BLAST Slam VIII playoffs preview: PARIVISION and Team Spirit pick up where they left off
Sixteen teams entered the battle at BLAST Slam VIII, the first Tier 1 tournament of the 2026-27 season. After four groups, decider matches, seeding matches and a Last Chance stage, six teams have finally made it to the LAN playoffs held in Malta between October 8 and 11th.
Some things never change
At the very top, exactly where they left off in Shanghai at TI 2026, sit PARIVISION and Team Spirit.They both secured a direct entry into the upper bracket semifinals, locking in a top 4 finish in Malta. The rest of the field (Team Yandex, LGD Gaming, Aurora Gaming, and 1win) will have to fight through the upper bracket quarterfinals.
PARIVISION, runners-up in Shanghai, skipped the first event of the new season entirely. However, at BLAST, they struck just as hard as they did at TI and reached the playoffs without dropping a single game.
They were one game away from an Aegis in Shanghai. If they carry this form into the BLAST Slam VIII playoffs, they may not have to settle for second this time.
Team Spirit are the reigning TI 2026 champions. They defeated PARIVISION 3-2 in the grand final in Shanghai to become the first organisation ever to claim three Aegises of Champions. Most of their players are now two-time or three-time champions. But the new season brings a new challenge.
Magomed "Collapse" Khalilov and coach Yaroslav "Miposhka" Naidenov have both decided to take an extended break from competitive play. Those are two massive losses, but Spirit have been through the exact same thing before, as they are known for taking the start of a new season slowly.
Much like PARIVISION, they skipped the PGL Wallachia Season 9 as well and plowed through the first stages at BLAST. They defeated Team Yandex 2-1 in the seeding match to lock in their semifinal spot, and they look every bit the contender they were in Shanghai. The question now is whether they can sustain that level without two of the pillars that built their dynasty on.
BLAST SLAM VIII quarterfinals
Team Yandex vs LGD Gaming
Team Yandex arrive in Malta riding high after winning PGL Wallachia Season 9, their first championship with Ammar "ATF" Al-Assaf in the offlane. It was a dominant run that culminated in a 2-0 victory over LGD in the upper bracket final and a 3-0 sweep over NAVI in the grand finals.
LGD Gaming, meanwhile, have assembled perhaps the most intriguing roster of the new season. The Chinese organisation made a big shift away from a full Chinese lineup, signing some of the best Western players in the scene. SumaiL postponed his retirement to play with this team, and the early returns have been promising: a third-place finish at PGL Wallachia Season 9.
Now they meet again. Yandex have already beaten LGD once this season, and ATF will face his former Falcons teammate and captain, Jingjun "Sneyking" Wu, in the opposing offlane again.
Aurora Gaming vs 1win
Most would agree these two teams underperformed at TI 20266 and Wallachia Season 9, both desperate to prove they belong.
1win finished eighth at Wallachia, a disappointing result for a roster that has played together for a year. Some might argue that ESL Birmingham 2026 in March was the last time this lineup truly showed its colours, though that run came under the Tundra banner.
Aurora Gaming, meanwhile, finished in the top six but still fell short of expectations.The post-TI shuffle brought Oliver "skiter" Lepko into the carry position, a signing that raises the bar.
This will be the first official match between these two teams in the new competitive season.
The playoffs begin on October 8. By October 11, we'll know whether the TI 2026 finalists have picked up where they left off or whether the new season has already found new favourites.
