PARIVISION, Staff Spirit, Staff Yandex, and Aurora Gaming have certified for the BLAST SLAM VIII Playoffs.
The BLAST SLAM VIII Group Stage concluded on Saturday (3 October) with Jap European Dota 2 powerhouses 
PARIVISION, 
Team Spirit, 
Team Yandex, and 
Aurora Gaming topping the four-group preliminary part.
As the primary Tier 1 match of the 2026-2027 season, BLAST SLAM VIII is expected to give fans a glimpse at how the competitive landscape will look like in the new season. Whereas new squads from different areas are exhibiting promise, it is trying like one other season of Jap European groups dominating the scene.
The BLAST SLAM VIII Group Stage break up the 16 taking part groups into 4 teams of 4 groups every. The groups then competed in a GSL-style Group Stage with best-of-three matches, with two groups from every group advancing. The highest crew from every group certified for the Playoffs, however must play in Seeding Matches to find out their placement in the principle occasion. The second place crew from every group then superior to the Final Likelihood Stage, whereas the third and fourth-placed groups had been eradicated.
Learn on as we break down all the motion within the BLAST SLAM VIII Group Stage:
PARIVISION cruise by Group A, LGD edge out Xtreme for second place
Despite narrowly missing out on the championship of The International (TI) 2026, PARIVISION nonetheless seem like the strongest crew on the earth as they claimed the highest seed of Group A with out breaking a sweat. They stomped 
Level UP of their Opening Match, simply securing the 2-0 sweep in a collection that lasted a complete of 55 minutes of recreation time. PARIVISION then swept 
LGD Gaming‘s new worldwide squad to safe the highest seed of Group A.
After a 1-2 loss to LGD within the group’s different Opening Match, China’s 
Xtreme Gaming swept Degree UP within the Loser Match to advance to the Decider Match. There, they earned a rematch in opposition to LGD for the second seed of Group A.
LGD stomped Xtreme within the 42-minute collection opener, however the Chinese language squad gave their opponents a style of their very own medication with a 32-minute rout in recreation two that despatched the match to a deciding recreation three. Xtreme had been in prime place to actual their revenge late into recreation three, however some stellar play from 
Máximo “Wits” Orozco Alza on Phantom Lancer and 
Syed Sumail “SumaiL” Hassan on Storm Spirit allowed LGD to win the decisive teamfight and declare the 2-1 collection victory.
Staff Spirit declare high seed of Group B, 1w Staff end second
Reigning TI champions Spirit entered BLAST SLAM VIII with a special roster from the one which received their historic third Aegis of Champions two months in the past. With offlaner 
Magomed “Collapse” Khalilov and coach Yaroslav “Miposhka” Naidenov both taking a break from competitive play, Spirit tapped 
Bohdan “Batyuk” Batiuk and Ilya “IllidanSTR” Pevcaev to respectively fill within the roster’s offlaner and coach spots.
At the same time as they regulate to this new roster, Spirit simply claimed the highest seed of Group B. Whereas they misplaced their opening recreation of the match to Southeast Asian underdogs 
Team Nemesis, Spirit shook off their sluggish begin and pulled off a 2-1 reverse sweep. The reigning TI champions then made fast work of 
1W Team to safe their spot within the Playoffs.
After their respectable exhibiting in opposition to Spirit, Nemesis defeated 
Natus Vincere (NAVI) in three video games to advance to the group’s Decider Match. That win over NAVI proved Nemesis had been to not be underestimated in future occasions, as they outperformed the team that had just finished second in PGL Wallachia Season 9 earlier this week. With that stated, Nemesis weren’t fairly on the extent of the highest tier groups as they bought soundly swept by 1W within the Decider Match.
Staff Yandex dominate Group C, OG upset BetBoom to take second place
Following their third place finish at TI 2026, Yandex upgraded their roster by signing former 
Team Falcons offlaner 
Ammar “ATF” Assaf and began the season by taking the championship of PGL Wallachia Season 9 in absolutely dominant fashion. On paper, the new-look Yandex with ATF might very nicely problem PARIVISION’s declare because the strongest crew on the earth, and BLAST SLAM VIII might very nicely function their proving floor.
Group C additionally featured two different intriguing groups in 
BetBoom Team and 
OG. BetBoom overhauled their roster for the brand new season, with 
Vitalie “Save-” Melnic now serving as the team’s mid laner whereas Georgii “swedenstrong” Zainalabidov and Alexander “TORONTOTOKYO” Khertek taking up the place 4 assist and coach roles, respectively. In the meantime, OG fielded a new international roster headlined by the return of 
Topias Miikka “Topson” Taavitsainen.
Group C’s Opening Matches noticed Yandex make quick work of 
MOUZ in a 2-0 sweep, whereas BetBoom narrowly defeated OG in a busy three-game slugfest.
The Group C Winners Match then noticed Yandex soundly sweep BetBoom to safe the group’s high seed and a spot within the Playoffs. In the meantime, OG bounced again from their loss within the Opening Spherical by sweeping MOUZ out of the match.
That then arrange a rematch between BetBoom and OG within the Group C Decider Match. Whereas BetBoom opened the collection with a convincing win, OG turned the tables within the subsequent two video games to safe a 2-1 reverse sweep and survive to the subsequent stage.
Aurora Gaming high Group D, GamerLegion upset Staff Liquid to complete second
Aurora Gaming are one of the vital intriguing groups in BLAST SLAM VIII, as they signed former Falcons carry 
Oliver “Skiter” Lepko to replace Egor “Nightfall” Grigorenko. After solely managing a Fifth-Sixth place end at PGL Wallachia Season 9, Aurora want to produce a greater end result on this new roster’s second match by claiming the highest seed of Group D.
Aurora swept North America’s 
GamerLegion of their Opening Match to advance to the Group D Winners Match to face 
Team Liquid. Liquid entered the match with loads of questions surrounding their roster for the brand new season, as they had a new offlaner in 
Adrian “Wisper” Cespedes Dobles and are formally and not using a mid laner after 
Michał “Nisha” Jankowski took a break from competitive play. With the crew but to announce Nisha’s substitute, Liquid competed in BLAST SLAM VIII with 
Nai Zheng “MidOne” Yeik as a stand-in.
Whereas Liquid received the primary recreation of the Winners Match, Aurora finally emerged victorious with a 2-1 reverse sweep to safe the highest spot in Group D.
Even when they had been enjoying with a stand-in, Liquid had been closely favoured to win the Group D Decider Match in opposition to GamerLegion. Nonetheless, the North American underdogs proved themselves superior with a 2-0 sweep and claimed the group’s second seed.
What’s subsequent in BLAST SLAM VIII?
With the conclusion of the BLAST SLAM VIII Group Stage, the match now strikes to its Seeding Match and Final Likelihood levels. The Seeding Matches will see the 4 high seeds from the Group Stage face off, with the winners beginning the Playoffs within the higher bracket semifinals whereas the losers must accept a spot within the higher bracket quarterfinals.
Listed below are the matchups for the BLAST SLAM VIII Seeding Matches:
- PARIVISION vs Aurora Gaming
- Staff Yandex vs Staff Spirit
In the meantime, the Final Likelihood stage will characteristic the 4 second seeds from the Group Stage duke it out for the final two spots within the Playoffs. The winners will advance to the higher bracket quarterfinals whereas the losers can be eradicated.
Listed below are the matchups for the BLAST SLAM VIII Final Likelihood stage:
- LGD Gaming vs GamerLegion
- 1W Staff vs OG
For Dota 2 match outcomes and updates on the go, do not forget to take a look at our Telegram channel.