TORONTOTOKYO Under Fire as Aurora Gaming Struggles at Blast Slam 3

Aurora Gaming’s slump in the ongoing Blast Slam 3 tournament has drawn intense scrutiny, with analysts labeling them the weakest team in Group A. Now several players, including Alexander “TORONTOTOKYO” Khertek, have faced criticism for their lack of impact on the team’s results.

Since joining Aurora in February 2025, TORONTOTOKYO has struggled to improve the team’s overall strategy. Despite competing in multiple major tournaments, none have resulted in a top-three finish—a worrying trend for Aurora’s supporters and fans of the former The International champion.

The situation has even prompted a response from ex-pro player Ilya “Illidan” Pivtsaev, now a streamer for TORONTOTOKYO’s former team, Team Spirit. During his recent livestream, Illidan argued that TORONTOTOKYO and his teammate Gleb “kiyotaka” Zyryanov overly rely on momentum when initiating team fights, leading to suboptimal strategies.

“I can not say that they (TORONTOTOKYO and kiyotaka) are bad players, but when you have two people in your team throwing a die – whether they will pass or not – and it’s a pretty difficult move.Even if they are good players, the chance of winning the tournament decreases.”

Currently, Aurora sits in 4th place in Group A, narrowly ahead of last-place Team Spirit. While no eliminations occur before playoffs, fans remain pessimistic about Aurora’s prospects given their current tactical shortcomings.