After The International 2024 concluded with Team Liquid emerging as the victors, many teams began their roster shuffles in preparation for the new Dota 2 professional season.
Nigma Galaxy has recently joined this roster shuffle as well. The team brought in two new players from PSG Quest to rebuild their lineup as they bid farewell to their offlaner recently.
In addition, their long-time in-game captain, Kuroky, has been moved to the inactive roster. While their roster shuffle began as a rumour, Nigma Galaxy recently confirmed this move via Twitter.
Unlike their previous additions, Nigma Galaxy's newest players are not star players in their regions. However, they are the ones showing immense promise.
No!ob and Omar made a name for themselves during their time with PSG Quest. Last season, Team Falcons consistently blocked PSG Quest from qualifying for major tournaments. However, PSG Quest snuck their way into three Tier 1 tournaments.
At Riyadh Masters 2024, they exceeded expectations by defeating the two-time TI champions, Team Spirit, and securing a 5th-6th place finish.
However, like some players throughout their careers, No!ob will be transitioning to a different role at Nigma Galaxy. The promising midlaner from PSG Quest will now be taking on the offlane role for Nigma Galaxy.
This shift is not unprecedented; other players have successfully transitioned from midlane to offlane, with the most notable example being TI3 champion s4.
The player was a midlaner for Alliance but played as an offlaner when he joined OG in the team’s early days.
Nigma Galaxy's former roster included several TI champions, but the team has struggled with performance since its merger with Galaxy Racer. Despite their prestigious lineup, Nigma Galaxy’s players have not qualified for The International since the organization's founding. While some of them had made it to TI as a stand-in, they failed to pass through the group stages.
Many fans have attributed the team's lackluster performance to their in-game leader, Kuroky, arguing that his drafting strategies are outdated. Their wishes for change were partially fulfilled in Nigma's last tournament of the 2024 Dota 2 season, Clavision: Snow Ruyi, when Kuroky stepped down.
This tournament could also serve as a turning point for the team, highlighting areas that need improvement.
While Nigma Galaxy has struggled to qualify for Tier 1 Dota 2 tournaments as a team, its individual players have continued to shine. As stand-ins, they delivered impressive performances for other teams in Tier 1 tournaments, proving they still have the skill and experience to compete at the highest level.
As a result, this raised several questions, the most common being: is it a team issue or a player issue?
Whatever the cause may be, the addition of No!ob and Omar could mark a new dawn in the team’s history. Will they be the turning point for Nigma Galaxy, and will the team finally be able to live up to their expectations with the additions?
Only time will tell as the newest roster of Nigma Galaxy will debut at PGL Wallachia Season 2 qualifiers. The current lineup for Nigma Galaxy is as follows:
Stay tuned to BLAST for the latest post-TI roster updates.
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