As the second day of MSI 2022 unfolded, Saigon Buffalo aimed to secure a win to keep their hopes alive for a top 6 finish following their defeat against T1. However, their opponent – DetonatioN FocusMe – was not an easy name to contend with. In the 2021 World Championship, the Japanese representatives successfully made it through the qualifiers for the first time. Not to mention, Evi and Yutapon are both highly experienced players. Thus, the challenge for the “Buffalo Herd” was quite substantial.
And in reality, the match demonstrated that DFM was not an easy name to beat, even though the LJL’s international achievements and tournament history are hard to compare with VCS. DFM applied significant pressure in the early game and caused several difficulties for SGB in executing their strategy. Particularly, when facing Yaharong in the mid lane, Froggy did not stand out much. The DFM player still managed to farm and posed some challenges for SGB with his Destiny plays.
However, as they progressed into the mid-game, SGB truly proved their resilience. After a well-executed Baron play, SGB regained all advantages and even took the lead in towers and Dragon buffs. The following moments witnessed a back-and-forth chase in each skirmish between DFM and SGB. And in the tug-of-war over the Elder Dragon, SGB assigned Bean J and Froggy to perform a backdoor. Even when Yutapon returned to defend, he was taken down, and SGB’s victory was well-deserved.
With this victory, SGB temporarily has a record of 1 win – 1 loss, equal to DFM, pushing Team Aze to the bottom of the table. Moreover, the win against a tough opponent like DFM will greatly boost SGB’s morale for their remaining group stage match against the representative from Latin America.
As for DFM, their chances will become even tougher in the final match, as Evi and his teammates will face T1, who are in outstanding form. Therefore, SGB could very well move up to second place in the standings after the first round of MSI 2022 if they can defeat Team Aze in the upcoming match.