Yandex beat Spirit 3-1 to claim BLAST Slam VIII Dota 2 title

Team Yandex defeated Team Spirit 3-1 in the BLAST Slam VIII grand final in Malta, securing a second consecutive major Dota 2 tournament victory to open the 2026-2027 season. Alimzhan “Watson” Islambekov led the decisive stages of the series after Spirit had taken the opening game.

Yandex collected US$270,000 for the championship, while Spirit finished runners-up and received US$135,000. It was Yandex’s second BLAST title, following their win at BLAST Slam VII.

Watson helps overturn early setback

Spirit made the stronger start, winning game one in 40 minutes with a 48-19 kill advantage. Illya “Yatoro” Mulyarchuk recorded 19 kills and 12 assists on Ursa as Yandex struggled to recover from Spirit’s disruption of their early progress.

Yandex responded in a 52-minute second game, turning a major teamfight win at the 23-minute mark into a series-levelling victory. Ammar “ATF” Assaf finished with 20 kills and seven assists on Timbersaw, while Watson and Ilya “CHIRA_JUNIOR” Chirtsov helped Yandex find their footing.

Watson then recorded 14 kills and 14 assists on Nature’s Prophet in game three. Yandex took control against Spirit’s slower lineup and won the game after 48 minutes to move within one victory of the title.

The fourth game lasted 56 minutes. Watson added 19 kills and 14 assists, while ATF contributed 13 kills and 22 assists as Yandex finished with a 51-37 kill lead and sealed the final 3-1.

Third meeting settles the title

The grand final was the teams’ third meeting at BLAST Slam VIII. Spirit won their earlier seeding match, but Yandex swept their next encounter to become the first team through to the final.

Spirit, the reigning The International champions, reached the championship match by recovering from a deficit against PARIVISION in the lower-bracket final. Their runner-up finish came in their first appearance with a changed roster.

Yandex carry two wins into next cycle

The BLAST Slam VIII title followed Yandex’s PGL Wallachia Season 9 victory in late September, giving the team back-to-back major tournament wins. ATF’s arrival after Team Falcons exited the scene was part of the roster changes preceding that run.

Yandex now enter the next major cycle with two titles at the start of the season. For Spirit, the result leaves a rivalry that has already produced three meetings in Malta, with each side having beaten the other during BLAST Slam VIII.