MDL 2017 postponed due to proximity to Kiev Major

MDL 2017 has been postponed due to team concerns with traveling to China almost immediately following Kiev Major. MDL was originally scheduled for May 10, however with Valve moving Kiev Major to APril 27-30th, that leaves teams little time to prepare and travel. The event will be held after TI7 with further details to be forthcoming.

Mars Media has revealed that the MDL 2017 has been postponed.

No specific dates were provided, but the event will be held after The International 2017.

The event was pushed back due to expressed concern from various teams about the proximity of MDL 2017 to the Kiev Major.

One of the reasons of our decision is that several teams felt uncomfortable traveling to China just a few days after the end of Valve’s fifth Major.

Originally scheduled from April 20-23, Valve recently announced new dates for the Kiev Major as for April 27-30 – “to help reduce potential conflicts with other tournaments”.

At the end of November, Mars Dota 2 League announced MDL 2017 – the 5th iteration of the event to take place in China on May 10-14 featuring eight teams.

The original dates would have given teams only one week to prepare and travel from the CIS region in Europe to China.

The first season was an all Chinese team event, but in season two Team Secret stood on top of the podium with Empire in the second row. EHOME brought the title back to China in the third season after sweeping through Evil Geniuses 3:0 – but the North American team exacted their revenge last season to take the title 3:1 over Newbee.

MDL 2016 LAN

MDL 2016 was the first international LAN event of the new season, following TI6. Eight teams from around the world competed for the $250,000 prize pool at the Xiamen International Conference & Exhibition Center in Xiamen, China between September 28 – October 2.

After a four game series the TI5 giants- Evil Geniuses overthrew the TI4 champions – Newbee 3:1 in the grand finals. With an incredible LAN debut of their newly revamped roster, the North American team seized the first post TI6 title and promise for a successful and exciting Fall Major 2016 season.

MDL 2016 LAN prize pool

The total prize pool for the event was $250,000.