Spirit Set for BLAST Without Collapse

Published September 22, 2026

Team Spirit will begin BLAST Slam VIII with a changed Dota 2 lineup after offlaner Magomed “Collapse” Khalilov and coach Yaroslav “Miposhka” Naidenov stepped away for a break. Bohdan “Batyuk” Batiuk will fill the offlane position, while Ilya “Illidan” Pivcaev will coach the team at the tournament. The move means the TI 2026 winners will not immediately field the same group that delivered their latest championship success.

The changes were announced on September 21 and are described as temporary rather than permanent departures. Team Spirit said Collapse and Miposhka are on vacation, while the roster announcement specifically concerns the upcoming BLAST Slam VIII. That distinction is important: the confirmed consequence is a different competitive lineup for this event, not a stated long-term replacement plan. Team manager Dmitry “Korb3n” Belov addressed the situation directly, saying, “There’s no drama, human resources just aren’t infinite.” He also said both departures had been expected and discussed during the season. Belov thanked Miposhka for his help and said he hoped the pair would be saying “see you soon” rather than “goodbye.” Spirit’s new campaign is due to start when BLAST Slam VIII begins on September 29, after other teams had already begun their season at PGL Wallachia Season 9. The September 21 announcement and September 29 event start establish the immediate sequence: the roster change was made before Spirit’s first scheduled appearance of the season.

What changes for BLAST Slam VIII

Team Spirit’s adjustment covers two distinct roles for BLAST Slam VIII. Offlaner Magomed “Collapse” Khalilov is taking a break from competitive Dota 2, with Bohdan “Batyuk” Batiuk filling the offlane position, while coach Yaroslav “Miposhka” Naidenov has stepped away and Ilya “Illidan” Pivcaev will coach the team.

The breaks are not described on the same timeline. Collapse has said he may need five to six months away as he looks to rediscover his hunger for the game, while Miposhka is stepping away indefinitely. The announced group is therefore the roster for the upcoming event, not a confirmed permanent rebuild.

The timing puts a clear spotlight on Spirit’s first event after TI 2026. The team enters BLAST Slam VIII as the reigning world champion after lifting the Aegis of Champions for a third time, yet it will do so with an altered offlane and coaching setup. Batyuk is not arriving without any prior exposure to the main team: he had replaced Collapse earlier in 2026 at PGL Wallachia Season 8 and had also stood in at PREMIER SERIES. That prior experience means his BLAST Slam VIII role follows earlier appearances alongside Spirit rather than an entirely new introduction to the team.

Illidan, meanwhile, previously played for Team Spirit during its earlier years and had worked with the academy team Yellow Submarine. Batyuk also comes from Yellow Submarine. Those confirmed links explain why the incoming pair are familiar figures around the organisation, though they do not establish how the revised group will perform in competition. BLAST Slam VIII is Spirit’s first confirmed event with these changes, and the September 29 start is the next fixed point following the announcement. The roster move arrives after the side’s historic TI 2026 achievement, but the team will begin its season without two members who contributed to that championship run.

Spirit’s submitted tournament group

Team Spirit submitted five players for BLAST Slam VIII, with Batyuk joining Illya “Yatoro” Mulyarchuk, Denis “Larl” Sigitov, Alexey “not me” Kosmynin and Alexandr “rue” Filin. Illidan is listed as coach.

Milan “MiLAN” Kozomara is not included in the submitted tournament lineup, and no reason for his absence has been disclosed. That omission remains separate from the announced breaks for Collapse and Miposhka.

• Collapse discussed his break on the All Chat podcast.
• Miposhka shared Spirit’s first two world championships as a player and the third as a coach.

Confirmed point	BLAST Slam VIII detail
Roster announcement	September 21
Team Spirit’s event start	September 29, when BLAST Slam VIII begins

The confirmed lineup identifies Spirit’s plan for BLAST Slam VIII without settling the longer-term status of either absence. Batyuk and Illidan cover different roles for the September 29 start; the event will provide the first competitive measure of how that temporary arrangement works.