Team Yandex secures a guaranteed top 3 finish at BLAST SLAM VIII
After a short break, giving the teams some time to gather themselves after a frantic Group Stage and Last Chance qualifier, BLAST SLAM VIII was back, bringing the six remaining teams into the Playoffs. While Day 1 would not see any eliminations, one team would secure a guaranteed top 3 finish – locking in for the upper bracket finals.
Having qualified as the top seeds, PARIVISION and Team Spirit waited in the upper bracket semifinals, while the quarterfinals kicked things off from the playoffs.
Yandex rise to the challenge
Team Yandex, coming in from PGL Wallachia Season 9 where they dominated, were on the front foot early on Day 1 of the Playoffs at BLAST SLAM VIII. While they dropped a game in their best-of-three series against LGD Gaming, the remained resilient and were able to close out a 2-1 win and set themselves up in a series against PV, where the winner would be heading into the upper bracket finals.
Closing out the first day of the playoffs would be an immense series between Yandex and PV, with both teams having top 3 aspirations. However, only one would come out on top and reach the upper bracket finals, while the other would need a lower bracket run in order to secure a rematch. While the series was close, PV taking the first game, Yandex managed a strong fight back to take things to a decisive third game.
Right from the start of the final game, Yandex looked to be on the offense, running at PV wherever the opportunity presented itself. Considering the rest of the series, which was fairly event, this proved to be the Yandex-show. It was a pure masterclass showing from all of Yandex, with Alimzhan "watson" Islambekov's Kez tearing his opponent's apart at every turn.
Aurora dominates
Aurora Gaming and 1win Team were the other two teams to kick things off today. While the first game of the series would see a close matchup, where 1w almost managed to clutch a win, Aurora retained their composure to close it out. While the next game was close once again, it was far easier for Aurora to take the win, as their 2-0 victory set them up for a series against Spirit on Day 2 at the BLAST SLAM VIII Playoffs.
Friday, October 9th will see the Playoffs continue, with more upper bracket action, as well as two elimination series in the lower bracket, leaving only four teams to fight for the remainder of BLAST SLAM VIII.
