MTB hopes Aurora Gaming beats 'choker' allegations in M7

Aurora Gaming has accepted its “choker” label—but only for now.

Haunted by the tag in previous tournaments, Aurora is ready to rewrite the narrative when it sees action in the M7 World Championship this month in Indonesia.

"Sa totoo lang tinanggap na namin kasi ayun naman talaga ‘yung totoo e. Pero ginagawa rin namin siyang motivation, na hindi tayo dapat mag-stay as chokers habambuhay," Aurora head coach Aniel "Master the Basics" Jiandani told GMA News Online during the M7 send-off last Saturday at Pop Up Katipunan.

"Kailangan naming tanggapin na sa ngayon, yes, choker talaga kami."

(To be honest, we accept that because it's true. But we are using it as motivation, that we don't remain chokers forever... We have to accept that at the moment, yes, we really are chokers.)

Since entering the MPL Philippines in Season 14, Aurora has shown it can go toe-to-toe with the league’s more established clubs. 

But when the stakes are higher, Aurora tends to falter, earning the “choker” label from the community.

In their debut season, Aurora immediately made its impact felt and reached the championship round opposite Onic Philippines. They would be able to push Onic to its limit, but fell in Game 7 as Onic took its first title.

Despite the loss, Aurora still qualified for the M6 World Championship alongside Onic but struggled, ultimately failing to reach the playoffs. Onic, meanwhile, dominated the tournament and secured the country’s fifth straight world title.
 
In MPL Season 15 and 16, Aurora met a similar fate.

They wound up the second-best team after the elimination round of Season 15 but absorbed a lower bracket semifinals loss to Team Falcons to bow out.

The following season proved even more heartbreaking for Aurora. After nearly sweeping the elimination round with an impressive 13–1 record and defeating TNC Pro Team and Team Liquid in the upper bracket semifinals and finals, the team earned a spot in the grand finals. 

But Aurora fell flat in the championship stage, getting swept 4–0 by eventual champion Team Liquid.

MTB shared that the team has been working on solutions to address the issues they themselves admit have caused heartbreaks in the past.

"I think mag-stick lang talaga kami sa kung ano ‘yung ginagawa naming best and maging consistent kami doon sa mga crucial na part. ‘Yun talaga ‘yung naging kulang namin," he added.

"'Pag nasa crucial moments na kami, doon may kakaibang nangyayari. Ongoing pa ‘yung paghanap namin sa solution."

(I think we'll stick with what we do best and be consistent on the crucial parts. That's what we were lacking.)

Aurora's midlaner Kenneth "Yue" Tadeo echoed his coach's sentiment, saying they are also turning the 'choker' allegations into an inside joke within the team. 

But Yue, who's now in his third world championship stint, stressed they are out to shake off the label and rewrite their fate in M7. 

"Para sa amin, ginagawa na lang namin na biro kasi totoo naman na nagcho-choke kami during sa mga crucial na moments. Ayon ‘yung inaayos namin during practice pero kinukulang pa rin minsan," Yue told GMA News Online in a separate interview. 

"Siguro ‘yung expectations ko this time ay mas magiging maganda ‘yung run namin compared sa M6."

(For us, we just joke about it because it's true that we choke during the crucial moments. That's what we're working on in practice but we still come up short at times... I guess my expectations this time is that we'll have a better run compared to the M6).

—JMB, GMA Integrated News