Yandex Secures Top-Three Finish After Reverse Sweeping PARIVISION

Team Yandex Reached the BLAST Slam VIII Upper-Bracket Final After a 2-1 Reverse Sweep of PARIVISION

Background: a seeding loss before the playoff run

Before the BLAST Slam VIII playoffs, Team Yandex had dropped a seeding match to Team Spirit. The playoff bracket then offered a clear route through the upper and lower brackets, and the first upper-bracket results quickly reshaped the field.

Quarterfinal timeline: Yandex recovered against LGD Gaming

Reported by GosuGamers, Team Yandex opened the playoff run with a 2-1 win over LGD Gaming in the upper-bracket quarterfinals. The series required a response after LGD took the second game to force a decider. Team Yandex closed out game three in 31 minutes. CHIRA_JUNIOR recorded eight kills and eight assists on Earth Spirit, while Watson added 10 kills and four assists on Templar Assassin.

In the other upper-bracket quarterfinal, Aurora Gaming swept 1W Team 2-0. The series lasted 131 minutes in total, including a 77-minute opening game, before Aurora secured its place in the semifinals.

Semifinal timeline: a 2-1 reverse sweep of PARIVISION

Team Yandex then faced PARIVISION in the upper-bracket semifinals. PARIVISION took the opener in a 55-minute game, putting Yandex behind in the series. Yandex levelled the series just before the 52-minute mark, then completed a 2-1 reverse sweep with a 63-minute win in the decider. Each game in the series lasted at least 51 minutes.

The deciding game featured Watson with 21 kills and 15 assists against two deaths. CHIRA_JUNIOR contributed 12 kills and 27 assists, while ATF finished with 11 kills and 23 assists. The result made Team Yandex the first team to book a place in the BLAST Slam VIII upper-bracket final.

Latest consequences: Top 3, US$135,000, and a rest day

The win guarantees Team Yandex a Top 3 finish and US$135,000 in winnings, according to the source. It also keeps the team on the upper-bracket route to the title, while giving its players a day of rest.

The result also changed the lower-bracket picture. PARIVISION, 1W Team and LGD Gaming dropped to the lower-bracket quarterfinals. The confirmed lower-bracket quarterfinals are PARIVISION versus 1W Team and LGD Gaming against the loser of Team Spirit versus Aurora Gaming. Those matches give the three teams that fell from the upper bracket a chance to stay alive.

Current stage: Yandex waits for its upper-bracket final opponent

Team Yandex will wait for the winner of Team Spirit versus Aurora Gaming in the other upper-bracket semifinal. That winner will face Yandex in the upper-bracket final. At this point, Team Yandex has secured a guaranteed podium finish already, with its next challenge coming from the upper-bracket side of the bracket.

This article draws on the BLAST Slam VIII playoff details reported by GosuGamers and first published on Esports Insider.