Team Yandex are Dota 2's dominant force this season, and BLAST Slam VII only underlined it. The Eastern European roster closed out the last major Tier 1 event before the Esports World Cup and The International 2026 with a commanding 3-1 grand final victory over LGD Gaming in Copenhagen. What makes it remarkable is the path they took to get there. Yandex entered the playoffs as the lowest seed, having scraped through the Last Chance Qualifier, and left as undisputed champions with a $300,000 cheque and a five-match winning streak.

If your Gocore Pick'ems are set up for the Dota 2 leaderboard, now is a great time to lock in your predictions for the next stretch of the season with everything that's changed.

BLAST Slam VII Group Stage: Upcoming Dota 2 Tournaments Set the Stage

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BLAST Slam VII ran from May 26 to June 7, 2026, across two formats. The first week was played online in a round-robin Bo1 group stage featuring all 12 teams. The playoff stage moved to the BLAST Studio in Copenhagen for an offline LAN bracket.

The final group standings had LGD Gaming on top at 8-3, followed by PARIVISION and BetBoom Team both at 8-3, with tiebreakers separating the positions. Team Falcons and Team Yandex finished joint fourth at 7-4, Team Liquid and Aurora Gaming both went 6-5, and Team Spirit finished 5-6. OG, Tundra Esports, Xtreme Gaming, and GLYPH were eliminated.

LGD hit the ground running and finished as the top seed, beating PARIVISION, BetBoom, Aurora, and four of the seven direct TI invitees along the way. Their first meeting with Team Yandex in the group stage notably produced a 111-minute marathon that LGD won.

Team Yandex and Aurora Gaming qualified to the LAN playoffs through the Last Chance Qualifier on May 31. Yandex came through their Round 2 match, while Aurora beat Tundra in Round 1 and then won their Round 2 series, joining the bracket as the lowest seeds.

PARIVISION Miss Out and a Dota 2 Live Scoreboard Changes Everything

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Before a single playoff match was played, the field changed significantly. PARIVISION, arguably the biggest favourites to win BLAST Slam VII, were forced to miss the playoffs due to visa issues. As a result, their upper bracket semifinal spot was handed to BetBoom Team, while Team Liquid also earned a playoff berth despite losing in the LCQ. SumaiL stood in for Team Falcons' Malr1ne, who was also caught up in visa complications, adding another layer of uncertainty to the bracket.

With the presumed favourites removed from contention, the championship was genuinely open.

Playoffs: Yandex Take the Upper Route

Yandex started the playoffs by sweeping Aurora Gaming in the upper bracket quarterfinals to set up a second meeting with LGD. They then defeated LGD in three games, sending the South American squad to the lower bracket. In the upper bracket final, Yandex dropped the first map to BetBoom Team in 30 minutes before completing a 2-1 reverse sweep, with watson posting a 20-2-10 KDA in game two and a 10-3-9 KDA in the decisive third game.

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On the other side of the bracket, BetBoom swept Team Falcons 2-0 in the upper bracket semifinals, while LGD blanked Team Liquid 2-0 in the lower bracket quarterfinals. Aurora Gaming, meanwhile, defeated Team Falcons 2-1 in the first lower bracket match after mounting a comeback, paced by Nightfall's 13.3-2.0-14.3 average KDA.

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In the lower bracket semifinal, LGD lost the first game to Aurora in 51 minutes, then rallied with a 50-minute win and a 111-minute marathon victory to eliminate Aurora and advance to the lower bracket final. Their carry Yuma Langlet delivered a 20-2-13 KDA in game two and followed it up with a 13-13-26 showing in game three during that 111-minute classic.

LGD then defeated BetBoom in three games in the lower bracket final to earn a grand final rematch with Yandex.

Grand Final: Yandex 3-1 LGD Gaming

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The grand final felt like a foregone conclusion after the opening two games. Yandex stomped LGD in game one to the tune of a 32-12 kill lead in 48 minutes, with CHIRA_JUNIOR on mid Monkey King and Saksa on Keeper of the Light combining for 10 kills each and 25 combined assists.

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Game two was similarly one-sided as Watson's Templar Assassin led a 33-14 kill performance in 42 minutes.

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Game three appeared to follow the same trajectory early, but a resilient LGD clawed back through excellent teamfighting built around Wisper's Dark Seer repeatedly catching multiple Yandex heroes with Vacuum. LGD won in 52 minutes to push the series to game four.

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Yandex responded in the final game with a 31-minute rout. Watson's Shadow Fiend and DM's Necrophos combined for 18 kills and 11 assists to seal the 3-1 championship victory.

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BLAST Slam VII is the third Tier 1 title for Team Yandex this season, following DreamLeague Season 27 in December and PGL Wallachia Season 7 in March. With those three trophies banked, Yandex enter the Esports World Cup 2026 and The International 2026 as one of the sport's clearest favourites, already holding a direct TI invite.

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For LGD, the runner-up finish is a strong statement on their return to competitive Dota 2 following a two-year absence. The iconic Chinese organisation came back by signing the South American roster of ex-HEROIC shortly before the tournament began. Reaching the grand final in their first outing back is a result far beyond most expectations.

What to keep an eye on next: the Esports World Cup 2026 and The International 2026. Yandex have a target on their back now, and every team in the scene will be adjusting their preparations around them.

TL;DR

• Team Yandex won BLAST Slam VII 3-1 over LGD Gaming in the grand final, claiming their third Tier 1 title this season
• Yandex entered the playoffs as the lowest seed after going through the Last Chance Qualifier, then went on a five-match winning streak
• PARIVISION were forced to withdraw from the playoffs due to visa issues, reshaping the entire bracket
• LGD Gaming's run was one of the tournament's standout stories: top seed in the group stage, lower bracket survivors, a 111-minute epic, and grand finalists in their first event back after a two-year absence
• Watson was Yandex's consistent standout performer throughout the playoffs