Why S8UL Esports Was Disqualified from MLBB Mid-Season Cup 2025

S8UL Esports, MLBB Team

Indian esports organization S8UL Esports has been disqualified from participating in the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) Mid-Season Cup (MSC) 2025, following a violation of tournament rules by two of its players.

Here’s a clear breakdown of why this happened.

The Core Reason: Participation in a Rival MOBA Event

The disqualification revolves around two S8UL players — Jang “Hoon” Seong-hun and Michael “Mobazane” Cosgun — taking part in an event organized for Honor of Kings, a direct competitor to Mobile Legends: Bang Bang in the mobile MOBA genre.

According to the MSC 2025 Committee, this action violated the official MSC Penalty Index (Section 2, Index B). The rule specifically prohibits any team member from engaging in:

"Any competitor games’ event, activity, livestream or other way to give the competitor games exposure."

Since Honor of Kings falls under the category of a competing mobile MOBA, Hoon and Mobazane’s participation in its promotional campaign directly breached this clause.

Why the Rule Exists

MOONTON Games, the developer of MLBB and organizer of the MSC, maintains strict boundaries between its title and rival MOBAs. The rule is designed to prevent potential brand conflicts, cross-promotional exposure, and divided loyalties, particularly during high-profile international tournaments like MSC, which are heavily sponsored and marketed.

Engagement with competing games during this period is seen as a threat to the integrity of the league’s ecosystem and commercial partnerships.

Impact on S8UL’s Roster

As a direct result of the violation, both Hoon and Mobazane were suspended from participating in MSC 2025. This left S8UL unable to meet the tournament’s minimum roster requirement — which mandates five main players, one substitute, and one coach.

Moreover, the event rules allow roster changes only under specific conditions such as medical emergencies or force majeure events, which didn’t apply here. With no path to reconfigure the lineup legally, the team was rendered ineligible to compete.

Replacement Team Announced

Following S8UL’s disqualification, their MSC 2025 slot was awarded to Area 77, the runner-up of the North America Challenger Tournament (NACT) Spring 2025.

Area 77 will now represent North America at the Mid-Season Cup, which kicks off on July 10 in Riyadh and features a $3 million prize pool as part of the Esports World Cup 2025.

Player Reactions: FwydChickn Speaks Out

S8UL player Ian “FwydChickn” Hohl released a video statement criticizing the decision. He alleged that the Honor of Kings campaign had been planned well in advance and that, at the time, there were no clear indicators in the rulebook suggesting that it would interfere with MSC eligibility.

“We’ve been forced to withdraw due to unfair restrictions and bullying from MOONTON,” said FwydChickn. “After reviewing the rulebook, we genuinely believed nothing would obstruct us from competing at MSC.”

Despite the backlash, S8UL’s management has yet to release an official statement addressing the situation.

While fans may be disappointed, the decision has already been made, and Area 77 will now carry the North American banner forward in what promises to be an intense international showdown.