Return of the King: Nigma signs SumaiL to salvage its Dota 2 roster

Nigma Galaxy’s Dota 2 roster imploded over the last two days, but the team captain has been quick to rebuild Only a day after some of the most high-profile departures in the Dota 2 world, Nigma welcomed SumaiL back to its roster.

The move marks SumaiL’s second stint with Nigma after joining in May 2022. In spring 2023, SumaiL left Nigma after an eye-opening experience in Dota 2’s Berlin Major with Team Aster. Though the move to the east started strong for the veteran mid-laner, he missed his second-straight Dota 2 TI after a shocking elimination in the Chinese qualifiers.

SumaiL’s contract with Aster ran out at the beginning of November 2023, and it didn’t initially look like he had plans to return to Nigma. That changed when Nigma lost MinD_ContRoL as its legendary Dota 2 roster began a major reshuffle. Mikey, Yuma, and even GH followed MinD_ContRoL’s exit, leaving KuroKy by his lonesome in the roster.

Considering Nigma’s subpar track record over the years in terms of global success, the organization has been struggling to attract promising talent to its roster. Nigma might have a trump card hidden in its sleeve, though, since it’s a MENA organization. ESL’s arrival to the Dota 2 competitive scene kickstarted a new competitive region in MENA, and there are only a handful of teams competing there right now.

Nigma has the infrastructure to become a MENA powerhouse, but it’ll first need to do some convincing. With Valve stepping back from Dota 2’s competitive scene, roster lock rules have been more relaxed this season, allowing teams to perform more roster changes.

Going into 2024, Nigma will be on a timer to get its roster ready before DreamLeague Season 22 since the team will naturally want to get on track for the Riyadh Masters 2024 in the summer.