MLG announces League of Legends tournament structure and rewards for Winter 2013 season

League of Legends will feature prominently in Major League Gaming's 2013 Winter season. There has never really been any doubt about that. But now we've got info on how the competition will be structured, as well as how it will tie into Riot's own, year-spanning League Championship Series.

It all starts this time next week, in a sixteen-team qualifier with the top four going to the Winter Championship in Dallas next month. These four teams will compete for a $30,000 prize pool, and a spot in the LCS Promotion Tournament in May. Tournaments like these are one of the ways a team can qualify for the LCS this season, so spots are highly coveted. It's like competing for a spot in a tournament that could get you into the major league playoffs.

In addition, there will be a four-team International Exhibition, as well as eight teams already qualified for the North American LCS facing off in ranked matches. If you don't see yourself making it to Texas on March 15, you can watch the free 720p stream on MLG's Twitch channel .

Len Hafer is a freelancer and lifelong PC gamer with a specialty in strategy, RPGs, horror, and survival games. A chance encounter with Warcraft 2: Tides of Darkness changed her life forever. Today, her favorites include the grand strategy games from Paradox Interactive like Crusader Kings and Europa Universalis, and thought-provoking, story-rich RPGs like Persona 5 and Disco Elysium. She also loves history, hiking in the mountains of Colorado, and heavy metal music.