BLAST Slam VIII: Team Spirit beat Aurora to set up Yandex upper final as LGD and 1w Team exit in Malta

Team Spirit reached the BLAST Slam VIII upper-bracket final on Friday after beating Aurora Gaming 2-1 in a long series at BLAST Arena Studios in Malta. They will play Team Yandex today for a place in Sunday's grand final. Aurora and PARIVISION both won lower-bracket elimination matches. LGD Gaming and 1w Team were knocked out and share fifth to sixth place. This follows yesterday's report on Team Yandex's run to the upper final.

Spirit get past Aurora

The opening game of the upper semi-final lasted 63 minutes. Spirit won it convincingly, with Yatoro on Slark and Larl on Sand King among the top scorers. Aurora levelled with a dominant 45-minute win in game two. Skiter's Gyrocopter and Mikoto's Puck did a lot of the damage. Spirit then won the decider in 47 minutes. The win guarantees Spirit at least third place, worth $95,000.

Spirit topped Group B in the online stage and beat Team Yandex 2-1 in the seeding matches on 3 October. Those results gave them a place in the semi-finals.

Aurora and PARIVISION stay alive

Aurora had little time to recover. Later on Friday they beat LGD Gaming 2-0 in a lower-bracket quarter-final. Mikoto, Ws and Skiter all contributed heavily, and LGD conceded the second game. LGD came into the Malta stage with a roster that includes SumaiL and Davai. Their run ended after back-to-back defeats, to Team Yandex in the quarter-finals and now Aurora.

PARIVISION needed three games to get past 1w Team. 1w took the first game, with bzm on Invoker leading the way. Carry Satanic then led PARIVISION to wins in the next two games, including a deathless performance on Anti-Mage. PARIVISION, coached by Clement "Puppey" Ivanov, had dropped into the lower bracket after losing 2-1 to Team Yandex on Thursday.

Today's and Sunday's matches (Malaysia time)

• Saturday 10 October, from 6.30pm: Team Spirit vs Team Yandex (upper final) and PARIVISION vs Aurora (lower semi-final). Both are best-of-three. The second match is due at about 10pm.
• Sunday 11 October, 5pm: Lower final. The loser of Spirit vs Yandex faces the winner of PARIVISION vs Aurora.
• Sunday 11 October, 9pm: Grand final, best-of-five.

Matches are streamed on BLAST's Dota 2 channels on Twitch and YouTube. Malta is six hours behind Malaysia, so the grand final will be a late Sunday night for fans here.

What's at stake

The tournament has a total of $750,000. Of that, $550,000 is prize money and $200,000 is team earnings. The winner receives $270,000 and the runner-up $135,000. Third place pays $95,000 and fourth $65,000. LGD and 1w each receive $35,500.

Key takeaways

• Team Spirit beat Aurora 2-1 and play Team Yandex in today's upper final.
• Aurora beat LGD Gaming 2-0 on the same day to stay in the lower bracket.
• PARIVISION came back from a game down to beat 1w Team 2-1, led by Satanic.
• LGD Gaming and 1w Team finish joint fifth to sixth.
• The best-of-five grand final starts on Sunday at 9pm Malaysia time.

FAQ

Who is playing in the BLAST Slam VIII upper final? Team Spirit and Team Yandex, today, Saturday 10 October. The winner goes straight to Sunday's grand final.

What time is the BLAST Slam VIII grand final in Malaysia? Sunday, 11 October, at 9pm Malaysia time. The final is best-of-five.

How much does the BLAST Slam VIII champion win? The champion receives $270,000 from the $750,000 total.

Sources: GosuGamers, Hawk Live, Liquipedia, Strafe