BLAST Slam I was the first Dota 2 tournament hosted by the renowned tournament organizer BLAST, widely known for its S-tier Counter-Strike 2 events. The tournament featured a compact format, where teams competed in a fiercely contested setting for a lucrative million-dollar prize pool.

The event concluded on December 1st with an unexpected champion at the helm. If you missed the action or want to revisit its best moments, look no further. We've compiled the highlights of the tournament below—read on!

A Huge Upset For Team Falcons

Surprisingly, the once-dominant Middle Eastern team, Team Falcons, has begun to show signs of struggle as we approach the end of 2024. Earlier this year, Falcons were on a trophy-collecting spree, winning tournament after tournament. This year alone, they claimed seven tier-1 event titles and earned over $3.3 million in prize money.

However, their performance in BLAST Slam I has been underwhelming. The team failed to secure a top spot in the group stage and was swiftly knocked out of the playoffs by Gaimin Gladiators. For the first time this year, Team Falcons failed to reach the top 4, finishing in 7th-8th place.

Falcons vs. OG Controversial Lobby Remake

The Falcons vs. OG matchup in the playoffs was one of the most intense series of the event. It not only showcased tightly contested gameplay but we also witnessed a controversial lobby remake, which led to a “fourth game” to decide the series.

What happened exactly? During the pivotal third game, which extended for over 80 minutes, the server crashed, and despite the organizer's best efforts, they were unable to recover the game. After an hour-long pause, both teams agreed to remake the lobby with the same heroes and starting items.

Many in the community argued that OG was unfairly deprived of victory in that third game, as they had the upper hand at the time of the crash. The lobby remake gave Falcons a second chance, and they seized the opportunity, convincingly closing the game and eliminating OG in last place.

An Unexpected Hero Shines

Meta heroes have felt somewhat stale recently, but during BLAST Slam I, a new face emerged in the drafts. Pugna made a major impact, appearing in more than half of the game drafts and being contested 27 times. It was picked 14 times and banned 13 times, boasting the highest win rate (adjusted for pick rate) at an impressive 78.57%.

Throughout the tournament, Pugna proved to be a versatile pick in the supporting role. Some teams utilized it as a position 4, while others played it as a position 5. The hero's strong healing abilities, along with its potent debuffs and damage output, made it a valuable asset.

*All data referred from Spectral Stats.

BetBoom Team Wins Its First LAN Event

BetBoom Team entered BLAST Slam as one of the dark horses. Despite their fearsome reputation, the team had never won a LAN tournament in its 3 years of presence. However, after a stunning 3-1 victory in the grand finals against Tundra Esports, BetBoom Team achieved that long-awaited milestone.

What makes this victory even more remarkable is that BetBoom secured it with gpk as a stand-in, as kiyotaka was unable to participate. Additionally, this marked Kataomi’s first LAN victory. It was an impressive accomplishment for the relatively new position 5 player, who had joined BetBoom Team after The International 2024.

"I'm Just A Chill Guy" Takes Over BLAST Slam

In high-stakes and intense environments, there's always room for a bit of humor! The “I’m just a chill guy” meme took over BLAST Slam I, especially after ATF's skit popped off.

“When people feed in my games, I like to call them braindead because I have a degree in neuroscience and I’m trying to help them,” ATF joked.

We also saw a version of 33’s "chill guy" skit. “When I won TI, I just quit the team, I don’t care, I’m a lowkey chill guy,” he quipped. These skits had us all laughing and even sparked a Reddit thread asking, "Who are the other lowkey chill guys in Dota 2?"