How two-time TI champions took the BLAST Slam VI title

Two-time TI champions, Team Liquid, are the new Dota 2 BLAST Slam champions. After a grueling back-and-forth series against Na’Vi, which ended with a 3-1 victory for Team Liquid, the champions ended Tundra Esports’ four-time BLAST Slam tournament reign. With their strong victory, Team Liquid reminded other Dota 2 teams that they are back, and, perhaps, better than before.

Not only did Team Liquid take the title from Tundra, but they also built a competitive Dota 2 meta going forward. The team’s adaptability and experience overcame Na’Vi’s chaos, propelling Team Liquid to the top of the mountain once again. Here’s how they achieved this.

While other teams focused on testing Largo-centric lineups, Team Liquid played it safe and stuck to their strengths. During the early stages of BLAST Slam VI, Liquid approached their game with restraint, testing the waters with secure lanes, scalable cores, and flexible support duos that helped their cores: all factors that have made them successful in the past.

The result of this was a stable group stage, where Liquid won most of their series, only dropping one game to teams like Tundra, OG, and Yandex. After a 7-4 group stage, Team Liquid defeated GamerLegion during playoffs and reached the BLAST Slam VI playoffs in dominant fashion, placing third overall in the rankings.

During the playoffs, Team Liquid rose even higher. The new best-of-five format suited the team very well, taking out fan favorites like Team Falcons and OG in the Dota 2 tournament, before defeating Na’Vi to become the champion.

As mentioned earlier, many groups were trying to stop the paintings built around Largo, sacrificing their power for the sake of the hero. Team Liquid was no stranger to Bard Frog, incorporating him seamlessly into their draft without compromising the integrity of its gameplay. They used Largo to supplement their weak heroes, providing early mid game healing.

Against Largo, instead of blocking the hero directly, Team Liquid will block the common synergy heroes in the BLAST Slam VI meta. Doing this ensured that Largo was reduced to just a healbot for weak heroes, and could be safely ignored while dealing with the enemy team. Team Liquid showed discipline instead of playing an active game.

When they ran Largo, Liquid mostly wrote for their offline hero, Ace. If they had known this hero was listed at the time of writing, they would have turned it into a support role, where tOfu would have taken it.

While Na’Vi set the early meta for BLAST Slam VI by dominating most teams with their aggressive schedule and chaotic gameplay, Team Liquid played a more organized game while biding their time. As two-time TI champions, the members of Team Liquid were accustomed to high-pressure situations and rarely responded to Na’Vi’s constant upsets in the grand finals.

The only time Liquid faltered was during the second finals, where they were dragged into the unexpected chaos of Na’Vi. Learning from this loss, Team Liquid stuck to their strengths, focusing on early lane control and a style of play that slowly pushed Na’Vi off the map in games three and four, tearing them down from within.

The last two games were top classes in high level competitive Dota. Liquid quickly took towers, placed aggressive wards, and controlled the contested areas, slowly reducing the Na’Vi map until it was completely choked.

Team Liquid’s monumental victory in the first major Dota 2 tournament of the year marks a competitive reset in the modern Dota 2 meta. While the first post-7.40 season showed a high degree of flexibility in writing and overall gameplay, the meta was not defined the way it is now. Liquid’s performance at BLAST Slam VI was a reminder that consistency still wins tournaments.

Its strong performance throughout the tournament and subsequent championship win now puts Team Liquid in the lead for the 2026 season. Teams that were ranked early by Liquid will now have the two-time TI champions in their crosshairs as well, scheming to overtake them in the next Dota 2 tournament.

After Tundra Esports was knocked out by Heroic in the play-ins, it was up to the new team to hold on to claim the Dota 2 BLAST Slam VI tournament title. Team Liquid not only stepped up to the plate, but also showed the younger teams that they are here to stay. Liquid’s quick turnaround in Patch 7.40 surprised many small teams and marked the return of its TI form.

While Liquid has been consistent throughout its 2025 run, its Dota 2 BLAST Slam victory could usher in a new era. Whether the team can maintain their momentum or if this is a one-event high remains to be seen, but it’s safe to say that Liquid is definitely a fan favorite heading into the next Dota 2 tournament, DreamLeague Season 28.