The ESL Pro Tour’s inaugural tournament is running into a minor hiccup before the start of the show.
DreamLeague S19 will see a sudden change in its fielded teams, following Chinese organization PSG.LGD’s sudden exit from the tournament due to visa issues. This leaves a spot for Nigma Galaxy to substitute, ESL announced today.
Due to LGD’s late withdrawal — just two days before the event kicks off — the tournament organizer was unable to invite another Chinese team, or a team from a region that would require visas to be processed.
With the choice left between Western Europe and Eastern Europe, Nigma was the next team eligible for an invitation, following ESL’s own EPT Ranking System. You can read the complete FAQ issued by ESL to explain the decision.
- All teams qualified for ESL One Berlin Major 2023
- Dota 2 might be getting a new way to calculate rank
Miracle- is coming back for Nigma Galaxy in DreamLeague S19
ESL confirmed that Nigma Galaxy will be playing with a different player from their Dota Pro Circuit-registered roster.
Therefore, many fans have eyes on the potential return of Nigma’s superstar, Amer “Miracle-” Al-Barkawi, who has not played at all this year.
The Western Europe team confirmed that Miracle- will indeed be returning to the team, with new recruit Ammar “ATF” Al-Assaf moved to the inactive roster.
The 25-year-old, who took a break due to health issues, recently returned to playing in public matchmaking, according to Dota 2 Pro Tracker’s data.
Nigma Galaxy had endured another disappointing Dota Pro Circuit Tour, ending with a 2-5 record and falling in the tiebreakers to confirm their relegation to Division 2. This marks the second relegation in four Tours. The team has not attended a DPC Major since June 2021, where they placed tied-fifth at the WePlay AniMajor.
READ MORE: DreamLeague S19: Schedule, results, teams, where to watch
