NS commented on the move to an online format for BLAST Slam IX in Dota 2
Former professional player and community caster Yaroslav “NS” Kuznetsov shared his thoughts on his personal Telegram channel about the BLAST series tournaments switching to an online format.
The quote is reproduced with the source’s spelling and punctuation intact
BLAST has gone fully online 😄
While Coes still has stadiums and the Dota hype around the scene is growing, it’s increasingly turning into a dreary conveyor belt of cookie-cutter, faceless tournaments.
DreamLeague is online, BLAST is online, PGL is in some basement, and Fissure Playground has simply stopped being held—all that’s left are a couple of decent LAN events a year from ESL and EWC, and possibly Int
Earlier, tournament operator BLAST announced on its official website that the 2026 Dota 2 Slam Series Grand Final will be held online from November 20 to 29, detailed the championship format, and explained the reasons for the switch to an online format.
Photo by Helena Kristiansson, Turtle Entertainment.
