Tundra, Falcons still setting pace at BLAST Slam IV

Team Falcons and Tundra Esports each won two matches on Thursday, extending their lead atop the BLAST Slam IV's group-stage standings.

Team Falcons handled Team Spirit and Natus Vincere, and Tundra Esports topped Team Spirit and MOUZ.

The results left both teams with 6-1 records, well clear of Aurora Gaming, HEROIC, Natus Vincere and Team Spirit, all of which are 4-3.

The $1 million Dota 2 tournament has a five-day group stage featuring 12 teams in a round-robin format, running through Saturday. 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 Sunday.

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 Sunday. The winners advance to the playoffs, which will run from Nov. 7-9. The quarterfinals and semifinals will be best-of-three, while the grand final is a best-of-five.

The championship squad will receive $750,000 as prize money in addition to $250,000 in team earnings.

On Thursday, Team Falcons needed 63 minutes on red to get past Team Spirit, then cruised past Natus Vincere in 21 minutes on red. Jordan's Ammar "ATF" Al-Assaf paced Team Falcons with a combined 19-4-25 kill-death assist ratio.

Tundra Esports also registered two wins on red, in 34 minutes against Team Spirit and in 45 minutes against MOUZ. Bulgaria's Bozhidar "bzm" Bogdanov logged a combined 19-3-33 K-D-A ratio for Tundra Esports.

The Friday schedule:

--Team Falcons vs. Execration

--BetBoom Team vs. MOUZ

--Tundra Esports vs. Execration

--HEROIC vs. Natus Vincere

--Team Falcons vs. Tundra Esports

--Natus Vincere vs. Team Aureus

--Team Spirit vs. Team Liquid

--Aurora Gaming vs. HEROIC

--Team Spirit vs. Yakult Brothers

--BetBoom Team vs. Team Aureus

--Team Liquid vs. Aurora Gaming

--MOUZ vs. Yakult Brothers

BLAST Slam IV standings

T1. Team Falcons, 6-1

T1. Tundra Esports, 6-1

T3. Aurora Gaming, 4-3

T3. HEROIC, 4-3

T3. Natus Vincere, 4-3

T3. Team Spirit, 4-3

T7. BetBoom Team, 3-4

T7. MOUZ, 3-4

T7. Team Aureus, 3-4

T10. Execration, 2-5

T10. Team Liquid, 2-5

12. Yakult Brothers, 1-6

BLAST Slam IV 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