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BLAST Slam III - Tournament Preview & Guide
- BLAST Slam III kicks off on Monday, May 5, 2025
- 10 Dota 2 teams fight for the largest slice of the $1 million prize pool
- Team Spirit, PARIVISION, and Team Falcons are the main favourites to win the event
Dota 2 Fans (Getty Images)
BLAST Slam returns this Monday, May 5, with the third edition of the new Dota 2 tournament series.
- When Does BLAST Slam III Start?
- BLAST Slam III Format
- BLAST Slam III Teams
- What is the BLAST Slam III Prize Pool?
- BLAST Slam III Betting Odds
- Where to Watch BLAST Slam III?
- Where To Bet on BLAST Slam III?
As the seventh Tier-1 event of the year and the second BLAST Slam tournament of the season, BLAST Slam III will succeed PGL Wallachia Season 4, filling in the gap in the calendar ahead of the heavily anticipated DreamLeague Season 26.
As with the previous two editions of the tournament series, BLAST Slam III will welcome 10 Dota 2 esports teams at BLAST Studios in Copenhagen, Denmark, where they’ll battle it out for the lion’s share of the $1,000,000 prize pool.
As we get closer to the tournament kick-off, the main question in everyone’s mind is whether Tundra Esports will manage to defend their title or will a new squad rise to the challenge and take over the crown as the reigning BLAST Slam champions.
When Does BLAST Slam III Start?
BLAST Slam III is set to begin on Monday, May 5, 2025, with the first round of the group stage. The tournament will culminate with the grand final on Friday, May 9.
BLAST Slam III Format
BLAST Slam III will kick off on Monday, May 5, with the group stage, where the 10 participating teams will be divided into two round-robin groups of five.
All group stage games are played as best-of-one (BO1), and all 10 teams will secure invites for the playoffs.
The group stage is only for seeding, with higher-placed teams securing a more favourable position in the knockout stage.
- Group stage winners get a direct bye to the semifinals
- Runners-up are seeded into the quarterfinals
- 3rd-placed teams advance to Round 2
- 4th and 5th-placed teams are seeded into Round 1
The BLAST Slam III playoffs will be single-elimination, with a best-of-five (BO5) grand final, and all other games played as best-of-three (BO3).
Group Stage
- 10 teams
- Two round-robin groups of five teams
- All matches are best-of-one (BO1)
- Group stage winners advance to the semifinals
- Runners-up advance to quarterfinals
- 3rd-placed teams proceed to Round 2
- 4th and 5th-placed teams proceed to Round 1
Playoffs
- 10 teams
- Single-elimination bracket
- Grand final is best-of-five (BO5)
- All other games are best-of-three (BO3)
BLAST Slam III Teams
BLAST Slam III will, like the past two seasons, welcome 10 Dota 2 teams. There were no qualifiers, and all 10 squads have been invited to participate by the tournament organisers.
- Team Liquid
- Tundra Esports
- Team Falcons
- PARIVISION
- Team Spirit
- Aurora Gaming
- Xtreme Gaming
- BetBoom Team
- Gaimin Gladiators
- Team Tidebound
What is the BLAST Slam III Prize Pool?
BLAST Slam III prize pool is set at $1 million, divided into two parts – player and club prize pools. The split is 75/25, with the largest slice allocated to the player prize pool.
Champions - $300,000 + $100,000 Team Earnings
Runners-up - $150,000 + $50,000 Team Earnings
3rd-4th-place - $60,000 + $20,000 Team Earnings
5th-6th-place - $35,000 + $15,000 Team Earnings
7th-8th-place - $30,000 + $10,000 Team Earnings
9th-10th-place - $25,000 + $5,000 Team Earnings
BLAST Slam III Betting Odds
All of the best Dota 2 betting sites have released BLAST Slam III outright markets in the days leading up to the event. According to the latest offer, a few teams are expected to find themselves in the race for the trophy.
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Team Spirit | 4.50 |
| PARIVISION | 5.00 |
| Team Falcons | 5.50 |
| Team Liquid | 7.50 |
| Tundra Esports | 7.50 |
| Gaimin Gladiators | 9.00 |
| BetBoom Team | 11.00 |
| Aurora Gaming | 17.00 |
| Xtreme Gaming | 26.00 |
| Team Tidebound | 26.00 |
Despite suffering an early elimination from PGL Wallachia Season 4, Team Spirit head into BLAST Slam III as the leading favourites, priced at 4.50 on the outright markets.
The Russian powerhouse have shown very high highs this season, winning DreamLeague Season 25 and finishing ESL One Raleigh 2025 in second place.
And while their more recent tournament run was met with a painful early elimination, that might light the fire under Spirit and motivate them to show the world what they’re capable of.
PARIVISION (5.00) are the second favourites to win BLAST Slam III, which makes a lot of sense.
Spirit’s rivals have been one of the more consistent Dota 2 esports teams in the world, reaching four semifinals across the last six tournaments attended – including a runner-up finish at PGL Wallachia Season 4 and a gold medal from ESL One Raleigh 2025.
Team Falcons (5.50), like Team Spirit, crashed out of PGL Wallachia early; however, this gave them more time to reflect on their issues and find the form Falcons have shown early into the season.
Team Liquid (7.50) had a challenging start to the year but recently found more momentum, winning PGL Wallachia Season 4 and showing the world that they belong among the elite teams. But they still have a lot more to prove, namely that they can build on the momentum gained in the last event.
Like Liquid, Tundra Esports (7.50) will enter BLAST Slam III, hoping they can surprise and defend their BLAST Slam II title. Despite showing little in the last Tier-1 event, Tundra had the handicap of playing with an incomplete roster.
Now, fielding the full lineup, Tundra Esports should not be dismissed as a serious threat, as this is still the same team that placed third in Wallachia and ESL One Raleigh 2025, and the same lineup that placed top three in all but one Tier-1 event this year.
Behind the leading candidates, we have Gaimin Gladiators (9.00), BetBoom Team (11.00), Aurora Gaming (17.00), Xtreme Gaming (26.00), and Team Tidebound (26.00), who will hope they can shake up the balance of power.
But with how stacked the top of the table is, major surprises are unlikely to happen.
Where to Watch BLAST Slam III?
BLAST Slam III live streams are available via the official BLAST Twitch and YouTube channels. However, esports punters will want to follow the action through the live-streaming services offered by the best betting sites, where they can find in-play markets and place bets as the action unfolds.
- Visit Stake
- Register with promo code NEWBONUS or log in to your account
- Visit Stake > navigate to the Dota 2 esports markets > select the game when live
- Follow the action and place in-play BLAST Slam bets
Where To Bet on BLAST Slam III?
BLAST Slam III betting markets are available on all of the best Dota 2 betting sites, including crypto bookmakers like Stake.
Stake is an excellent option for Dota 2 punters, as it offers competitive betting odds, a great selection of betting markets, and excellent promotions, including a welcome offer with Stake promo code NEWBONUS.
Verdict
BLAST Slam III will feature many excellent teams, but those can be divided into two categories – teams who have recently found momentum and teams who have been consistently good.
Tundra Esports fall in the latter. They’ve placed top-three in all but one Tier-1 tournament this season and won back-to-back bronze medals in ESL One Raleigh 2025 and PGL Wallachia Season 4 – managing to do it in the latter despite playing with a stand-in.
Even though Tundra have not seemed as potent recently as they did early into the season, this is a very scary roster that can easily turn up and roll over any team in the scene.
Tundra Esports fall in the latter. They’ve placed top-three in all but one Tier-1 tournament this season and won back-to-back bronze medals in ESL One Raleigh 2025 and PGL Wallachia Season 4 – managing to do it in the latter despite playing with a stand-in.
Even though Tundra have not seemed as potent recently as they did early into the season, this is a very scary roster that can easily turn up and roll over any team in the scene.
Tundra Esports To Win
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Tundra To Reach Finals
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