Saigon Buffalo vs T1: Vietnamese will try to put up a fight

The first international LoL tournament kicks off on Tuesday, May 10. The first matches of the Mid-Season Invitational 2022 will pit host T1 against Saigon Buffalo.

The Mid-Season Invitational 2022 is a LAN tournament in the cybersports discipline of League of Legends, featuring the winners of the spring splits of 11 separate Riot leagues, with LCL not sending a representative this spring due to the cancellation of the LCL spring split. It was also announced on April 21 that the LPL representative would compete online from China due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and all teams will compete at 35ms to level the playing field. The tournament prize money is $250,000.

Saigon Buffalo (formerly known as Dashing Buffalo, Phong Vũ Buffalo, and Young Generation) is a Vietnamese professional eSports organization. The LoL team is known in the international arena. Buffalo became a member of the World Championships and tournaments series MID at various times. But the internationals for this Vietnamese team ended back in 2019, so they are to be congratulated on their return to the big game.

The Buffalo team is extremely good in the spring, they became the vice-champions of VCS Spring 2022 just like a year ago, losing in the final to the GAM Esports team (1:3). Just the champions should have gone to the Mid-Season Invitational 2022. Still, the GAM Esports team decided not to participate in MSI due to the participation of players of this roster in the 31st Asian Games with the Vietnamese team. Saigon Buffalo is invited to MSI as Asian VCS League winners.

What are the predictions? The first match against the leader will not decide anything for them. I wouldn't say the Vietnamese are clear underdogs in Group A, so don't blame them for their opening defeat, especially against T1.

T1 is a Korean eSports team run by T1 Entertainment & Sports, a joint venture between SK Telecom and Comcast Spectacor, formed from SK Telecom T1 K and SK Telecom T1 S. They were previously known as SK Telecom T1.

To develop a young squad before the 2021 season, T1 managed to sign Keriya from DRX, replacing Eforth. This squad finished 4th in the Korean Championship in the spring of 2021, with T1 being heavily criticized for many player replacements during the regular season. In the summer of 2021, coaches Daeny and Zefa were fired from the team, right in the middle of the split, with Stardust and Moment becoming interim coaches. This squad finished second in the summer split, losing to DAMWON Gaming in the final, but Team T1 secured a trip to Worlds 2021 with a 3-2 win over Hanwha Life Esports in the regional final. At the Worlds, the Korean team reached the semi-finals, which was a good result for them.

After T1 finished 3-4th at Worlds 2021, the team brought Zeus into the starting line-up, but Canna, Ellim, Cuzz, Clozer, Teddy, and Hoit left the team. With 4 of the five main players back in the new season, T1 became the first LCK team ever to win the regular season, breaking their own LCK Summer 2015 record where they finished with 17/1.

T1 are clear favorites to win the group, and they are expected to win the tournament, although there are now many questions about the advisability of lowering the game pings for the sake of the Chinese alone.

Total kills on the map will be under 26.5 for 1.83.

T1 will win with a handicap of -12.5 kills for 1.83.

The map will last less than 26 minutes; the odds are 1.83.

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