Cover-Credits:
It has been difficult for Nigma Galaxy to find success over the last few years, having tried multiple rosters without making any headway. In the three years since the organization was formed, performances have been below average for the team and it has missed out on three The Internationals (TIs). During a recent Twitch livestream, Gaimin Gladiators midlaner Quinn "Quinn" Callahan attributed the overall lackluster results to the departure of two core Nigma players. Although Quinn did not directly mention these two players, it is likely that he was referring to Lasse 'MATUMBAMAN' Urpalainen and Amer 'Miracle-' Al-Barkawi, who have both been key members of the team in the past.
Quinn attributes Nigma’s poor results to the departure of two key players
In the course of a livestream, Quinn came across a question regarding Nigma's poor results. In his usual candid and vocal stance, the player said he expected Nigma to fall after parting ways with two of its key players.
“Yeah, I mean they kicked a top all three or top three all time best player ever, and then the other top three all time best player quit so they are going to get worse. They had literally two of the best players of all time on their team and then one of them got kicked which is insane and the other one left.”
While a lot of public information does not exist about why Nigma let go of MATUMBAMAN, the decision has been highly controversial for some time. The roster was a part of Team Liquid at the time and MATUMBAMAN was moved out to make room for Aliwi "w33" Omar in June 2019. After TI12, Liquid finished second, but since then, their performances have been on a decline.
On the other hand, Miracle is likely the second player who "quit" as per Quinn. After failing to qualify for TI12, the player took a break from competitive Dota 2 and participated as a stand-in twice this year, once for Nigma and the other time for Shopify Rebellion, this comprises his competitive play this year.
As for the casual play, according to Dota 2 Pro Tracker, the player has only played 23 games in the last eight days on one of his smurf accounts.
Nigma has one of the largest fanbases in competitive Dota 2, and for both the team and them, it has been a frustrating phase that has lasted for too long. Even when there has been some hope for a turnaround with fresh patches and new faces, the positive phases have turned out to be fleeting.
Now that the team has failed to qualify for TI12, it will be interesting to see if Miracle- returns for the next season, if there is a total revamp, or what actually happens to Nigma’s roster in the coming months.
