Team Yandex will be one of the teams at the BLAST Slam VI Playoffs (taking place between February 13-15) but it won’t be able to rely on its full roster. The team won’t be able to play with Evgeniy “Noticed” Ignatenko, so Abdimalik “Malik” Sailau will be a stand-in. The news broke on Reddit, and it seems like Noticed was unable to secure his visa on time and will miss the Playoffs in Malta.
Why Noticed Will Miss the BLAST Slam VI Playoffs
The Kazakhstani offlaner is not a new name in the professional Dota 2 scene. He played for several big teams over the last couple of years, including PSG Quest, where he spent about 1 year. He was briefly involved with Team Spirit in late 2024 and later played for L1GA TEAM. Sadly, Malik was unable to achieve much success with these teams and has been trying to find a new home since then.
Even though no one questions Malik’s prowess, people wonder whether he will be able to replicate Noticed’s amazing results so far. It’s safe to say the offlaner was among the big reasons why Yandex reached the Playoffs. This is where we will see the team go up against Natus Vincere, OG, Team Falcons, Team Liquid, and HEROIC.
Can Team Yandex Win BLAST Slam VI Dota 2 Without Noticed?
Despite the unfortunate situation with Noticed, Malik is probably one of the best offlaners that you can have as a stand-in. Malik’s experience at the highest level suggests Team Yandex’s structure should remain stable despite the late roster change.
Looking back, we can see that the squad had a solid reputation prior to this event. Even though Yandex has had some issues so far. The team’s recent win over Team Spirit demonstrated its ability to compete against elite opposition.
All eyes will be on Yandex and Malik’s performance, so make sure you don’t miss any of the upcoming matches.
