Cover-Credits:
The International 5 (TI5) champion Syed Sumail "SumaiL" Hassan and Nigma Galaxy boast a massive fan base in Dota 2, so when it was announced recently that SumaiL was finally joining the team after many longings on the community's part, it was welcomed with great enthusiasm. It is rarely reported how teams recruit their players, but after Nigma's successful debut with the new roster in the Western Europe (WEU) Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) 2021-22 Tour 3: Division 2, SumaiL shared how he got on board. According to SumaiL, he was the one to approach Nigma, since it was the only team he was interested in joining ahead of Tour 3.
SumaiL says he approached Nigma Galaxy ahead of Tour 3
In response to Nigma's 2-0 victory over IVY in its debut series in Division 2 of Tour 3, SumaiL was interviewed after the match during which he talked about joining Nigma. Without giving too much away, SumaiL said, “I approached them, I approached them. I wasn’t really looking at any other team.”
As SumaiL left Team Secret after Tour 2, where the team failed to live up to the reputation of its star-studded roster, speculation had been rife on where the midlaner/carry player would end up.
Over the past couple of years, SumaiL's name has come with Nigma, but the two have never joined forces. As it turned out this time, SumaiL was finally joining Nigma in the midlane to complete its Dota 2 roster.
Nigma and SumaiL are currently playing in Division 2. For a team of this caliber, SumaiL expressed difficulty in keeping up motivation and focus throughout the six-week Division 2, but the long-term goal of qualifying for TI11 was paramount.
“I mean it’s a bit difficult, to be honest, but at the end of the day, it’s all practice for TI. So, that’s how we see it and I guess that’s how we keep in check.”
Nigma cannot qualify for TI11 due to its Division 2 status and its inability to earn any more DPC points. There are two ways for the team to qualify for the biggest Dota 2 event of the year - regional qualifiers or last-chance qualifiers. Now, the squad will be looking to gain some practice and go into the regional qualifiers well prepared.
As part of the debut series against IVY, the team played great in the first game but looked shaky in the second one before making a comeback to win 2-0. Nigma's next series is scheduled for 14th June against DGG Esports.
