Game 1 opened with Alter Ego asserting early dominance after Syauki “Nino” Sumarno secured a Sora pick, enabling AE to play at a highly aggressive tempo. Despite the pressure, ONIC ID managed to stabilize by contesting late-game objectives and securing key turret trades to bring the game back to an even state. Alter Ego still held the edge, leading 10–4 in kills at the 14-minute mark.

A minute later, a long and intense team fight swung the game decisively in Alter Ego’s favor, as ONIC ID lost three members, wiping out any momentum they had built. Alter Ego immediately capitalized by securing the Lord, which broke through the top-side turrets and exposed ONIC ID’s base. What followed was an all-out push that ONIC ID could not withstand, allowing Alter Ego to close out Game 1 of their M7 Knockout Stage match.

Game 2 began with both teams on even footing in the early game. ONIC ID’s Moch “Lutpiii” Ardianto took control of Alice. He picked up six kills by the eight-minute mark, proving difficult for Alter Ego to bring down. His presence forced AE into a more cautious approach. With this pressure, ONIC ID slowly gained momentum and chipped away at their opponent's turrets.

Despite the shift in momentum, Alter Ego managed to stay in the game, even as their base became exposed at 17 minutes. The turning point came after a grueling team fight. Muhammad “Yazukee” Wahyudi’s Fanny secured the Lord for Alter Ego, opening the door for a counterpush. ONIC ID attempted a backdoor play at the 23-minute mark, but Alter Ego shut it down decisively with a four-man wipeout before immediately pushing to end the game and sweep the series.

That's it for our M7 World Championship Knockout Stage recap for Day 1. For more information, like match schedules and real-time scores, check out our M7 World Championship tournament hub.