BLAST Slam VII Finals Predictions and Picks - Can LGD make it all the way?

Michael Hassall Published 06/06/2026

LGD Gaming in the top three of a tournament!? What is this 2021? BLAST Slam VII has been one of the most surprising tournaments of the year, and has capped off the pre-EWC and TI season with some of the most thrilling gameplay we’ve seen in months. And the finals are set to be even more exciting.

With just three teams left there’s a lot on the line, from the $400,000 up for grabs for the winning team, to an invite to BLAST Slam VIII and even spots at the Esports Nations Cup in contention. Here’s our breakdown and preview of the BLAST Slam VII finals.

BLAST Slam VII playoffs recap

After PARIVISION dropped out of contention and Team Falcons found themselves without Stanislav “Malr1ne” Potorak (as detailed in our preview), many expected Team Liquid to take full advantage of their second chance to push deeper into the playoffs.

Unfortunately they were up against a revitalized Team Falcons who 2-0’d Liquid before themselves being 2-0’s by finals hopefuls BetBoom Team.

Meanwhile Team Liquid crashed out after this tournament’s Cinderella story, LGD Gaming, managed to scrape by. LGD also managed to defeat favorites Aurora Gaming and lock in a Lower Bracket Final spot.

Now BetBoom and LGD will clash for the privilege of facing Team Yandex in the finals. Yandex have looked far more like a top-flight team this tournament, returning to the kind of form we’ve seen them in earlier in the year. This is definitely the same team that won PGL Wallachia Season 7 and runner up of ESL One Birmingham, finally in top form ready for TI and EWC.

Patch 7.41d shook up the meta at BLAST Slam VII. Image Credit: Valve.

Of special note is the release of the Dota 2 7.41d patch, which shook up the rest of the playoffs after its release on Thursday evening. With many nerfs to the top competitive picks, and some major bug fixes, it definitely changed up meta, and we once again this year got to see how some teams adapt quickly, and others crumble in the chaos.

ENC rankings?

One small extra note should be the Esports Nations Cup rankings. The top 16 teams will be invited directly to the ENC, and both Team Liquid and LGD Gaming’s finish at the tournament could affect them. Depending on the points earned from their BLAST Slam VII finish, LGD could potentially send Brazil into the top 16, although their Peruvian teammates could also shake things up. Either way, for every team, there’s more than just this finals to play for.

BLAST Slam VII Finals predictions

Finals day will have two matchups, first between LGD Gaming and BetBoom, with the winner headed the the Grand Final against Team Yandex.

LGD Gaming vs. BetBoom

LGD Gaming have shocked everyone with their deep run at BLAST Slam VII, and we think honestly, they have a chance to go all the way. BetBoom struggled against LGD in the Group Stage and haven’t faced them since. And they’ve been slower to adapt to the new patch than LGD. Beyond this, LGD has done what many teams do during a new patch, and defaulted to comfort picks. As a result, they’ve found success while other teams struggle to find the new meta.

Our Pick: LGD Gaming

Team Yandex vs. LGD  Gaming

We really want to pick LGD Gaming here, but if Yandex are given crucial hours to prepare, they can potentially ban out and prevent LGD’s comfort picks from being the difference makers. As a result, with them back in top form, we’ll be going with Team Yandex as grand final champions at BLAST Slam VII.

Our Pick: Team Yandex

Featured Image Credit: BLAST.

Michael Hassall

About Michael Hassall

Michael is a eight-year veteran of the games writing space, but has being playing them for as long as he can remember. With bylines across the internet, he’s used his expertise to cover esports, prediction markets, mainstream gaming, streamers, and more besides.

View full profile

Read Also

Dota 2

The reign of Yandex to continue? PARI Universe Dota 2 tournament preview and predictions Michael Hassall After a short break in proceedings, the 2026/2027 Dota 2 event season is set to continue with PARI Universe, a new Dota 2 tournament from FISSURE set to take place over the next two weeks. Even with a smaller prize pool ($250,000) and a limited number of teams, this tournament is hitting top-tier competition levels because of the calibre of names involved, and the arrival of Stanislav "Malr1ne" Potorak on ...

Dota 2

BLAST SLAM VIII Finals predictions and preview Michael Hassall It’s been a long road, but after a strangely-formatted group stage, and a decidedly anticlimactic playoffs, we’re down to the final three teams in BLAST SLAM VIII. The finals are today (Oct. 11) and we’ll see the premier teams in Dota 2 clash. Perhaps disappointingly, we’re not seeing a new wave of top-teams at the pinnacle of Dota 2 competition, with the three final teams being the same trio we’ve ...

Dota 2

Who will prevail?: BLAST SLAM VIII Playoffs preview, predictions, and more Michael Hassall After a week of intense Group Stage, Last Chance and Seeding stage matches, and a few days of rest, BLAST SLAM VIII returns tomorrow (Oct. 8) with the Playoffs. If we’re honest, there haven’t been too many surprises. We’d liked to have seen a BetBoom or Team Liquid make the cut, but ultimately these aren’t the teams of earlier in the year, and with new rosters comes new uncertainty. That's ...

Dota 2

Dota 2’s new Tidehunter Arcana is mind-blowing, but prepare to spend $200+ to get it Michael Hassall Night owls in North America and early risers in Europe woke up to a brand new Dota 2 Arcana, the first new release of Dota’s rarest and most-coveted cosmetics since 2024. The recipient? Tidehunter, whose Maw of the Megladon Arcana transforms the already selachian sea-dweller into a full-blown shark. But while Arcana’s have traditionally been part of big events in Dota 2, either the now-discontinued Battle Passes, or most recently, ...

Dota 2

Yandex to repeat?: BLAST SLAM VIII preview, predictions, and more Michael Hassall If you can believe it, we’re already on the eighth edition of BLAST SLAM, as BLAST SLAM VIII kicks off tomorrow (Sep. 29) pitting 16 of the world’s best Dota 2 teams against each other in what promises to be the first big challenge of this young season. Let’s face it: At PGL Wallachia, we were missing a lot of the heavy hitters. No TI15 champs, no PARIVISION, not BetBoom, ...

Dota 2

Unstoppable Yandex crush NAVI in one-sided PGL Wallachia finals Michael Hassall Team Yandex has swept the grand finals of the PGL Wallachia Season 9 Dota 2 tournament, defeating Natus Vincere (NAVI) in a 3-0 drubbing this past weekend (Sep. 27). As predicted, the revitalized Yandex, hot off the signing of former Team Falcons star Ammar "ATF" Al-Assaf, crushed their youthful opponents in a three-game sweep in the best-of-five finals. Here’s how it happened: After upsetting the star-studded LGD Gaming roster (albeit ...

Dota 2

Team Yandex to win it all? PGL Wallachia Season 9 Finals preview and predictions Michael Hassall The first big event after TI15, PGL Wallachia Season 9, wraps up this Sunday, Sep. 27, and it’s set to be a hell of a show. After a solid week of action, with some surprise eliminations along the way, we’re down to just three teams from the original 16. Team Yandex, LGD Gaming, and Natus Vincere (NAVI) remain, having battled through some big upsets to get there. Yandex are hot ...