DreamLeague Season 19 ran into trouble since one of the competing teams, PSG.LGD, withdrew. Nigma Galaxy, a team that was recently demoted from the first level of the Western European Dota Pro Circuit, has replaced the vacant seat, nonetheless.
The sudden inclusion of Nigma caused the team to announce their roster changes early, adding an unexpected twist to the upcoming event. Heading into DreamLeague Season 19, Ammar “ATF” Al-Assaf was moved to the inactive roster, and it was announced that Amer “Miracle-” Al-Barkawi would temporarily come back to stand in.
Miracle- has been on a break since the 2023 DPC season started due to health issues. While Nigma never disclosed details of his situation, his return as a stand-in might indicate an improvement in his condition.
Considering Nigma was also relegated to the second division, the team might be considering bringing Miracle- back for the next season, as it’s a more low-maintenance league than division one.
Nigma is one of the few rosters in Dota 2 that has been able to retain a majority of its founding members. Miracle-’s a fan-favorite player as well, and his return could increase the morale within the team and for the fans. At this point in the season, it will be challenging for Nigma to qualify for the International 2023 unless they pull off a Cinderella run in the regional qualifiers.
As the top teams worldwide are getting ready to increase their gear to collect the most DPC points, it may be time for Nigma to think about their long-term roster for the 2024 season, and getting some practice in with Miracle- could go a long way for that.