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