The Dota 2 autumn season is gathering pace. PGL Wallachia Season 9 is in full swing, and the full line-up of teams for BLAST SLAM VIII has now been announced. Europe secured two slots from the regional qualifiers, whilst China and South-East Asia each secured one.
For the first time in the series, BLAST SLAM VIII has been expanded to 16 teams, with the main event taking place at BLAST Arena Studios in Malta from 8 to 11 October. The total prize pool stands at $750,000, which is less than in the previous tournament but still a substantial figure for Dota 2. In this article, we’ll explain how the autumn LAN Playoff eliminations determine the regional qualifier seeds.
Regional Qualifiers Set the Autumn LAN Field
In Dota 2, teams can secure a place in a tournament in several ways. The first is a direct invitation from the organisers, which is awarded to the top teams. The second is based on ranking, which is usually used in ESL and The International tournaments. The third is by winning regional qualifiers. The BLAST SLAM VIII regional qualifiers were structured in two stages: first, there were open qualifiers, after which the line-ups for the closed qualifiers were determined.
It was at this stage that the results of individual matches became directly relevant to the tournament. In the European qualifiers, Natus Vincere and Level UP secured their places, whilst in China, the sole spot went to Yakult Brothers. The team progressed through the closed qualifiers, which also featured Team Resilience and other participants from the Chinese scene. In South-East Asia, Team Nemesis emerged victorious.
These teams will join the invited line-up and compete for the BLAST SLAM VIII title from 29 September to 11 October.
BLAST SLAM VIII Europe Closed Qualifier Review
The most interesting qualifying tournament was the BLAST SLAM VIII Europe Closed Qualifier. The organisers allocated two slots for the eight teams, so the teams had a decent chance of progressing to the main tournament. However, the format was a single-elimination bracket, so losing a series meant elimination from the qualifiers.
It is also worth noting the fairly high standard of the teams. If you take a look at today’s dota 2 results, you’ll see that three of the eight teams from the BLAST SLAM VIII Europe Closed Qualifier are taking part in PGL Wallachia Season 9. The best-known team is, of course, Natus Vincere, who seized their opportunity, secured two 2–0 victories and earned a place in the main tournament. The second spot went to Level UP, who defeated Pipsqueek+4 and Team Lynx.
MOUZ also played in the qualifiers. In the first match, the team defeated Yellow Submarine, but then lost to NAVI and were eliminated from the tournament. Although MOUZ did not make it to BLAST SLAM VIII, they received an invitation to PGL Wallachia Season 9, where they will try to improve their result.
China and Southeast Asia Produce the Other Qualifiers
The Chinese and SEA qualifiers involved simpler maths, but no less gruelling conditions. In both regions, only one team out of eight could secure a place. As a result, every unsuccessful Bo3 series immediately whittled down the field and brought the winner closer to the main tournament.
In China, Yakult Brothers secured their slot by defeating Team Resilience, a participant in The International 2026, 2-1 in the grand final. Crescent and Cloud Rising finished their campaign in the 3rd-4th place play-offs.
The SEA qualifiers were no less exciting. The main favourites were Team Nemesis, Direborn and Execration, whilst among the interesting participants, Ice Cream Men—featuring the legendary iceiceice – stood out. In the first round, the favourites easily disposed of their opponents; the real battle began in the semi-finals. Team Nemesis defeated Direborn, whilst Execration beat Ice Cream Men. In the grand final, Nemesis defeated Execration 2-0 to secure a place in the main tournament.
It is worth noting the improvement in Nemesis’s level of play. The team has almost completely renewed its roster, won 2 qualifiers and a Tier-3 tournament, the EPL World Series: Southeast Asia Season 17.
PGL Wallachia Season 9 and Its Impact on Future Tournaments
The PGL Wallachia Season 9 tournament is currently underway. The event has been classified as Tier 2, despite having a prize pool of $1,000,000, due to the small number of top-tier teams taking part. On the other hand, however, lower-tier teams have been given the opportunity to compete at a high level. These include Hokori, Team Cobra and Pibbles Corp. These teams regularly take part in regional qualifiers, but rarely make it through to the main tournaments.
Most teams at PGL Wallachia Season 9 are fielding new line-ups, so they are still working on their tactics. Their rankings will also depend on their performance, so if the teams want to receive direct invites, they need to start playing well now.
As for the Tier-1 teams, Iron Wing, Aurora Gaming, Xtreme Gaming, LGD Gaming and Natus Vincere are competing in the tournament. These teams are the main favourites to win, and it is their matches that are attracting the most attention.
It is also worth noting the impact of PGL Wallachia Season 9 on future tournaments. Although the event does not have a direct impact on rankings, like ESL tournaments, it is important in terms of getting in shape. Teams need to reach their best form to perform well not only at Wallachia, but also at events like BLAST Slam. Moreover, PGL often provides invites to the next tournaments in the Wallachia series if teams performed well at the previous tournament.
Conclusion
Putting all the facts together, it’s fair to say that the regional qualifiers for BLAST SLAM VIII are of considerable importance to the professional Dota 2 scene. Not only has the tournament secured all its participants, but it has also made it clear where the teams currently stand. Natus Vincere and Level UP will represent Europe, Yakult Brothers have secured the Chinese slot, and Team Nemesis will represent South-East Asia. These teams will join a further 12 who have received direct invitations and will compete for the title of BLAST SLAM VIII champion and a prize pool of $750,000.