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European esports outfit Nigma Galaxy announced on Tuesday that their Dota 2 player Amer “Miracle-” Al-Barkawi will be taking a hiatus from the competitive scene due to health concerns.
“For the upcoming DPC season, @NigmaMiracle has decided to go on a break to deal with health issues and will not be on our active roster,” the team wrote.
This news is coming at a very sensitive time when teams are looking to complete their rosters due to the short time before the 2023 Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) kicks off.
This is not the first time the Jordanian-Polish player will be taking a break due to health issues. In 2021 he missed a WePlay Esports AniMajor playoff match, and he also skipped ESL One Malaysia this year.
Miracle- has been with the European Dota 2 team since November 2019, and prior to his signing with the team, he had played for Team Liquid, Balkan Bears, and OG. His absence will be a loss for the team, as he is a notable player in the Dota 2 competitive scene.
The 25-year-old was the second player to win The International as well as two Valve Majors tournaments. At TI6 he had the highest average kills per game (9.89), and he bettered that mark at TI8 (10.80). The carry and solo middle player was also named the Esports Rookie of the Year at the 2016 Esports Industry Awards, and the following year he bagged the Esports PC Player of the Year.
Miracle has had a streak of success with all the teams he has represented. Helped OG to first place in the 2015 Frankfurt Major, and the following year they won the 2016 Manila Major and ESL One Frankfurt. Miracle replicated that with Team Liquid by bagging a back-to-back titles at the 2017 EPICENTER and TI7, as well as second place in DreamLeague Season 8. Miracle and Team Liquid finished fourth at TI8 and improved further to earn second place at TI9.
The Nigma Galaxy roster currently consists of Pakistani carry Syed “SumaiL” Hassan, Bulgarian offlaner Ivan “MinD_ContRoL” Ivanov, Lebanon support Maroun “GH” Merhej, German support Kuro “KuroKy” Takhasomi, and their new head coach, Daniel “ImmortalFaith” Moza.
It is unknown which player will take the place of Miracle, as Nigma Galaxy have not yet revealed if they will acquire a temporary substitute or sign a player for a longer stint. However, some observers are suggesting the team could take on the former OG offlaner Ammar “ATF” Al-Assaf, who is now in search of a new Dota team.
