BLAST Slam VIII Survival Guide; Teams, format, schedule, prize pool
BLAST Slam Circuit returns tomorrow, September 29th, for its eighth edition, bringing 16 teams into the race for the largest slice of the $750,000 prize pool. The event begins online in Europe with the Group Stage, followed by the Last Chance Playoffs before the LAN finals.
Team Yandex enter as the defending BLAST SLAM champions after winning SLAM VII, and their momentum has only grown since. With ATF now in the lineup, they are fresh off another dominant title run at PGL Wallachia Season 9 and, right now, look remarkably difficult to touch.
SLAM VIII should provide a sterner test. The field brings together a higher caliber of opposition, including teams we have yet to see in action this season, giving Yandex another chance to prove whether their recent dominance can hold against the wider elite.
There is a little history attached to the tournament, too. SLAM VIII will be the final BLAST event played under the current online-to-LAN format. Beginning with BLAST SLAM IX, the series moves fully online, making this the last time teams will fight through the existing format for a place together on LAN.
The action kicks off Tuesday, Spetember 29th at 12:00 CET with opening matches across several groups.
BLAST Slam VIII Teams
- Team Yandex (Invite)
- PARIVISION (Invite)
- Team Spirit (Invite)
- Team Liquid (Invite)
- Aurora Gaming (Invite)
- BetBoom Team (Invite)
- 1w Team (Invite)
- LGD Gaming (Invite)
- Xtreme Gaming (Invite)
- OG (Invite)
- GamerLegion (Invite)
- MOUZ (Invite)
- NAVI (qualified)
- LEVEL UP (qualified)
- Yakult Brothers (qualified)
- Team Nemesis (qualified)
BLAST Slam VIII Format
Group Stage
- September 29 - October 2 -Four GSL groups of four teams
- All series are Bo3
- 1st placed team from each group advance to Seeding Matches
- 2nd placed team from each group advance to Last Chance Stage
- Remaining teams are eliminated
Seeding Playoffs
- October 3
- All matches are Bo3
- Winner advance to Semifinals
- Loser advance to Quarterfinals
Last Chance Qualifier
- October 3
- All matches are Bo3
- Winner advance to Quarterfinals
- Loser is eliminated
Playoffs
- October 8 - October 11
- Double-elimination bracket
- All matches are Bo3
- Grand Final is Bo5
BLAST Slam VIII Prize Pool
The $750,000 prize pool will be split as below. Note $550,000 is awarded as Prize Money while $200,000 is awarded as Team Earnings.
- 1st place $200,000/$70,000
- 2nd place $100,000/$35,000
- 3rd place $75,000/$20,000
- 4th place $50,000/$15,000
- 5-6th place $25,000/$10,500
- 7-8th place $12,500/$7,500
- 9-12th place $7,500/$4,000
- 13-16th place $5,000/$2,000
BLAST Slam VIII Broadcasts
BLAST Slam VIII will be broadcast over multiple channels, with the chance of overlapping series. You can find your favourite way to watch on any of the platforms listed below:
