Team Yandex take down TI-champs, Team Spirit to win BLAST SLAM VIII

Zloster Published October 12, 2026

After two weeks of epic games, BLAST Slam VIII finally came to an end as Team Yandex won the tournament. The Eastern European powerhouse defeated Team Spirit, the reigning TI champion, in a best-of-five Grand Final.

Team Yandex’s Success

Image Credit: BLAST

Yandex lived up to the expectations once again and the team won the $270K prize pool. The victory in the Grand Final meant that Yandex secured its second BLAST SLAM victory after the last edition of the event. What’s even more impressive is that the team added yet another trophy after also winning the PGL Wallachia Season 9 in September.

One of the big reasons for the club’s most recent success is the addition of Ammar “ATF” Assaf to the team’s offlane. He came from Team Falcons following the big post-TI15 roster changes and it seems like it was the right move.

As for Team Spirit, a second-place finish at this event will result in a prize pool of $135K. Sadly, the team failed to win its first big event after lifting the Aegis, but considering how they play, it is a matter of time before it happens. Keep in mind that the team also went through serious roster changes as Bohdan “Batyuk” Batiuk stepped in to replace Yaroslav “Miposhka” Naidenov.

Team Yandex and Spirit’s Dominance Before the Grand Finals

As reported in our Group Stage Overview, both finalists had little to no competition before meeting in the Grand Final. Spirit finished first in Group B, while Yandes secured its top-seed spot from Group C.

An interesting fact is that the two already met once in the Seeding Matches, and Yandex actually lost after three games. This means the Eastern Europeans had to step up their game and they defeated LGD Gaming and PARIVISION. This allowed the team to advance to the Upper Bracket finals.

As for Team Spirit, the TI 15 winners also defeated Aurora Gaming and then it was time for a rematch. Despite winning the first clash, Spirit was unable to contain their opponents as Team Yandex had no issues defeating them. This victory was crucial as it allowed ATF’s squad to secure a Grand Final position.

Following the loss, Team Spirit had to face PARIVISION. The clash was very intense, but in the end, Spirit bounced back after losing the first game and secured a place in the Grand Final.

Team Yandex vs Team Spirit – BLAST SLAM VIII Grand Final

Image Credit: BLAST

The Grand Final of this amazing tournament gave us everything we could have wanted from an event of this size. Following 4 epic games, Team Yandex secured the title after a 3-1 victory against Team Spirit.

The International 2026 champions started the series with an impressive performance from Yatoro as his Ursa single-handedly defeated the team. However, this proved to be Spirit’s only success in this match as Yandex was quick to bounce back.

ATF’s Timbersaw and Watson’s impressive Nature’s Prophet gave the team a 2-1 lead. In the decisive fourth game, Yandex maintained control and secured Watson’s Anti-Mage enough time to become unstoppable. He secured his team’s victory and the trophy.

Related to: Grand Final: TY vs TS

Team Yandex

Team Spirit BLAST Slam Season 8 2026 Playoffs