Former League of Legends Pro Nientonsoh Wins $50,000 WoW Forever Tournament as Warlockguy

Former League of Legends professional Zachary "Nien" Malhas, also known as Nientonsoh, has won The Forever Open, a World of Warcraft: Forever PvP tournament featuring a $100,000 prize pool. Competing under the character name Warlockguy, he defeated Neepzen 3-1 in the grand final to claim the $50,000 championship prize.

The tournament took place on October 17 and 18, 2026, during the World of Warcraft: Forever beta. It brought together competitive players and popular streamers for one-on-one duels, with Warlockguy winning the title after fighting his way back from the lower bracket.

Warlockguy entered the championship bracket as the 20th seed among 36 finalists. Playing an Undead Warlock, he advanced through the upper bracket before encountering Neepzen, another Warlock player. Their first meeting ended in a 2-1 victory for Neepzen, sending Warlockguy into the lower bracket. With another defeat meaning elimination, he needed to win his remaining matches to reach the grand final.

Warlockguy recovered by defeating Shaman player Cdewx 2-0 in the lower-bracket final, earning another opportunity to face Neepzen. The championship rematch was played as a best-of-five series. Neepzen took the opening game, but Warlockguy responded by winning three consecutive duels to secure a 3-1 victory.

The result earned him the $50,000 first-place prize and the tournament's "Death's Duelist" title. Neepzen finished second, while Cdewx placed third. Another Shaman player, Oddwaffletv, finished fourth, leaving Warlocks and Shamans occupying the tournament's top four positions.

Warlockguy is the World of Warcraft character used by Zachary "Nien" Malhas, an American former professional League of Legends player. Malhas previously competed under the name Nientonsoh and represented several North American esports organizations, including Team MRN, Counter Logic Gaming (CLG) and Team 8.

He is particularly remembered for his time with CLG, where he competed as the team's top laner during the 2013 and 2014 North American League Championship Series seasons. After joining CLG in May 2013, he became part of the organization's competitive roster before stepping down from its starting lineup in April 2014.

Malhas later competed for Team Fusion and Team 8 after leaving CLG. Beyond League of Legends, he also has extensive experience in competitive World of Warcraft, including high-level Arena play and previous PvP tournament success. His victory at The Forever Open adds another major achievement to his competitive gaming career. He currently streams on Twitch under the username nien1.

The Forever Open was a community-organized tournament led by content creator Tips Out, with Esfand and Xaryu hosting the competition and its Twitch broadcasts. The event initially offered $50,000 in prizes. However, streamer TimTheTatman contributed another $50,000, doubling the total prize pool to $100,000.

Competition took place in the World of Warcraft: Forever beta and was restricted to level 30 Horde characters. Players competed in one-on-one duels rather than the team-based Arena format commonly associated with competitive World of Warcraft.

The qualifying stage determined the four highest-ranked players from each of the game's nine eligible classes. Those 36 competitors then advanced to a double-elimination championship bracket. Half of the prize pool went to the overall champion, while the remaining $50,000 was divided into approximately $5,555 awards for the highest-placed player from each class.

Under the tournament rules, the overall champion could not also receive a class prize. Since Warlockguy won the championship as a Warlock, the class-specific award went to runner-up Neepzen.

The Forever Open was a community-organized competition rather than an official Blizzard esports tournament. However, Blizzard supported the event by providing a dedicated dueling arena in Hyjal Crater for the October 18 finals. The developer also arranged access to the normally inaccessible area and provided vendors for tournament participants. The competition took place during the official World of Warcraft: Forever beta, ahead of the game's scheduled November 4, 2026, launch.