ChaiViz
01.06.2026
Team Falcons arrived at BLAST Slam VII looking like the team to beat. Then the final day of groups happened. Now, in Copenhagen's BLAST Studio, they have to prove it was a blip rather than a warning sign.
The playoffs of one of the last Tier 1 events before EWC 2026 and The International 2026 are here, and six teams are competing for a share of the $1 million prize pool.
BLAST Slam VII is the final high-stakes proving ground of the pre-TI season. LGD Gaming, PARIVISION, BetBoom Team, Team Falcons, Team Yandex, and Aurora Gaming are the last six standing. The format is a double-elimination bracket, all matches best-of-three except the grand final, which goes to a best-of-five.
The group stage told a layered story. LGD entered the tournament as a relative dark horse and left it as the top seed, finishing 8-3 with wins over PARIVISION, BetBoom, Aurora, and four of the seven direct TI invitees. PARIVISION and BetBoom matched that 8-3 record but lost the tiebreaker. Falcons, meanwhile, blew a 7-1 lead on the final day by dropping all three of their matches, including a 30-minute beatdown at the hands of PARIVISION.
Aurora and Yandex came through the Last Chance Qualifier. Aurora knocked out Tundra Esports and then swept Team Liquid 2-0. Yandex came through via the same LCQ path. Neither team should be underestimated now that they're on LAN.
The opening day starts with two quarterfinal clashes that should set the tone for the rest of the week.
Falcons beat Yandex in the group stage, and the gap between these two teams is meaningful. Yandex are a capable side that qualified through the LCQ, but Falcons, even in their stumbling form at the end of groups, are operating at a higher ceiling. Falcons have the individual firepower and draft versatility to control this series, and rebounding from that group stage collapse should be strong motivation.
Pick Falcons to advance.
BetBoom finished with one of the strongest records of the tournament at 8-3 and carry momentum into this match as a direct playoff qualifier. Aurora reached the playoffs through the LCQ bracket, picking up wins over Tundra and Liquid along the way, but they haven't been tested at the level BetBoom will bring. BetBoom are the more consistent team across a best-of-three, and their drafting has been sharp throughout the tournament. Aurora's comeback run is a great story, but it ends here.
Pick BetBoom to advance.
Both upper bracket semifinal matches are genuinely difficult calls, and the EWC implications make them even more important.
LGD's group stage performance was exceptional, but their 8-3 record doesn't tell the full story. Three of their losses came against teams that are not in these playoffs. Falcons beat LGD in the group stage and, at full strength with a clear head, have the tools to do it again. Falcons' draft execution and late-game decision-making have been among the best in the tournament when they're on form. LGD will put up a serious fight and this should go to three maps, but Falcons take it.
PARIVISION are the DreamLeague Season 29 champions and have shown a remarkable ability to adapt mid-series. They dismantled Falcons in 30 minutes during the group stage and beat Team Liquid with composed play on green side. Aurora have been competitive in patches, but PARIVISION have too much experience in high-pressure LAN settings. PARIVISION advances.
The upper bracket final comes with enormous stakes. A win here means a guaranteed top-two finish, a direct route to the grand final, and significant leverage heading into the TI preparation window.
Falcons and PARIVISION met in the group stage, and PARIVISION won convincingly. On paper, that should give PARIVISION the edge. But PARIVISION's win came when Falcons were in the middle of a three-game collapse at the end of a long group stage day. A best-of-three against a reset and motivated Falcons side on a LAN stage is a different match. Falcons are the pick here. They advance to the grand final.
Head to our Pick’ems section and register your BLAST Slam VII predictions. The top five on the monthly leaderboard take home prizes, and with the bracket this competitive, every correct call matters.
ChaiViz
01.06.2026
Article TAGS
News Feed
We open our Pick’ems guide for the Premiere series with four data-backed matches across April 4 and 5. The guide breaks down every prediction to help you build a winning lineup before the games begin.
Cr1t walks away, Collapse opens up about Team Liquid and sleepless nights at TI15, and PlayTime loses another starter. Week 3 of the post TI15 rumor mill is the wildest yet.
Three International titles between 2012 and 2016 made China the dominant power in early Dota 2, but a decade of near-misses and Grand Final defeats has left the region hungry for the one result that has eluded it since Wings Gaming's crowning in Seattle.
![No[o]ne- has been playing mid lane at the top of Dota 2 for over a decade, and 2025 proved he isn't done yet. Here's everything you need to know about the Ukrainian veteran rewriting his own legacy with PARIVISION.](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Floadbalancer.gocore.gg%2Fstrapi%2Fassets%2FRoad_to_EWC_Noone_X_81c0e5c49e.webp&w=3840&q=80)
![No[o]ne- has been playing mid lane at the top of Dota 2 for over a decade, and 2025 proved he isn't done yet. Here's everything you need to know about the Ukrainian veteran rewriting his own legacy with PARIVISION.](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Floadbalancer.gocore.gg%2Fstrapi%2Fassets%2Fsmall_Road_to_EWC_Noone_X_81c0e5c49e.webp&w=3840&q=80)
No[o]ne- has been playing mid lane at the top of Dota 2 for over a decade, and 2025 proved he isn't done yet. Here's everything you need to know about the Ukrainian veteran rewriting his own legacy with PARIVISION.
Twenty-four teams, four groups, one shot at Paris glory. Here are our picks for the two sides that will escape each group at the Esports World Cup 2026.
Our TI 2026 playoff pick'ems guide correctly called the winner in 10 of 14 predicted matches, even as one early upset scrambled the bracket, and the Grand Final went the distance across five games.
PGL Wallachia Season 8 kicks off in Bucharest with eight Round 1 Swiss matches, and your Pick'ems points start here. These are the safest calls and the ones worth thinking twice about before you lock in.
Team Yandex swept through BLAST Slam VII to claim their third Tier 1 title of the season, defeating LGD Gaming 3-1 in a grand final that nobody saw coming from a team that almost didn't make the playoffs. Copenhagen delivered chaos, upsets, and a 111-minute instant classic before Yandex put their stamp on the pre-TI summer.
Team Yandex, Team Falcons, Nigma Galaxy, and PARIVISION are already through to the EWC 2026 playoffs, here are our Pick'ems predictions for every series from the quarterfinals to the grand final in Paris.
Welcome to The Weekly Ward: Meme Vision, your weekly reconnaissance into the best Dota 2 community humor. Just like a well-placed ward reveals enemy movements, we're here to provide vision into the memes that defined the week.