Blast Slam IV delivers an epic, satisfying esports final for Dota 2 fans in Singapore

It's been three long years since I've watched a competitive Dota 2 live, and as I made my way into the Singapore Indoor Stadium for Blast Slam IV finals on Sunday (Nov 9), I was expecting a sold-out audience, similar to the The International 11 (TI), which took place in 2022 at the same location.

Instead, it was strange to see the arena around three quarters filled, with empty seats at the sides of the upper levels. But despite what seemed to be a smaller crowd from my experience at TI, the roars were loud and exactly as I remembered, as the two squads of finalists – London-based Tundra Esports and Saudi Arabia-based Team Falcons – battled it out for the lion's share of the US$1m (S$1.3m) prize pool.

Dota 2, or Defence of the Ancients 2, is a competitive game played on the PC that features two teams of five players battling it out in a top down view in a map, with the objective of destroying the opponent's base. A game can take from 20 minutes to over an hour to finish, and competitive games are usually a best-of-three, with the finals often a best-of-five.

"It's my first final, and I'm happy to be here," audience member Ryan Yeo told CNA Lifestyle. "I usually prefer to watch online because you can slow down and watch things, but I have not attended one so far, so why not this time?"

Yeo, who attended the event by cosplaying as Zeus, a Dota 2 character, was also joined by his friends, who also came dressed as characters from the game. 

Meanwhile, for a couple who only wanted to be known as Daryl and Benita, attending the tournament was something that they really enjoyed, as they both have played Dota 2 for at least 10 years, either since secondary school or while in polytechnic.

"We watch most of the tournaments, and we also watched TI in Singapore before," said Daryl. "But we're here today because of the finals, and honestly, we like both teams, but we're supporting Tundra today."

HIGH PRODUCTION VALUES

Run by Danish esports company Blast, the Blast Slam IV is the fourth in the series and also part of a multi-year deal with the Singapore Tourism Board to bring regular esports events to the country.

Know more for its Counter-Strike tournaments, the Blast Slam IV is the company’s new foray into the Dota 2 competitive scene. Blast also organised last year’s Blast Premiere World Final 2024, which took place at Resorts World Convention Centre to a sold-out crowd.

Inside the arena, I was dazzled by the impressive stage setup, from the amazing animated graphics to the flow of the matches. I could tell that the production was top notch, but outside the venue, you'd barely know there was a major esports event happening. 

“The production value is good and almost everything is great, but more promotions could have been done for the event as it's such a pity for people to not be able to experience a live gaming event.,” said Daryl “iceiceice” Koh, a former Dota 2 competitive player.

"Blast events have consistently delivered world-class production values, and the Singapore edition was no exception. The viewing experience in the arena was truly impressive, especially for esports fans, which made the smaller turnout somewhat surprising," said Bryan Huang of GosuGamers, an esports publication known for their Dota 2 coverage. 

Event organisers had put attendance to the event at around 5,000, with broadcast garnering more than 21.9 million views.

Huang pointed out that other major tournaments such as the League of Legends Worlds Grand Finals and the Intel Extreme Masters in Chengdu were also taking place at the same time, which could have shifted attention away. 

"Additionally, the absence of Chinese teams, the single-elimination format, and Singapore’s comparatively higher travel costs may have made it less accessible for regional fans," added Huang. 

A VICTORY FOR THE FANS

Despite being recent The International winners, Team Falcons ultimately failed to prevail over rivals Tundra Esports, losing 2-3 in a tense best-of-five series that had the audience at the edge of their seats. The crowd came alive as the series moved to the fifth game, with the last game too close to call as both teams never gave up.

"I really hate it when the teams just play and then maybe lose the first few skirmishes and then they call it quits. I think Tundra fought hard as the underdogs and they tried very hard to turn it around," said Yeo.

In the end, Tundra Esports took home US$300,000 for coming in first, while Team Falcons were awarded US$150,000 for the efforts. They will likely meet again at the next Blast Slam V, which takes place in Chengdu, China, from Nov 25 to Dec 7.

As I sat in the seats overlooking the arena, I couldn’t help but feel that this was indeed an epic event, though I feel it could have been better. There were no Dota 2-related merchandise to purchase, or cosplay events. Based on the schedule, you'd only at most see just six out of the 12 teams play live. With just a total of five series, it's also a pretty short tournament, all things considered. 

But for a live esports tournament experience, I must say, the Blast Slam IV certainly delivered.