After a brief break after leaving Nigma Galaxy, Amer “Miracle-” Al-Barkawi is returning to pro Dota 2 with Shopify Rebellion.
With regular mid laner Abed Yusop out of commission, Shopify Rebellion will use Miracle- as a standin for DreamLeague Season 20. This will be his return to competitive play after going inactive with Nigma Galaxy in December 2022. He will attempt to earn a piece of the event’s $1 million prize pool as well as reestablish himself as a top-level mid laner.
The change was announced through Shopify Rebellion’s official social media just one day before the start of the event. The organization explained that Abed experienced visa troubles preventing his appearance. However, it’s still possible for Abed to show up later in the event. For now, longtime Dota 2 fans get to see the unlikely core combo of Miracle- and Artour “Arteezy” Babaev.
Even after years of less-competitive play, Miracle- remains one of the most popular players in Dota 2. He was popularly considered the strongest player in the world during his tenure on Team Liquid, winning The International 2017 and claiming two major championships with OG.
Miracle- played alright in his opening match day with Shopify Rebellion going 1-1 against Gaimin Gladiators but losing 0-2 to BetBoom.
The first match against GG featured a middling performance on Storm Spirit, with the standin coming out ahead in the laning stage but failing to keep the momentum going. The runback featured a shock Earthshaker pick to counter Quinn Callahan’s Void Spirit, and Miracle- dominated the midgame ending 13-3 with a nice Echo Slam to turn an attempted gank.
Miracle’s Earthshaker – in his 3-man Echo Slam to save Saberlight | DreamLeague Season 20 #dota2
His games against BetBoom were not as fortunate, playing Timbersaw to losses in both games. He did perform well in both lanes, coming out significantly ahead in the second match against Danil “gpk” Skutin’s Void Spirit. While Miracle- isn’t quite as esteemed as he used to be, he still demonstrates extremely strong laning skills and playmaking abilities in Shopify Rebellion against two of its strongest opponents.
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