Xtreme Gaming secures a spot at BLAST SLAM IX
BLAST SLAM IX will kick off on November 20th, as we head towards the end of an action-filled Dota 2 year. While it is still some time away, the tournament itself will see some big changes from the previous iteration. Alongside this, the qualifiers have now concluded, with China being the remaining region after both Southeast Asia and Europe’s qualifiers took place over a month ago.
The biggest change coming into BLAST SLAM IX will be the tournament moving away from a LAN event and being played completely online instead.
Xtreme Gaming secure a spot at the next BLAST SLAM
Xtreme Gaming's latest roster has yet to show too many signs of life, albeit only playing a couple of tournaments since they have come together. However, with a few tournaments remaining in 2026, the team now has a couple of chances to prove themselves. While qualifiers are not where the team expects to find themselves, BLAST SLAM IX did not afford them a direct invite. With teams such as Team Tidebound, Yakult Brothers, and Team Resilience all fighting for a singular spot for CN, it was no easy qualifier.
With that said, XG were unphased getting into the grand finals, moving through unbeaten until that point. Resilience is exactly what they met when they got to the last hurdle, in team name and demeanour, managing to take a series the full distance. When it came to Game 3, a Pudge pick from Zhao “XinQ” Zixing, something he has not picked up in a professional game since 2022, was part of the deciding factor that led XG to a 2-1 victory.
XG become the fourth and final qualifier team to join in the action at BLAST SLAM IX. Alongside them, Natus Vincere and Dawn Bulls secured the two European qualifier spots, while Team Nemesis locked in from Southeast Asia.
BLAST SLAM IX is set to kick off on November 20th, with 16 teams fighting through the Group Stage – but only 6 reaching the playoffs. The remaining 12 teams have yet to be announced, but should come in due time with the qualifiers now complete.
