Nigma Galaxy will be taking on some of the best teams in Dota 2 during ESL One Malaysia 2022 without its star player Amer “Miracle-” Al-Barkawi, the organization announced today. The position one player won’t be at the tournament due to health issues.
Considering Nigma spent the latest DPC season in the second division, it’s been almost impossible for the squad to qualify for LAN events. Though they’ve been absent in Majors, Nigma was invited to large-scale tournaments like GAMERS GALAXY and Riyadh Masters.
Nigma will return to the first division in the upcoming DPC season, but they’ll have to make do with a stand-in in ESL One Malaysia 2022. This is also not the first time Miracle- had to step down before or during a tournament due to health reasons. During the WePlay tournament in 2021, Nigma had to postpone their match versus Virtus Pro. Nigma didn’t have to continue with a stand-in back then, as their star player was feeling better the next day.
With Nigma missing one of the most incremental pieces of its roster, the team is yet to announce its substitute member for the tournament. The chances are Nigma’s coach Roman “rmN-” Paley may step up to the stage for the event as he did during the Singapore Major, OGA Dota PIT season 3, and other occasions.
Though ESL One Malaysia 2022 boasts an impressive $400,000 prize pool, teams still yet to qualify for TI11 like Nigma will have their eyes set on the qualifiers for the most prestigious Dota 2 event of the year. With The International 2022 as their priority, it’s only natural for Nigma not to risk Miracle-‘s health.
