Team Liquid off to lick their wounds after a brutal defeat at BLAST Slam 3.
Team Liquid has crashed out of BLAST Slam 3 following a loss to Team Spirit, with the tournament exit marking a low point in what has been a disappointing 2025 campaign for the reigning TI champions.
Almost eight months after their last roster change, the team is not getting the results they need, with suggestions the roster is unstable. PGL Wallachia S4 was their last tier-one victory, and it happened just days before today's game against Team Spirit.
However, the team was not able to get a good placement during the group stage and are now out of BLAST Slam in last place.
Game 1: Chronicle of Liquid's death foretold at the BLAST Slam 3
The first match began well for Liquid — but with an asterisk. From a drafting perspective Spirit responded to a Lifestealer pick with a hard counter in Troll Warlord.
This hero enabled them to play safe and just farm. For a moment, the net worth and scoreboard highly favored Liquid, but it was a matter of time before Troll became an issue. But that was the least of Liquid's worries given a series of bloopers and misplays.
First, a kill against Lifestealer, then a dangerous dive by SaberLight- that, while traded, was far from worth the effort. Spirit took Roshan, and as they overtook Liquid for the gold lead at minute 29, Yatoro's Troll Warlord took control.
Even when Liquid created good openings for teamfights, they were not able to win their first playoff match at the BLAST Slam 3. Lifestealer went for a stompy build with an early Eul Scepter (an item meant for supports), expecting to nullify the Troll's battle trance as early as possible. However, the result was a Lifestealer without enough damage to close crucial fights.
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Game 2: The Champion's spark
Liquid went into game two with a clear idea: Don't lose the early game advantage. Despite allowing Troll Warlord through a second time, they didn't leave a single hole in their draft.
Nisha played one of his signature heroes, Primal Beast, which saw him praised left and right by analysts. From his early rotations, to quick itemization, he immediately became the spotlight of the game.
Team Liquid stayed alive at the BLAST Slam 3 with a 23-minute stomp. It felt like they were completely in charge of the situation. Let's not forget, they also won the previous match early game, only losing the upper hand after some misplays.
Game 3: The meta is stale for everyone — but Spirit
Snapfire was picked only five times during PGL Wallachia S4, and went unpicked throughout the entire group stage here at BLAST Slam. But Spirit boldly pulled out the pick, taking Liquid by surprise as it was selected just before a Slardar follow up pick. It's not a combo that many use, but it's a very strong lane that has survived the test of time.
To Spirit, it was even more than a simple lane combo. Every teamfight Spirit won was a huge gold injection thanks to the Bounty Hunter pick and constant Track kills. Sooner than later, the net worth disadvantage was unbearable, and Liquid had to call GG at BLAST Slam 3.
Their dual championships at PGL Wallachia aside, it's been far from the season Liquid fans would have wanted to see following such an incredible finish to 2024. Liquid returns to the server on May 19 with DreamLeague Season 26 as the road to The International heats up.
If you want to stay up-to-date with every BLAST Slam 3 match, don't forget to check out our live coverage hub with a full schedule and results. Make sure to also check our Dota 2 section for more!
