Nigma Galaxy part ways with MinD_ContRoL and 3 other players

Dota 2 fans have been speculating about the future of the team for the past week, but Nigma Galaxy has revealed an important update they did not expect. The squad appears to have ultimately crumbled after a dismal 2023 campaign, parting way with three of its members another member announced a break from competitive play.

In an emotional video posted on X,  Nigma Galaxy bid farewell to its legendary captain, Ivan “MinD_ContRoL” Ivanov, who has been a major presence in the team since its very first inception. The organization has also parted ways with Kasra “Mikey” Mesbah and Yuma “Yuma” Langlet, while the star Lebanese player Maroun “GH” Merhej is taking a break from the competitive play, leaving their captain Kuro “KuroKy” Salehi Takhasomi as the only active player on Nigma’s Dota 2 roster.

.@NigmaGh has decided to take a break from competitive Dota to spend time with family and loved ones. He will be moving to our inactive roster for 2024.

Enjoy your break Maroun and we’ll be waiting for you💙💜 pic.twitter.com/Glq4XnxU8W

— Nigma Galaxy (@NigmaGalaxy) December 20, 2023

 

Despite displaying flashes of success, Nigma Galaxy has only participated in just a handful of Major events and has never qualified for TI. One of their accomplishments is their win at the WePlay! 2020 Bukovel Minor, WePlay! OGA Dota PIT Season 2: Europe/CIS 2020 and Dota 2 Tug of War: Mad Moon 2020. Nigma was unable to advance to both The International 2023 and the Riyadh Masters 2023 in 2023. The squad was last seen competing in the BetBoom Dacha 2023 where they had a dismal performance and finished last in the competition.

MinD_ContRoL parts ways with KuroKy after playing together for eight years

MinD_ContRoL’s departure marked the end of the eight-year partnership between him and Kuro “KuroKy” Salehi Takhasomi, a longstanding teammate. They have been playing together ever since they were in 5Jungz, which was before they joined Team Liquid.

Alongside Lasse “MATUMBAMAN” Urpalainen, Maroun “GH” Merhej, and Amer “Miracle-” Al-Barkawi, they went on to win The International 2017 under the Liquid brand. Along with the Aegis of Champions, they also took home the  China Dota2 Supermajor, StarLadder i-League StarSeries Season 3, and EPICENTRE 2016 and 2017.

From 5Jungz to Nigma Galaxy it has been an amazing trip!

Thank you @NigmaMC for all the memories, all the highs and all the lows. You will always have a special place in our hearts and we wish all the best💙💜 pic.twitter.com/ctGMOvTl6A

— Nigma Galaxy (@NigmaGalaxy) December 20, 2023

 

Moreover, they also earned respectable finishes at several prestigious events, including The International 2019, DreamLeague Season 8, The Manila Major 2016, and The Shanghai Major 2016. In 2019, MATUMBAMAN declared his retirement following Liquid’s second-place performance at the Manila Major. Two months following MATUMBAMAN’s retirement, Liquid’s Dota 2 lineup departed the team to establish a new squad named Nigma Galaxy.

Even though Nigma Galaxy might have been rather quiet in 2023, MinD_ContRoL has been having some fun with side projects. He filled up for OG in the DreamLeague Season 21 and the ESL One Berlin Major, where the squad had excellent results and finished the events in fourth and sixth place, respectively.. At TI12, he also stood in for Team SMG’s Masaros, though their run was cut short after a poor performance.

Header: WePlay! Esports