After playing alongside Nigma Galaxy since February, Ghost’s time as a stand-in for the team is now over as he departs the roster.
It has been a tough year for Nigma Galaxy, but with Daniel "Ghost" Chan standing in, they have seen some strong results. From a valiant run at The International 2025 to strong showings at the likes of BLAST Slam II and FISSURE Universe: Episode 7, Nigma’s year can be summed up in one word: mediocre. But, with the departure of Ghost, the team opens the door to what could be the return of one of the strongest position 1 players.
Ghosted: Nigma Galaxy is without a position 1 player
Early in 2025, well-known Dota 2 player for Nigma, Amer "Miracle-" Al-Barkawi, was confirmed to take a break. It was only in April of this year that the team announced that, due to personal reasons, Miracle- would not be seen in competitive Dota 2 for some time. With a full year of tournaments ahead of them, Nigma Galaxy acted fast, bringing in Ghost as a stand-in. Now, in November, the player has finally left the roster, becoming one of the longest-tenured stand-ins ever in Dota 2.
Announced via their X account, Nigma thanked Ghost for his work with the team over the year. This has seen the player stand in for a plethora of tournaments and qualifiers, including TI 2025 and the Esports World Cup qualifiers. Although his time with the team came without victories, the team’s more recent resilience was clear.
Is it time for Miracle to make his return?
Without a carry, the big question on everyone’s mind is whether this means that Miracle is ready to return. Having been away from competitive Dota 2 for most of the year, the door seems wide open for his return. However, with that said, Nigma Galaxy has not yet announced anything to do with Ghost’s replacement.
With the team's most recent performance seeing the return of Ivan "MinD_ContRoL" Ivanov as a stand-in, too, there are faint hums buzzing for a "Miracle".
The team is gearing up for their next event, PGL Wallachia Season 6, which kicks off in 10 days. This means that we are likely to hear Nigma’s new position 1 player announcement fairly soon.
