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“Nigma Galaxy is back.” Once a hopeful chant from loyal fans is now a reality in the Dota 2 competitive scene. After years of heartbreaks and failed qualifier runs, the famed team has finally shattered its TI curse by booking a spot at The International 2025.
One of the turning points was a bold roster change that saw legendary captain Kuro Salehi "KuroKy" Takhasomi leave. The founder/former captain's outdated drafts were hailed as one of the reasons for Nigma Galaxy's denial to previous TIs.
This year, the rejuvenated squad finally managed to achieve what their fans had hoped for. This article covers the journey and x-factors of Nigma Galaxy breaking their TI curse.
Overview of Nigma Galaxy's Dota 2 The International 2025 journey
Maroun "GH" Merhej took on KuroKy's role as the hard support. Omar "OmaR" Moughrabi and Tony "No!ob" Assaf became the offlaner and soft support, respectively, of the MENA organization. Malaysian Daniel Chan "Ghost" Kok Hong replaced the legendary Amer "Miracle-" Al-Barkawi as the team's safelaner.
Nigma Galaxy opted to contest from one of the toughest regions, WEU, as MENA wasn't part of the qualifiers. Luckily, they were one of the invited teams along with Mouz, OG, and Avulus. However, the dream of qualifying seemed likely as they were going toe-to-toe against inexperienced teams. Their journey as an invited team started in the Upper Bracket Quarterfinals against NAVI Junior.
Nigma Galaxy's Dota 2 The International 2025 WEU Closed Qualifier match summary
Nigma Galaxy vs Navi Junior in Dota 2 The International 2025 WEU Closed Qualifiers match details
- Game 1: NAVI Junior defeats Nigma Galaxy
- Game 2: Nigma Galaxy defeats NAVI Junior
- Game 3: NAVI Junior defeats Nigma Galaxy
It came as a surprise to almost everyone to see NGX lose to a tier 2 team without any notable Dota 2 achievements. They headed to the Lower Bracket Round 2 to face Virtus.pro.
Nigma Galaxy vs Virtus.pro in Dota 2 The International 2025 WEU Closed Qualifiers match details
- Game 1: Nigma Galaxy defeats Virtus.pro
- Game 2: Nigma Galaxy defeats Virtus.pro
Sumail's Magnus became too much for Virtus.pro. They couldn't handle his skewers and untimely RPs. One of the major mistakes of Virtus.pro was not banning Magnus in the second game, which ultimately saw them say goodbye to their TI campaign.
Nigma Galaxy vs 4Pirates in Dota 2 The International 2025 WEU Closed Qualifiers match details
- Game 1: Nigma Galaxy defeats 4Pirates
- Game 2: Nigma Galaxy defeats 4Pirates
4Pirates is a relatively new team that lacked the competitive experience when compared to NGX. Both games were a complete rout as Nigma swiftly waltzed into the Lower Bracket Semifinals.
Also Check: Dota 2 7.39: All winners and losers
Nigma Galaxy vs Yellow Submarine in Dota 2 The International 2025 WEU Closed Qualifiers match details
- Game 1: Yellow Submarine defeats Nigma Galaxy
- Game 2: Nigma Galaxy defeats Yellow Submarine
- Game 3: Nigma Galaxy defeats Yellow Submarine
Yellow Submarine hindered NGX's momentum by defeating the MENA team in the first game. Their late-game lineup with tanky heroes outlasted NGX in an hour-long game. However, the remaining games told a different story, as Nigma secured quick back-to-back victories and advanced to the Lower Bracket Final to meet their rivals, OG.
Nigma Galaxy vs OG in Dota 2 The International 2025 WEU Closed Qualifiers match details:
- Game 1: Nigma Galaxy defeats OG
- Game 2: OG defeats Nigma Galaxy
- Game 3: Nigma Galaxy defeats OG and qualifies for The International 2025
The "Clasico" began with a swift 27-minute victory for NGX, thanks to their IO and Marci picks. However, the second game turned into a marathon, lasting for an hour, as OG secured mega creeps and locked NGX's heroes inside their fountain. In the decisive third game, OG’s last-pick carry Alchemist couldn’t match the impact of his counterpart, Sven.
SumaiL’s Arc Warden and Ghost’s Sven left OG with no breathing room, dominating the map and securing Nigma Galaxy’s long-awaited return to The International.
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Edited by Ritoban "Veloxi" Paul
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