Execration crawls out of lower bracket with sweep of Aura to reach MPL PH grand finals

Execration unleashed their best performance to date with a 3-0 sweep of Aura PH to arrange their championship showdown against Blacklist International in the Mobile Legend: Philippines Professional League (MPL) Philippines Season 7 on Sunday.

After going the distance in all series throughout the playoffs, Execration carried their momentum of their five-game conquest of Bren Esports in the lower-bracket semifinals to take down former back-to-back champs Aura PH and secure the last ticket to the MSC 2021.

Aura PH set the tone early on, nabbing a 2-0 sweep after a turtle take in the 6th minute but Execration recovered in the mid-game when they took down Jaymark "Lord Hadess" Lazaro (Ling) in the 9th minute, cutting the gold deficit down to less than 1k.

It was a tight match from there until Aura forced a Luminous Lord take in the 20th minute, that Joshua "Ch4knu" Mangilog (Khufra) took advantage to execute a solid Tyrant's Rage, sweeping three members of the Season 5 champs that proved to be the game-winner of the opening match, 1-0. Ch4knu was hailed as MVP of the match with a 1-4-9 KDA.

Game 2 was a tight contest from the get go but Aura pulled ahead in the late game and almost equalized in the 16th minute when they executed a 4-2 wipe but Ch4knu (Khufra) unleashed another magnificent set that was complemented by a pinpoint flameshot release by Caidic "E2MAX" James (Kagura), as Execration held on.

A 25th minute pick off of Aura's Frederic "Bennyqt" Gonzales (Esmeralda) on the top lane touched off a 3-1 exchange plus a Luminous Lord take that finally turned the tides in favor of Execration.

Kiel "Keilvj " Hernandez (Ling) and Renz "Renzio" Cadua (Benedetta) then carried out a split diversion on the bottom lane in the 32nd minute while a skirmish was happening on the opposite lord area that caught Aura off guard as Execration transformed the disarray into a 2-1 exchange and a Luminous Lord steal to reach match point, 2-0.

Aura opened Game 3 with urgency piercing through the top inhibitor turret by the 7th minute but Execration always had the answer every time as a 9th minute 3-0 clash resulted in a KielVJ (Claude) double kill helping him snowball.

Execration then scored another 3-0 wipe in the 14th minute followed by a Luminous lord take to sweep away all Aura inhibitor turrets. Not even a lord take and a double kill by Lord Hadess (Ling) could turn the match around as KielVJ responded with a superb execution of the Blazing Duet in a clash at the lord area in the 20th minute securing a double kill and taking down three Aura members that was enough to finish off the game with a final middle lane push.

—JMB, GMA News