M7 World Championship Swiss Stage Round 1 recap – Helcurt Roam and slowburn matches

Round 1 of the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) M7 World Championship Swiss Stage is finally done. For this day, we saw some expected results and some interesting outcomes. But this is just the beginning. Round 2 will commence on the next day, January 12, 2026. That said, here is a quick recap of the matches for the M7 World Championship Swiss Stage Round 1.

Boostgate secured the Sora pick, prompting ONIC ID to draft a late-game scaling lineup built around Claude. The early game looked completely one-sided, with Boostgate dominating the map thanks to the relentless pressure Egemen "EKSI" Onem applied on Sora. However, once the match reached the mid-game, ONIC ID began to hit their power spike and slowly pushed the Turkish side back. One by one, turrets started falling for Boostgate, but their lineup still managed to hold on.

The turning point came at the 26-minute mark, where the two teams clashed in the bot-side river. ONIC ID won the skirmish, losing only Moch "Lutpiii" Ardianto’s Uranus, while Boostgate lost three members and was forced to retreat. That fight effectively sealed Boostgate’s fate, as ONIC ID marched down the bottom lane with the Lord and won the match.

The early game saw both teams trading evenly across the map. But CFU Gaming consistently secured the key objectives, slowly starving Blacklist Sentence of resources. CFU Nhem "Detective" Chandavan’s Lancelot was relentless, applying constant lane pressure and forcing reactions. On the other side, BSE Facundo "Hideonbush" Ledesma played the long game, prioritizing safe farming and avoiding unnecessary risks. That patience paid off when BSE turned the tide with a crucial 4–1 teamfight around the Turtle, swinging the mid game in their favor and granting them map control along with a free Lord take.

From there, the momentum firmly shifted to BSE. Johan "Shin" González’s Yve repeatedly shut down CFU’s engage and escape attempts with well-timed Real World Manipulation, while Jose "Stephe" Loayza’s Grock dominated choke points and consistently caught CFU off guard. At the 15-minute mark, CFU collapsed in another teamfight, losing three members. Although CFU managed to hold on for a short while, their options quickly ran out. After securing the Lord at 18 minutes, BSE immediately transitioned into a decisive push to end the game.

Yangon Galacticos opted for an unorthodox draft, fielding Helcurt as their roamer, while Team Z1 answered with a more standard composition built around Claude for late-game insurance. Z1 appeared to underestimate their opponents early on, as YG’s Kyaw "Blink" Thuya went ballistic on Helcurt, racking up three consecutive kills in under three minutes. The pressure didn’t let up, with Blink topping the kill charts and creating massive space for YG to make aggressive, confident plays across the map.

It took Z1 eight minutes to finally shut down Blink’s Helcurt and secure a Turtle in the process, but by then the damage was already done. The early lead proved insurmountable, and Z1 struggled to find a way back into the game. Eventually, Team Z1 folded under the pressure, allowing Yangon Galacticos to close out the match and secure the victory.

Team Falcons came out swinging from the opening minutes of their match in the M7 Swiss Stage Round 1, securing first blood in under two minutes. DianFengYaoGuai’s Kenneth "Super Kenn" Marcello repeatedly found himself out of position, bleeding resources as he was picked off time and time again. Falcons’ Muath "Cuffin" Alkoraini took full control of team fights with his Yve, turning every skirmish into a nightmare for DFYG. Whenever DFYG managed to secure a key objective, Team Falcons immediately clapped back, stripping away even more resources in return.

DFYG stayed in contention through Lin "Yione" Haifeng’s Pharsa, whose presence kept them in the game but also made him a prime target in team fights. The heavy sustain on both sides led to long, drawn-out engagements, yet Team Falcons consistently came out ahead in every extended fight. With the pressure mounting and no clear way back, DFYG eventually cracked, allowing Team Falcons to close out the match with a convincing win.

Team Spirit caught EVIL off guard early, stripping them of map control right from the opening minutes. EVIL tried to keep pace by banking on Reaven "Venn" Ugdiman’s late-game power spike with his Claude pick, but time was not on their side as Team Spirit steadily chipped away at their defenses. EVIL managed to hold on for a brief moment, yet it wasn’t enough. After securing the Turtle at the 12-minute mark, Team Spirit marched straight down the Gold Lane and closed out the match with a decisive win.

Selangor Red Giants kept CG Esports pinned in their own territory, forcing them to give up a significant amount of map control in the early game. SRG maintained relentless aggression, and at the seven-minute mark, John "Innocent" Banal’s Granger erupted for a triple kill, giving the Malaysian squad a massive advantage. CG Esports attempted to fight back, but their efforts fell short. With the kill and resource gap continuing to widen, CG Esports could no longer hold on, allowing Selangor Red Giants to close out the match with a convincing victory.

Shortly after the clash between the two Malaysian teams, Team Liquid PH faced off against their regional rival, Aurora Gaming PH. The early game was a close contest between the rivals, with neither side gaining a clear advantage. However, the late game told a very different story, as TLPH steadily built momentum while Aurora struggled to keep pace.

Once TLPH took control, they closed the game swiftly and decisively, leaving Aurora no breathing room. The match ended dominantly, with TLPH finishing on 13 kills to Aurora Gaming’s three.

The early game was a tug of war between Alter Ego and Aurora Gaming Turkey, with neither side able to pull ahead. As the match dragged on, momentum slowly began to favor Alter Ego. Still, Aurora remained in contention thanks to Ahmet "Rosa" Batır’s Novaria, whose vision control prevented Alter Ego from finding any game-changing plays.

Aurora finally found an opening at the 19-minute mark when Alter Ego misplayed an engage, allowing the Turkish squad to secure the Lord for free and apply pressure across the lanes. However, Alter Ego responded decisively in the following Lord fight, committing everything to secure the objective. The gamble paid off, as the Lord provided enough pressure to push Aurora back, march straight to the base, and destroy the crystal to seal the victory.

That's it for our M7 World Championship Swiss Stage recap for Round 1. For more information, like match schedules and real-time scores, check out our M7 World Championship tournament hub.