Team Falcons, Tundra Esports start fast at BLAST Slam IV

YMCA member Austin Manengu works the keyboard as he plays a game of Fortnite during the unveiling of the new gaming lab at the Maplewood Family YMCA in Rochester Thursday, June 20, 2024. YMCA of Greater Rochester in partnership with Metro Sports & Entertainment Group will open two gaming labs for youth and teens this year.

Team Falcons and Tundra Esports got off to fast starts as play in the group stage at the BLAST Slam IV event started on Tuesday in Kallang, Singapore.

Both teams went unbeaten to get the tournament underway, while on the other end of the table, Aurora Gaming and Team Liquid both failed to earn a victory on Tuesday.

The $1 million Dota 2 tournament begins with a five-day group stage featuring 12 teams in a round-robin format running Oct. 14 to 18. All matches in the round robin are best-of-one. The top two teams in the group stage will receive byes into the semifinals. The third- through eighth-place finishers advance to a Play-In, while the bottom four teams will square off in a best-of-three Last Chance Playoff on Oct. 19.

The winner of the Last Chance Playoff gets the final spot in the Play-In, while the other three teams are eliminated. The Play-In is a best-of-three, with the first round also taking place on Oct. 19. The winners advance to the playoffs, which will run from Nov. 7 to 9. The quarterfinals and semifinals will be best-of-three sets, while the grand final is a best-of-five.

On Tuesday, Team Falcons notched victories over Yakult Brothers (25 minutes), MOUZ (30 minutes) and BetBoom Team (52 minutes) for a 3-0 record on day one.

Tundra Esports topped Team Liquid in 52 minutes and Natus Vincere in 36 minutes. Natus Vincere was the only other team to pick up two victories Tuesday, beating Aurora Gaming (49 minutes) and MOUZ (29 minutes) before the loss to Tundra.

The tournament continues on Wednesday with the second day of group stage play.

Standings

1. Team Falcons (3-0)

2. Natus Vincere (2-1)

2. Tundra Esports (2-0)

4. BetBoom Team (1-1)

4. Execration (1-1)

4. HEROIC (1-1)

4. MOUZ (1-2)

4. Team Aureus (1-1)

4. Team Spirit (1-1)

4. Yakult Brothers (1-1)

11. Aurora Gaming (0-2)

11. Team Liquid (0-2)

Prize pool ($1 million total with $750,000 awarded as prize money and $250,000 as team earnings):

1. $300,000 ($100,000 team earnings), TBD

2. $150,000 ($50,000 team), TBD

3-4. $60,000 ($20,000 team), TBD

5-6. $35,000 ($15,000 team), TBD

7-8. $30,000 ($7,500 team), TBD

9-10. $25,000 ($5,000 team), TBD

11-12. $10,00 ($2,500 team), TBD

--Field Level Media