BLAST SLAM VIII Finals predictions and preview

Michael Hassall Published 11/10/2026

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 seen at the top for the past months, and even before and during The International 2026.

Yes, that’s right, it’s PARIVISION, Team Yandex, and Team Spirit, and only one can prevail. And here’s our preview, predictions, and breakdown of the BLAST SLAM VIII finals.

BLAST SLAM VIII Playoffs recap

In the BLAST SLAM VIII Playoffs, what had initially appeared to be a wide open field quickly contracted into a familiar selection of Dota 2’s top teams. While Team Yandex had struggled against TI15 champions Team Spirit in the seeding stage, they found their footing against LGD Gaming, and indeed old rivals PARIVISION, breezing through the bracket and quickly returning back to a repeat clash with Team Spirit.

This time, faced with a Spirit lineup beleaguered with stand-ins and missing one of their two superstars, Magomed “Collapse” Khalilov, Yandex were able to triumph decisively, and advance to the grand finals.

Their chief rivals to the throne will be either PARIVISION or yet another rematch with Team Spirit. With Spirit declining somewhat in the latter portion of this tournament, we’ll have to see if PVISION’s consistency can match up with Spirit’s raw talent.

BLAST SLAM VIII Finals predictions

Below we’ve put to pen our predictions for the final stage of the BLAST SLAM VIII Finals.

Team Spirit vs. PARIVISION

In a rematch of the TI15 finals, Team Spirit will clash with PARIVISION for a chance to advance to the grand final. Despite Spirit coming of the better in many of their past meetings, they are, as mentioned, a depleted team. No Collapse, junior members moved up to the main roster, and coming off a humbling loss to Yandex, this is a depleted Team Spirit.

We’re going to have to pull for PARIVISION this time. With Alan “Satanic” Gallyamov playing once again with a chip on his shoulder, and coach Clement “Puppey” Ivanov, they seem like the obvious choice.

Team Yandex vs. TBD

Team Yandex have found the missing piece to allow them to climb to the very top of the Dota 2 mountain: Ammar “ATF” Al-Assaf. The offlaner has been transformative for Yandex and has taken them once again to a finals of a Dota 2 event. Will they repeat? We think it’s pretty likely. Regardless of opponent, this is perhaps the best team in Dota right now, and will likely continue winning tournaments for some time to come.

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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.

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