BLAST Slam VII Playoffs Start Today In Copenhagen
BLAST SLAM VII comes to a head this weekend, as the remaining 6 teams face off in the DOTA 2 playoffs. Before a sword has even been swung in the final stages, there has been upheaval.
Visa Issues
PARIVISION, who topped the group stages and were set to enter the playoffs in the second round, were forced to pull out due to visa issues. They were strongly fancied as favourites for the tournament, having been the best DOTA 2 team over the past few months. Team Liquid were chosen to replace them, and enter as the bottom seed.
Meanwhile, Team Falcons have announced SumaiL will replace Malr1ne – the replacement also forced by visa issues. The changes mean Yandex are now considered favourites, at least according to traders on Polymarket, despite having to progress via the last chance qualifier.
Group Stages Recap
The BLAST SLAM VII group stages were played online. Twelve teams competed in a round robin, with the top two teams going straight through to the playoffs.
LGD Gaming managed to bag 3 wins in the final day, giving them an 8-3 record and securing them one of the top two spots. PARIVISION finished with the same record and should have secured the other place. However, after their withdrawal, the second spot was given to BetBoom, while the open spot went to Team Liquid.
Liquid had been eliminated after the qualifiers, but were chosen over Team Spirit because of their Neustadtl score. Visa issues may have also played a part in the decision.
Xtreme Gaming and GLYPH finished bottom of the group stages and were eliminated. They ended with 3-8 and 2-9 scores, respectively.
Playoff Places
That left 8 teams to battle it out in the Last Chance Qualifiers. After all the shuffling, the teams taking part in the playoffs are:
- Aurora
- Team Yandex
- Team Falcons
- Team Liquid
- LGD Gaming
- BetBoom
The remaining 6 teams will compete in a double-elimination bracket, culminating in the grand final on Sunday, June 7.
A $1m prize pot will be shared between participating players and teams, with 1st place receiving $300,000 (+$100,000 team earnings). The runners-up get $150,000 (+$45,000).
The last BLAST SLAM was won by Team Liquid, who now have the opportunity to get back-to-back wins.
The last major tier-1 tournament, DreamLeague Season 29, was won by PARIVISION, with NAVI finishing as runners-up.
