MLBB: ‘Golden Road’ bid in peril as Team Liquid faces Onic Indonesia in M7 do-or-die game

Team Liquid’s pursuit of the elusive Golden Road now hangs in the balance as the squad finds itself in a must-win situation at the M7 World Championship.

The Cavalry is set to face Onic Indonesia in the lower bracket, where the loser will see its M7 campaign come to an abrupt end. Team Liquid was relegated to the lower bracket after a stunning 1-2 loss to fellow Philippine side Aurora Gaming in the knockout opener on Sunday.

However, survival through the lower bracket is hardly unfamiliar territory for Philippine teams on the world stage.

At M2, Bren Esports fell to the lower bracket following a loss to Burmese Ghouls, only to storm back with three consecutive do-or-die victories to reach the finals. Bren then completed a dramatic comeback, edging the Myanmar squad, 4-3, to claim the championship.

Blacklist International followed a similar path at M3.

After suffering a narrow 3-2 defeat to BTK, the Codebreakers were relegated to the lower bracket, where they rattled off five straight wins—including a 3-1 revenge victory over BTK in the lower bracket finals. Blacklist went on to dominate the grand finals, sweeping Onic Philippines to cap off a historic title run.

Notably, two current members of Team Liquid were part of those championship teams.

Karl “KarlTzy” Nepomuceno served as Bren’s jungler during its M2 triumph, while Kiel “Oheb” Soriano was Blacklist International’s gold laner at M3 and earned Finals MVP honors in their 4-0 title-clinching victory.

That championship pedigree will now be crucial as Team Liquid looks to stay alive in the lower bracket—and keep its Golden Road dream alive.

—JKC, GMA Integrated News