Clavision Snow Ruyi is a tier-1 event that features eight strong teams from China , Europe, and Southeast Asia. At this competitive level, Nigma Galaxy should lose every match and almost every single game.
Based on their 2023 and 2024 performance, they are simply not strong enough to beat the likes of Xtreme Gaming , LGD Gaming , or G2.iG . And yet they started the competition with two important victories. One against XG and one against Azure Ray .
In the case of XG, we can clearly see that Nigma’s win was highly relevant because this opponent is currently leading in group B with 3 W – 1 L and had very good results in 2024 at international competitions. On top of that, the team’s carry is Ame , one of the best position 1 players in China .
Xtreme Gaming won Games of the Future and Elite League S1. They also finished 2nd at PGL Wallachia S1, 3rd at DreamLeague S22, 4th at DreamLeague S23, and 7th – 8th at BetBoom Dacha Dubai and Riyadh Masters. By all metrics, this is the strongest team in the tournament, and Nigma Galaxy found a way to beat them!
What Has Changed
Normally, you’d think that these results came after Kuroky and his crew decided to completely change their strategy. But the reality is that both Kuroky and Miracle-, two players who were once among the best of the best in Dota 2, do not compete in Clavision Snow Ruyi. Their place was temporarily taken by GHOST and OneJey .
So if you had any doubts about Kuroky and Miracle-, it now became very clear that both of them are not in great shape. We don’t know whether they’re struggling with personal issues or what has happened to them since 2019, but it’s obvious that despite their enormous potential, they are no longer the players they used to be.
In Kuroky ’s case, given his age (almost 32), it’s probably only a matter of time before he decides to become a coach or a manager. The game has changed dramatically in the last five years and he has not managed to keep up with it.
On paper, Nigma’s roster has every reason to succeed. Players like Kuroky , Miracle-, Suma1L, and GH are highly skilled at the game. But for some reason, they haven’t found success in a very long time.
