Team Yandex defeated Spirit to win BLAST SLAM VIII.

In the BLAST SLAM VIII Grand Finals, the Eastern European Dota 2 team Team Yandex defeated the TI defending champion Team Spirit 3-1 to win the championship.

With this victory, Yandex not only won the $270,000 prize money, but also lifted his second BLAST tournament trophy after BLAST SLAM VII in June of this year.

With their victory at the PGL Wallachia Season 9 in late September, Yandex has secured the first two major titles of the 2026-27 competitive season.

After acquiring former Falcons offlaner ATF during the offseason, Yandex has demonstrated overwhelming dominance. In this tournament, Yandex topped the group stage and then defeated LGD Gaming, PARIVISION, and Spirit in the playoffs to advance to the grand finals.

In the first game of the finals, Spirit took the lead by suppressing ATF's development. However, starting from the second game, Yandex quickly adjusted its tactics and took over the game. In the early stages of the second game, both sides were deadlocked, but Yandex won a key team fight in the 23rd minute to establish an advantage, and tied the score with ATF's Timbersaw achieving 20 kills.

In the third game, Yandex opted for a fast-paced push lineup to suppress the opponent's defensive formation. Watson, playing the Prophet, delivered a perfect performance with 14 kills, 0 deaths, and 14 assists, helping his team secure match point.

In the fourth game, Yandex focused their fire on the opponent's key player, Sven, and broke down the opponent's counterattack in multiple rounds of combat. After 56 minutes, Yandex secured the victory and won the final championship with a score of 3-1.

Image source: Internet