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On 20th December, Nigma Galaxy bid farewell to one of its star players, Ivan "MinD_ContRoL" Ivanov, after four years of journeying together. Nigma Galaxy took to X to announce the official departure of MinD_ContRoL via an emotional video that highlighted his moments with the team over the years. Nigma Galaxy also thanked him for the memories. It has to be noted that, recently, Nigma Galaxy has been struggling to find success in the Dota 2 pro landscape.
MinD_ContRoL’s Departure from Nigma Galaxy
On 20th December, MinD_ContRoL officially left Nigma Galaxy. Nigma Galaxy tweeted, “From 5Jungz to Nigma Galaxy it has been an amazing trip! Thank you @NigmaMC for all the memories, all the highs, and all the lows. You will always have a special place in our hearts and we wish all the best💙💜”
This also marks the separation of MinD_ContRoL and Kuro "KuroKy" Salehi Takhasomi, a duo that has been playing under the same teams since 2015. Starting from 5Jungz, they moved to Team Liquid where they met Amer "Miracle-" Al-Barkawi, Maroun "GH" Merhej, and Lasse “MATUMBAMAN" Urpalainen. This roster went on to win The International 2017 for Team Liquid. After MATUMBAMAN retired, Aliwi "w33" Omar joined Team Liquid and later, together as five, the roster formed a new team called Nigma Galaxy.
MinD_ContRoL has been a part of the team since its inception in 2019. During his time with Nigma Galaxy, it managed to win several tournaments including WePlay! Bukovel Minor 2020, WePlay! Dota 2 Tug of War: Mad Moon 2020, OGA Dota PIT Season 2: Europe/CIS 2020, and DPC WEU 2021/2022 Tour 3: Division II 2022.
However, the team has been struggling to find success recently. It failed to qualify for the Riyadh Masters 2023 and The International 2023. Following the lack of success in the professional scene, Nigma Galaxy has been inactive for the majority and was last seen playing at the BetBoom Dacha 2023. At this event, it had a disappointing run and came in last in the tournament.
Despite Nigma Galaxy failing to qualify for The International 2023 (TI12), MinD_ContRoL did not miss it. He played as a stand-in for Team SMG to fill in the void left by Natthaphon "Masaros" Ouanphakdee. Following this, he was spotted in a new stack ahead of ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023.
MinD_ContRoL was registered to a team named "komanda X (x-men)" that participated in Western Europe (WEU) ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023 open qualifier.
Later on, MinD_ContRoL also participated in the Pinnacle: 25 Year Anniversary Show in a stack called the dudley boys, which comprised of free agent players and another Nigma Galaxy player, Yuma "Yuma" Langlet.
It is yet to be announced where MinD_ContRoL is headed next and as the new season draws closer, fans and fellow Dota 2 enthusiasts may get a clearer picture of his future in the pro landscape.
