Nien to substitute for Misfits today, play for Team 8 this weekend

A rising star in League of Legends has one last matter to settle in the Challenger Series before he takes to the big leagues.

Newly crowned Team 8 AD carry Zachary “Nien” Malhas will substitute for Challenger side Misfits this evening, sources close to the organization tell the Daily Dot. Later this weekend, he’ll play his first games with Team 8, filling the void left by previous marksman Ainslie “maplestreet” Wyllie.

Misfits needs Malhas’s help because the team’s starting marksman, Mohamed “Jébus” Tohki, is still struggling to resolve his visa issues as he attempts to move to North America for the summer. The team used Wyllie in Tohki’s place on May 26, but due to Riot Games’ rules and his time with Team 8 from May 30 to 31, Wyllie is ineligible for Challenger Scene competition this upcoming week. Riot’s rules prohibit any player competing in the LCS from playing in the Challenger Series for at least one week.

This will be Malhas’s final match in Challenger competition this year. After an impressive performance with Team Fusion over the past few months, Team 8 owner Eric Ma reached out to Malhas, but didn’t add him to the roster until after the May 11 roster deadline, enforced by Riot Games.

Malhas will be joining Misfits bot lane temporarily alongside long time support Maria “Remilia” Creveling. Misfits is set to face Team Liquid Academy on June 2, a team best known for their bottom lane duo of Yuri “KEITH” Jew and Matthew “Matlife” Elento.

Photo via Riot Games/Flickr