BLAST SLAM VIII's Group Stage comes to an end with another four teams eliminated
There has been some fantastic Dota 2 action over the last few days at BLAST SLAM VIII. With that said, there have not been any major surprises, as teams such as PARIVISION and Team Yandex powered through their respective groups to reach the next round. However, things would change, with losing on the final day of Group Stages meaning elimination. But, survival was not a guaranteed path into the playoffs either, with the last chance stage awaiting the victors.
While Level UP, Natus Vincere, MOUZ, and Yakult Brothers were all eliminated during the previous day, four more teams would join them on the outskirts as the Group Stage concluded.
Group A
Group A’s battle was one we saw many times recently, as LGD Gaming and Xtreme Gaming went head-to-head for survival at BLAST SLAM VIII. While LGD stomped the first game, XG came back with a stomp of their own. It seemed as though Game 3 was all in XG’s favour, but LGD’s comeback was immense, with Syed Sumail “SumaiL” Hassan and Máximo “Wits” Orozco Alza finding the perfect plays to take a huge win.
Group B
1w Team and Team Nemesis were the two teams fighting to stay alive in Group B, after NAVI was already eliminated and Team Spirit secured the top spot. While Nemesis managed to make a great comeback in Game 1, they just did not have it in them to close things out. Even when having the right openings, Nemesis could not bring the series back, as 1w claimed the victory.
Group C
Group C’s battle was between OG and BetBoom Team, with an epic turn around in the full three-game series. After going down in Game 1, John “Natsumi” Anthony Vargas managed to make some huge plays with his Sven to force a decisive game three. Of the back of that, OG kept their cool, taking a 2-1 series win and eliminating BB Team from BLAST SLAM VIII.
Group D
Probably the most surprising result came out of Group D, with Team Liquid taking on GamerLegion. With their new position 1 player, Yuma “Yuma” Benjamin Langlet, GL have looked a different team. Although losing to Aurora Gaming early on in the Group Stage, they were unstoppable since. Although Liquid offered some resistance in Game 1, they were eventually undone – falling to a special Yuma Meepo in Game 2.
With that, the Group Stages of BLAST SLAM VIII come to an end, as XG, Liquid, BB Team, and Nemesis exit the event. For the victors of the day, a spot in the Last Chance Stage awaits, where they hope to move on to the playoffs. The matchups for the next stage are:
Seeding Matches
Last Chance Matches
Two final teams will see their tournament dreams end on October 3rd, while the remaining teams will move forward into the Upper Bracket Quarterfinals in the playoffs, which kick off on October 8th.
