BLAST SLAM VIII: 1win, GamerLegion and LGD Gaming win their series

Hello! Yesterday’s BLAST SLAM VIII match day was pretty packed in terms of meaningful games: 1win confidently closed out Team Nemesis 2:0, GamerLegion took a Bo1 against Team Liquid, and LGD Gaming survived a very tense series with Xtreme Gaming and won 2:1. What stood out to me most here was not just the wins themselves, but how differently they were achieved: some with almost no chances for the opponent, some through maps with very different pacing, and some through a complete swing.

1win swept Team Nemesis

The series ended on 02.10.2026 and went to 1win with a 2:0 score. On paper, this is one of those cases where the result can look clean, but inside were two very different games: the first lasted 38:43 and ended with a tiny kill edge of 27:25, while the second stretched to 51:44 and turned into a convincing blowout at 41:17.

In my opinion, the difference between the two maps shows 1win’s strength perfectly: the team can grind out tight games and also ramp the tempo up sharply when the opponent starts to slip.

Map 1: a narrow 1win edge

• Team Nemesis picked Earth Spirit, Hoodwink, Sven, Nyx Assassin and Dawnbreaker.
• 1win answered with Witch Doctor, Largo, Windranger, Dragon Knight and Luna.
• On KDA for Team Nemesis, NARMAN on Hoodwink stood out — 5/5/14 with 368 GPM, and J on Dawnbreaker — 4/5/14 with 593 GPM.
• For 1win, the best KDA belonged to Pure on Luna — 11/3/5 with 849 GPM, and 33 on Largo — 3/4/15 with 541 GPM.

What really jumps out to me here is Pure on Luna: 849 GPM with that KDA is already the level where the hero effectively becomes the center of the entire tempo. Team Nemesis stayed close in kills, but the final flow shows that 1win managed its scaling and teamfight execution better.

Map 2: 1win sped up to a comfortable win

• Team Nemesis picked Dark Willow, Witch Doctor, Pangolier, Timbersaw and Ursa.
• 1win drafted Largo, Hoodwink, Io, Windranger and Void Spirit.
• For Team Nemesis, JACKBOYS on Ursa stood out — 6/4/5 with 597 GPM, and J on Timbersaw — 9/5/3 with 630 GPM.
• For 1win, the best numbers came from 33 on Largo — 8/2/26 with 487 GPM, and Whitemon on Hoodwink — 8/3/24 with 387 GPM.

This was a very telling map: 41 kills for 1win against 17 for Team Nemesis says not just advantage, but that Team Nemesis was under pressure the entire time. What caught my eye most was the 33 and Whitemon pairing — 26 and 24 assists respectively. Those numbers usually point to a team playing very cohesively: not isolated bursts, but constant work from all five players.

GamerLegion took a Bo1 over Team Liquid

The series against Team Liquid ended on 02.10.2026 with GamerLegion winning 1:0. The map lasted 41:12, and the kill score finished 27:24. For a Bo1, that is a pretty tight match: the result was decided not by one lucky fight, but by a series of small edges that GamerLegion eventually carried across the finish line.

My feeling is that wins like this are especially important psychologically: when a Bo1 ends with a minimal gap, it usually means the team can avoid falling apart in the middle of the map and close things out without unnecessary chaos.

One map against Team Liquid: individual bursts decided it

• Team Liquid picked Lifestealer, Witch Doctor, Dragon Knight, Ringmaster and Slardar.
• GamerLegion answered with Brewmaster, Lion, Mirana, Invoker and Lone Druid.
• For Team Liquid, the best KDA belonged to MidOne on Dragon Knight — 9/4/7 with 669 GPM, and Boxi on Ringmaster — 3/4/9 with 288 GPM.
• For GamerLegion, Yuma on Lone Druid stood out — 7/2/7 with 749 GPM, and RCY on Invoker — 8/4/15 with 718 GPM.

Here I would especially highlight Yuma and RCY: both delivered very strong economy and kill participation numbers, and 749 and 718 GPM in a Bo1 is already serious pressure. Team Liquid did not look empty either: MidOne on Dragon Knight kept the game alive, but GamerLegion seemed to translate its opportunities into the final win more effectively.

LGD Gaming and Xtreme Gaming played the wildest series of the day

If you look at the whole day, the series between LGD Gaming and Xtreme Gaming feels the most intense. It had a blowout, a response blowout, and a deciding third map. The final result was 2:1 in favor of LGD Gaming, and the series itself is a perfect example of how quickly Dota 2 can change mood from map to map.

I think these are the kinds of series that test teams’ flexibility best. When you get 44 kills on the first map, then 7:36 on the next, and then gather yourself again to take the decider, that is about character and about adapting quickly.

Map 1: LGD Gaming crushed the opponent on pace

• LGD Gaming picked Doom, Dark Willow, Storm Spirit, Enchantress and Necrophos.
• Xtreme Gaming drafted Earth Spirit, Mirana, Hoodwink, Terrorblade and Axe.
• For LGD Gaming, Wits on Necrophos stood out — 9/1/22 with 879 GPM, and SumaiL- on Storm Spirit — 15/1/14 with 772 GPM.
• For Xtreme Gaming, Ame on Terrorblade stood out — 1/6/6 with 717 GPM, and BoBoKa on Hoodwink — 0/10/8 with 227 GPM.

44:9 in kills is basically a show of force. Wits is especially impressive: 9/1/22 and 879 GPM on Necrophos look like a map where LGD Gaming kept forcing fights and never allowed Xtreme Gaming to breathe. A start like that in a series should give a huge mental edge.

Map 2: Xtreme Gaming answered very hard

• Xtreme Gaming picked Earth Spirit, Nature’s Prophet, Dazzle, Viper and Earthshaker.
• LGD Gaming answered with Doom, Hoodwink, Necrophos, Winter Wyvern and Clinkz.
• For Xtreme Gaming, the best KDA belonged to Ame on Nature’s Prophet — 13/1/17 with 939 GPM, and MooN on Earth Spirit — 10/0/14 with 566 GPM.
• For LGD Gaming, Sneyking on Winter Wyvern stood out — 1/8/4 with 267 GPM, and Thiolicor on Hoodwink — 2/8/3 with 298 GPM.

That completely flipped the series. 36:7 in kills and 939 GPM for Ame on Nature’s Prophet is outright dominance. In my opinion, this kind of response after the first map is especially valuable: Xtreme Gaming didn’t just equalize the series, it did so in the most convincing way possible, leaving LGD Gaming no room for comfortable play.

Map 3: LGD Gaming found the decisive edge

• LGD Gaming picked Hoodwink, Dazzle, Phantom Lancer, Centaur Warrunner and Storm Spirit.
• Xtreme Gaming answered with Doom, Nature’s Prophet, Jakiro, Ember Spirit and Grimstroke.
• For LGD Gaming, Wits on Phantom Lancer stood out — 9/2/12 with 786 GPM, and Davai on Centaur Warrunner — 2/5/14 with 591 GPM.
• For Xtreme Gaming, the best KDA belonged to Ame on Nature’s Prophet — 13/3/13 with 1009 GPM, and XinQ on Grimstroke — 1/4/19 with 387 GPM.

The decider was very interesting statistically: even with 30 kills for Xtreme Gaming, LGD Gaming found a way to close the match. 1009 GPM on Ame is a number that is impressive on its own, but it still wasn’t enough in the end. To me, this is the best example of how in Dota 2 huge farm on one hero does not guarantee the overall result if the opposing team picks better moments and closes fights more cleanly.

Day summary

For this day, I would single out three different kinds of wins. 1win showed confident control in the series against Team Nemesis, GamerLegion took an important tight Bo1 over Team Liquid, and LGD Gaming and Xtreme Gaming gave us the liveliest and most unpredictable series of the day. For viewers, that’s a good sign: the tournament is keeping a high pace, and results like these already make you want to see which of these teams can keep their form going.

Personally, I’d be waiting for more from the teams that are not only winning now, but also showing the ability to adapt throughout a series. That’s usually where the real foundation for the next stage is built.

Source: OpenDota.

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