Denis Sigitov, the Midlaner Who Came Back to Win Shanghai

Record

Before and after the break. Spirit had a difficult spring. While he was away, the team finished 7th–10th at BLAST Slam VI and 11th–12th at DreamLeague Season 28, both in February. After he returned in March they reached 4th at PGL Wallachia Season 7 and 5th–6th at ESL One Birmingham, then dropped to 7th–8th twice in April and lost a quarter-final 0–2 to Team Yandex at the Esports World Cup in July. The turnaround came at TI: through the lower bracket and into a final won 3–2. In the second game of that final he played Pangolier and finished 12/2/12.

What is known about Larl

Aggressive by design. His style is described as aggressive and active across the map. He has said he dislikes sitting on resources and farms mainly when forced to. Former team-mate Miroslav “Mira” Kolpakov pointed to his strong laning as the thing that lets Spirit play forward around him.

Composure. His first months on Spirit drew public criticism from analysts and streamers, including after the group stage of the 2023 Berlin Major. He answered with Riyadh Masters and the TI 2023 title within the same year, and two-time champion Ceb said he suited the team a little better, while rating TORONTOTOKYO as the stronger player.

The 2026 gap. He left the lineup on 11 January 2026; roster manager Dmitry “Korb3n” Belov said he had taken leave and would return, and he rejoined in March. For a bettor, the point is that two of Spirit's weakest results this year came while he was away.

Where he sits in the team. As the mid player he shares the main damage role with the carry, Yatoro. On drafts that send the middle hero roaming early, he can be the one who opens the map, which matters for markets such as first blood and most kills.

BLAST Slam IX: chances and why

BLAST Slam IX takes place online from 20 to 29 November 2026 with sixteen teams and a $750,000 prize pool. Groups are GSL-style with best-of-three series from 20 to 23 November; seeding and last-chance matches follow on the 24th, and the playoff, double elimination, runs 27 to 29 November with a best-of-five final. Twelve invitations had not been named by 5 October, so Spirit's place remains unconfirmed; we assume they take part.

Our estimate: around an 18 per cent chance for Spirit to win, about 5.50 as a fair price. This is our estimate, not a bookmaker price.

1. The title-winning roster is intact, with the mid player back and settled since March.
2. Spirit's best result of the year, the world title, came with him back in the lineup.
3. A GSL group and a double-elimination playoff mean one lost series rarely ends a strong team's event.
4. Against: two 7th–8th finishes in April show how quickly they can slip, and the field is sixteen teams deep.
5. Against: November comes after a long season, and form after a world title is hard to read.

Details of groups and streams will appear on our BLAST Slam IX format and streams page once BLAST completes the field.

How to bet on Larl

A mid player's markets sit between those of a carry and a support: fewer farm-dependent kills, more early fights.

• Spirit series or map winner. The core bet. In best-of-three groups, compare 2–0 and 2–1 correct-score prices with the plain winner.
• Most kills on a map, head to head. He and the carry compete for this; aggressive mid heroes tilt it towards him.
• First blood. A roaming mid is often involved. Wait for the draft before betting it, since the hero decides most of it.
• Player kills over or under. Where it is offered, his line moves with the hero; check it against the draft, not his reputation.
• Live map winner. If he wins the middle lane early, Spirit's price usually shortens; if he loses it, a drift can offer value on a team that came back from the lower bracket at TI. The live betting guide covers how in-play prices react.

Turn any quoted price into a percentage with the odds calculator and set it beside our 18 per cent before staking.

Where to watch

BLAST runs the official broadcast on its own channels, including BLAST.tv, Twitch and YouTube. Some betting sites also stream a share of the matches to signed-in customers; we selected sites that offer this, but coverage changes from one site to the next.

More on Spirit and Dota 2

The carry beside him is covered in Yatoro's profile and the offlaner in Collapse's profile. For markets and patches read the Dota 2 betting page, and for other games the esports hub.

Bitcasino.ioSportsbook

US$2,500When ID can be asked

Open