Team Yandex kicked off the 2026/2027 season with back-to-back tournament victories at BLAST Slam VIII and the previously won PGL Wallachia Season 9. During the off-season, Team Yandex made just one targeted roster change, bringing in Ammar "ATF" Al-Assaf to replace DM.
Team Yandex were not the main favorites heading into the tournament, trailing PARIVISION in the odds. Ammar "ATF" Al-Assaf clearly bolstered the team and helped the organization secure their second trophy.
Team Spirit showed a solid performance throughout the tournament. Despite Magomed "Collapse" Khalilov being inactive and Batyuk stepping into the offlane, they still managed to beat PARIVISION and reach the BLAST Slam VIII final.
Illya "Yatoro" Mulyarchuk is in good form, but it wasn't quite enough. Spirit with Batyuk became the sole team capable of defeating the new Team Yandex roster. However, that happened during the online group stage, whereas Team Yandex took their revenge twice in the upper bracket final and the grand final.
Journey Team Yandex at BLAST Slam VIII:
In the group stage, Team Yandex defeated MOUZ (2:0) and BetBoom Team (2:0). In the Seeding Match, they lost to Team Spirit (1:2). In the playoffs, Team Yandex proved stronger than LGD Gaming (2:1), PARIVISION (2:1), and outperformed Team Spirit twice (2:1 and 3:1 respectively).
Group A
| # | Team | Series | Maps |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  PARIVISION | 2-0 | 4-0 |
| 2 |  LGD Gaming | 2-1 | 4-4 |
| 3 |  Xtreme Gaming | 1-2 | 4-4 |
| 4 |  Level UP | 0-2 | 0-4 |
Group B
| # | Team | Series | Maps |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Team Spirit | 2-0 | 4-1 |
| 2 |  1w Team | 2-1 | 4-3 |
| 3 |   Team Nemesis | 1-2 | 3-5 |
| 4 |   Natus Vincere | 0-2 | 2-4 |
Group C
| # | Team | Series | Maps |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |   Team Yandex | 2-0 | 4-0 |
| 2 |  OG | 2-1 | 5-3 |
| 3 |  BetBoom Team | 1-2 | 3-5 |
| 4 |  MOUZ | 0-2 | 0-4 |
Group D
| # | Team | Series | Maps |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Aurora Gaming | 2-0 | 4-1 |
| 2 |  GamerLegion | 2-1 | 4-2 |
| 3 |   Team Liquid | 1-2 | 3-5 |
| 4 |   Yakult Brothers | 0-2 | 1-4 |
Playoffs Bracket for BLAST Slam VIII:
Prize Pool Distribution for BLAST Slam VIII:
- 1st place: Team Yandex — $270,000;
- 2nd place: Team Spirit — $135,000;
- 3rd place: PARIVISION — $95,000;
- 4th place: Aurora Gaming — $65,000;
- 5th–6th places: 1win Team / LGD Gaming — $35,500 each;
- 7th–8th places: GamerLegion / OG — $20,000 each;
- 9th–12th places: Xtreme / Team Nemesis / BetBoom Team / Liquid — $11,500 each;
- 13th–16th places: Level UP / NAVI / MOUZ / Yakult Brothers — $7,000 each.
Roster Team Yandex:
- Alimzhan "watson" Islambekov;
- Ilya "CHIRA_JUNIOR" Chirtsov;
- Ammar "ATF" Al-Assaf;
- Martin "Saksa" Sazdov;
- Arman "Malady" Orazbayev;
- Alexander "Accell" Litvinenko (Coach).
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