Watson powers Yandex to BLAST Slam VIII grand final win

Team Yandex defeated Team Spirit 3-1 in the BLAST Slam VIII grand final, claiming a second consecutive major tournament title at the start of the 2026-2027 Dota 2 season.

Yandex turn the final around

Spirit took the opening game after 40 minutes, building a 48-19 kill advantage. Illya “Yatoro” Mulyarchuk led the way on Ursa with 19 kills and 12 assists, while Yandex were unable to recover after Spirit disrupted their early progress.

Yandex levelled the series in game two, converting a major teamfight win at the 23-minute mark into a 52-minute victory. Ammar “ATF” Assaf’s Timbersaw was central to the comeback, finishing with 20 kills and seven assists as Yandex’s core of ATF, Alimzhan “Watson” Islambekov and Ilya “CHIRA_JUNIOR” Chirtsov found their footing.

Watson then delivered a perfect 14-kill, 14-assist performance on Nature’s Prophet in game three. Yandex took control against Spirit’s slower lineup and secured the map after 48 minutes, moving one win from the title.

The final game lasted 56 minutes, with Yandex closing out the 3-1 result. Watson finished with 19 kills and 14 assists, while ATF added 13 kills and 22 assists; together, they helped Yandex finish with a 51-37 kill lead. GosuGamers reported the game-by-game results, while Field Level Media also reported the 3-1 final score.

The title adds to Yandex’s earlier success at BLAST Slam VIII, where the team had advanced through the playoff bracket to reach the championship match. The BLAST Slam VIII playoff field also saw Spirit fight through the lower bracket to set up the final.

BLAST Slam VIII final standings

Yandex claimed the tournament’s top prize, while Spirit finished runner-up. The result marked Yandex’s second BLAST title after BLAST Slam VII and delivered the first two major tournament wins of the 2026-2027 competitive season, according to GosuGamers.

Spirit entered the final as the reigning The International champions. Their second-place finish brought US$135,000, while Yandex collected US$270,000 for the championship.

A third meeting settled the title

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

Spirit reached the championship match after recovering from a deficit against PARIVISION in the lower-bracket final. Yandex’s win followed its PGL Wallachia Season 9 title in late September, giving the team consecutive major tournament victories.

GosuGamers also identified ATF’s arrival after Team Falcons exited the scene as a major move in the post-TI 2026 roster shuffle. The signing formed part of the roster context around Yandex’s run; its wider roster changes involving ATF preceded the team’s back-to-back tournament wins.

Yandex now heads into the next major cycle with two titles to open the season, while Spirit leave BLAST Slam VIII as runners-up after their first appearance with a changed roster. Their next meetings will offer another test of the matchup established across three encounters in Malta.