Giants Tested: SRG Outlast Aurora Gaming Turkey in M7 Knockout Stage Day 2

Day 2 of the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) M7 World Championship Knockout Stage opened with a match between Selangor Red Giants (SRG) and Aurora Gaming Turkey. As the giants of MPL Malaysia, SRG is looking to become a global powerhouse. On the other hand, Aurora is looking to keep its momentum going, showing their unorthodox picks working against the meta. The stakes are high as the loser will head down to the lower bracket, where titans are also clashing.

That said, here is a recap of the match between SRG and Aurora Gaming Turkey in M7 World Championship Knockout Stage Day 2. 

Selangor Red Giants opened the series with an unconventional draft, placing John “Innocent” Banal on Uranus in the Gold Lane in Game 1. While unusual, the pick was clearly intended to counter Mehmet “Lunar” Ilgun’s Cici, effectively suppressing her pressure in fights. Aurora Gaming Turkey held the early-game advantage, pushing SRG back through consistent team-fight pressure led by Ahmet “Rosa” Batır’s Zetian.

As the game progressed, SRG slowly found their footing as Muhammad Haqqullah “Sekys” Ahmad began to hit his power spike on Yi Sun-shin. However, SRG’s high-risk, do-or-die approach backfired at times, costing them key fights and giving Aurora breathing room. The decisive moment came during the 13-minute Lord dance, where SRG suffered heavy losses and Aurora secured both the objective and critical kills on SRG’s carry. A similar collapse followed at the 18-minute mark, when Aurora claimed a four-man pick-off and marched straight to the crystal to take Game 1.

Game 2 unfolded at a much more measured pace, with both teams trading in teamfights but refusing to overcommit. The balance shifted during the second Turtle fight, where Rosa once again showcased his signature team-fight control on Pharsa, securing another objective and inflicting heavy casualties on SRG. By the eight-minute mark, Aurora already held eight kills and firm map control.

Muhammad “Yums” Suhairi struggled to create openings on Chou, often finding himself shut down before meaningful engages could materialize. SRG briefly found hope at 16 minutes with a series of crucial pick-offs, but Aurora quickly regrouped and reclaimed control by securing an evolved Lord at 18 minutes. SRG stayed alive by winning a key team fight and eliminating four Aurora members, allowing them to push down turrets and prolong the game.

At 23 minutes, Aurora attempted a desperate Lord steal, which Sidar “Tienzy” Menteşe successfully clutched with Retribution on Lancelot. However, Aurora’s formation collapsed shortly after, and SRG capitalized with a wipeout that gave them enough time to close the game and even the series.

Aurora Gaming Turkey returned to form in Game 3, once again dominating the early game against SRG. Sekys struggled to secure jungle resources due to relentless pressure from Rosa’s Lunox. Within just five minutes, four of SRG’s turrets had already fallen. Aurora snowballed uncontrollably, winning repeated team fights without suffering a single casualty. At the 10-minute mark, Aurora secured the Lord and immediately executed a game-ending push to reclaim the series lead.

Game 4 saw Innocent return to his signature Sora pick in the Gold Lane for SRG. Despite both teams drafting aggressively, the early game was surprisingly cautious, with neither side willing to risk a costly mistake. SRG slowly gained the upper hand through steady turret pressure, and by the 12-minute mark, all of Aurora’s turrets had fallen, leaving their base exposed.

Aurora managed to stabilize briefly after capitalizing on SRG overextending during a siege. However, momentum swung again at 16 minutes when Tienzy was caught out in an ambush. The resulting collapse spiraled in SRG’s favor, as they secured additional kills and focused directly on Aurora’s crystal to close out Game 4 and force a decisive fifth game.

In the deciding Game 5, Aurora went all-in on relentless lane pressure, with Rosa’s Novaria constantly rotating to disrupt the map presence of SRG. SRG responded by fighting back aggressively, determined not to let the series slip away. The turning point came at the 10-minute Lord fight, where SRG emerged victorious, gaining control of the map and tearing down all of Aurora’s outer turrets.

That advantage quickly snowballed. A full-force mid-lane push at 14 minutes broke through Aurora’s inner defenses and exposed the base. Aurora managed to hold momentarily, but a prolonged and punishing team fight at 16 minutes ended in a wipeout. Selangor Red Giants immediately capitalized, closing out the game and securing a hard-fought 3–2 series victory.

Despite Aurora Gaming showing off exceptional performance, it was not enough to take down the giants of Malaysian MLBB esports. This win secured SRG a 3rd-place finish, while Aurora Gaming will have to survive a bloody gauntlet in the lower bracket, where more titans of MLBB esports await. 

In a post-match interview, YumS shared how the team's confidence skyrocketed after their win against the Turkish squad. They are not just happy to secure 3rd place, as they are “aiming for a champion” placement. Last year, SRG finished their M6 run in third place after losing against Team Liquid PH with a 0-3 score. It will be interesting to see how far they can go in the M7 World Championship.

That's it for our M7 World Championship Knockout Stage Day 2 recap for the SRG vs Aurora Gaming Turkey match. For more information, like match schedules and real-time scores, check out our M7 World Championship tournament hub.