The first match of the playoffs at MESA Nomadic Masters Spring 2025 between the Ukrainian team B8 and the German team BIG finally started - but only after a 5-hour technical pause that turned the opening of the decisive stage of the tournament into a farce.

What was the problem?
As it turned out, the tournament organizers did not provide enough powerful computers. According to the Leniniw Telegram channel, the B8 team was provided with all the computers that worked, while BIG received computers that couldn't even reach 300 FPS. After some arguments, a “compromise” was found, but the details are not known at the time of publication.

In addition, tabseN from BIG 's mouse broke, which made the technical pause even longer. The players were left in limbo, and the organizers repeatedly postponed the start.

Social media reaction: memes, disappointment, and free beer
Social media exploded with sarcasm: BIG joked on Twitter that their match would be delayed “indefinitely,” and the SkinBaron account posted a series of videos with empty stands and sad fans. The company dubbed the whole event the “championship with Mongolian ping”.

In order to ease the tension, MESA administrators began to give away free beer to the audience. This move caused mixed emotions, ranging from gratitude to even greater indignation at the absurdity of the situation.

The match did start, but instead of the morning kickoff at 09:00 CET, fans waited until the afternoon for the first rounds. After this match, the second semifinal - Heroic vs. Chinggis Warriors - is scheduled to take place. However, whether the tournament will have time to hold the matches in time is currently under question.

MESA Nomadic Masters: Spring 2025 will be held from April 30 to May 5. The entire tournament takes place in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, at the MESA studio and ASA arena. Participants compete for a prize pool of $250,000. You can follow the results and progress of the tournament through this link.