Image: MOONTON Games
As the M6 World Championship reaches its climax, Team Liquid ID coach SaintDeLucaz thinks his team still has time to reach peak form.
The Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) M6 World Championship has already been filled with surprises and upsets, one involving MLBB Professional League (MPL) Indonesia Season 14 champions 
Team Liquid ID.
Team Spirit shockingly beat the Indonesian powerhouse in round three of the Swiss Stage, forcing Team Liquid ID to go through all five rounds of the Swiss Stage to barely qualify for the Knockout Stage. But after that upset, the MPL Indonesia champions' form improved as they got their revenge on Spirit before once again defeating rivals 
RRQ Hoshi.
In an exclusive interview with GosuGamers, Team Liquid ID coach Dolly “SaintDeLucaz” Van Pelo explained his team's progress through the M6 World Championship so far and how they have improved the longer the tournament goes.
The late game team
During the Swiss Stage, Team Liquid ID were one of the favourites to progress further into the Knockout Stage. Fresh from being crowned as Indonesia's champions, the cavalry were projected to be one of the earliest teams to qualify for the next stage. However, they instead became one of the latest entries to Knockouts. After a setback against 
Fnatic ONIC PH in the first round, they bounced back with a victory over 
KeepBest Gaming in round two.
But a surprise loss against Spirit meant they needed to win two best-of-three series with elimination looming over them. Ultimately, they survived the Swiss Stage with a 3-2 score, only barely qualifying for the next stage. But if examined closer, Team Liquid ID's victories in the last two rounds of the Swiss Stage were phenomenal. They defeated the runners-up of MPL Philippines, 
Aurora Gaming, and the champion of MENA, 
Twisted Minds, with astounding 2-0 sweeps.
Furthermore, they carried their form into the Knockout Stage. Team Liquid ID avenged their previous loss against Spirit, shutting them down with a 2-0 win and defeating RRQ Hoshi in a superb 3-2 victory. SaintDeLucaz described his team as like a scaling-type hero in MLBB, as they need to use the early game to first grow and improve. But now that the M6 World Championship is already in the late game, Team Liquid ID can unleash their potential.
“In every tournament, my team isn’t really strong in the early (stages). My team is like a scaling hero. We need to learn first, and we need to make some improvements with every match. We scale until the late game, then we can win.”
Despite their fine form, SaintDeLucaz's team got another setback on their progress to the grand finals of the M6 World Championship. They lost to the same team that hindered them in the first place, Fnatic ONIC PH, in the upper bracket finals. However, Team Liquid ID still have another chance at glory, as they only dropped into the lower bracket finals, where they needed to face either 
Selangor Red Giants or Team Spirit.
The Cavalry of Change
Speaking of improving, SaintDeLucaz also noted that he was impressed with one player's progress in the tournament, 
Sultan “Aeronshikii” Muhammad. The coach stated that before the M6 World Championship, Aeron was really stubborn and didn't want to listen. However, the player has improved a lot since then both as a teammate and as a person.
Everyone has ups and downs, but If I choose one player, I think it's one of my players, Aeronshikii. Before M6, he was really stubborn and didn’t want to listen to others. He’s now listening to us, a better teammate, player, and human being. He’s really improving a lot.
Aeronnshikii's performance in the tournament also improved a lot with time. After their loss to Team Spirit in the Swiss Stage, he was deathless in the next six games as Team Liquid ID got three consecutive 2-0 wins. Not only that, he also led the other players with his number of MVPs, with six, the same amount as 
Vincent “Innocent” Banal from Selangor Red Giants.
With the stats, he was one of the favourites to win the M6 World Championship MVP title if he can stay solid and win the entire tournament. The M6 World Championship will continue with Team Liquid ID awaiting their opponents in the lower bracket finals.
The M6 World Championship will take place from November 21 to December 15 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and is split into three distinct phases: the Wildcard Stage from November 21 to 24, the Swiss Stage from November 28 to December 5, and the Knockout Stage from December 7 to 15.
Sixteen teams have qualified for the Swiss Stage after a gruelling Wildcard Stage. All participants will fight for their lives in the tournament, as only eight slots are open for the Knockout Stage. For everything you need to know about the M6 World Championship, check here.
