The 2025 MSC Group Stage Day 5 has concluded, and all eight teams for the Knockout Stage are now locked in. Most of today’s matches ended swiftly, as many of the pairings heavily favored one side.
Here’s everything that went down on Day 5 of the MSC Group Stage:
MSC Group Stage Day 5 Results
Selangor Red Giants OG Esports vs. CFU Gaming
The first match of the day featured a highly anticipated showdown but the result was far from surprising. SRG.OG maintained relentless aggression throughout, leveraging a strong lineup that included Ruby in the Gold Lane—a nod to an older meta that utilizes two fighters on the side lanes for early skirmishes and snowballing. CFU Gaming struggled to gain any foothold, and SRG.OG closed the game with an 11k gold lead by the 14-minute mark.
The second game featured a standard draft, with the exception of Detective’s pick: Lukas. Although Lukas has fallen out of the current meta due to nerfs, CFU Gaming may have seen this as their last chance to surprise SRG.OG. Unfortunately for them, SRG.OG stayed perfectly in sync, continuing their momentum from Game 1. Innocent even secured a Savage near the end. The match ended with a clean 2-0 sweep in favor of SRG.OG, officially eliminating CFU Gaming from MSC 2025.
ONIC ID vs. Virtus.pro
This series was also expected to be one-sided, with one of the tournament favorites, ONIC ID, facing off against the wildcard winner. Game 1 played out as predicted—ONIC ID dominated with clean mechanics and superior macro play. Coach Yeb also drafted a perfectly balanced team for both games to cover from early to late game.
Game 2, however, was more competitive. Virtus.pro showed their full potential, gaining a lead and even securing the Lord in an attempt to turn the tide. But their final push fell apart after a disastrous clash in the mid lane, where they were wiped out. ONIC ID capitalized immediately and sealed the series 2-0, securing their Top 8 spot. Virtus.pro’s MSC journey ends here, finishing in the 9th–12th bracket.
ONIC Philippines vs. HomeBois
Much like the previous series, this one was also expected to be quick. ONIC PH, the current reigning world champions, were up against a completely revamped HomeBois lineup. Despite HomeBois gaining early kill leads in both games, ONIC PH leveraged their superior macro gameplay to gradually dismantle those advantages.
ONIC PH’s map control and resource trades proved too much, ultimately choking out HomeBois and winning both games convincingly. Notably, ONIC PH secured one of K1ngkong’s signature heroes, Fanny, in Game 2—a hero that’s frequently banned for a reason. ONIC PH moves into the Top 8, while HomeBois exit with a 9th–12th place finish.
Team Flash vs. Aurora Gaming
The final match of the day was the most unpredictable, featuring two internationally seasoned teams. Team Flash, a Top 4 finisher in last year’s MSC, faced off against Aurora Gaming.
Game 1 was a tense, low-kill affair where both teams avoided major mistakes. Team Flash held the lead and even pushed with the Lord, but their timer ran out. Aurora Gaming’s late-game composition came online, and Team Flash lacked the burst to break through Aurora’s frontliners. With Moskov in Sigibum’s capable hands, Aurora closed the game.
Game 2 saw Aurora Gaming draft an unconventional jungle Gusion for Tienzy, similar to picks we’ve seen in past days. While the idea had merit—Gusion targeting Kimmy and Granger—the execution faltered. Team Flash exploited this by pressuring the Gusion early, forcing out key abilities. With Aurora relying heavily on burst, Flash ended the game quickly to tie the series 1-1.
In Game 3, Team Flash made a questionable decision to leave Selena unbanned, instead prioritizing bans on Lancelot and Baxia. This gave Rosa the opportunity to shine with Selena’s deadly pick-off potential. Team Flash tried to mitigate the threat by drafting Estes for team cohesion, but Aurora’s relentless aggression overwhelmed them. One pick-off after another snowballed into a decisive win. Aurora Gaming claims the final Knockout Stage slot, while Team Flash exits the tournament.
MSC Knockout Stage Teams
Here are the eight teams advancing to the Knockout Stage of MSC 2025:
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Team Liquid
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RRQ
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Team Spirit
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Mythic SEAL
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Selangor Red Giants OG Esports
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ONIC ID
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ONIC PH
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Aurora Gaming
MSC Knockout Schedule
The Group Stage has officially wrapped up. The MSC 2025 Knockout Stage will run from July 30 to August 2, 2025. The first match kicks off on July 30 at 12:00 PM GMT+3.
