At the League of Legends Worlds 2022, Saigon Buffalo of Vietnam displayed great skill and tenacity in spite of their crushing 3-1 defeat at the hands of Mad Lions. As the team with the youngest average age, they attracted a great deal of attention from the audience who wanted to learn more about them.
Team Launch
The team is famous for changing its name, often to meet the approval of various sponsors. When founded in 2016, the Saigon Buffalo team was known as Young Generation. It was a reflection on the age of the schoolboy members who included players such as Palette, BigKoro and Naul. Basing themselves in their home town of Ho Chi Minh City, Young Generation quickly made an impact as a professional team in local LoL tournaments.
Phong Vu Buffalo
By 2018, Young Generation had attracted the interest of Phong Vu, one of Vietnam’s largest computer companies. A lucrative sponsorship deal followed, but in exchange, Young Generation agreed to change its name to Phong Vu Buffalo. They chose water buffalo as it is a traditional emblem of Vietnam symbolizing courage, prosperity and happiness. The name proved to be an inspiration as Phong Vu Buffalo achieved a great deal of success.
2018 Summer Playoffs
Phong Vu Buffalo became a major influence during 2018. They played their way to twelve wins, and recorded just two defeats against major teams such as GIGABYTE Marines and EVOS Esports. The team finally found themselves heading for the 2018 VCS Summer Playoffs. Phong Vu Buffalo played to their strengths to score a great 3-1 victory over Cube Adonis. It was to be the team’s pathway to one of the most prestigious meetings in esports, the international 2018 World Championships. However, they failed to progress beyond the group phase.
Dashing Buffalo
A new sponsor in 2019 prompted another name change. In honor of Dashing, a shampoo manufacturer, Phong Vu Buffalo became Dashing Buffalo. The team’s players such as Jungle.Meliodas, Top.Hasmed and Froggy achieved impressive results. It culminated in winning two out of three seasonal splits in the 2019 VCS, a feat they achieved the previous year as Phong Vu Buffalo.
Saigon Buffalo
In May 2020, the team decide on yet another name change. This time, they became Saigon Buffalo as part of a sponsorship deal that included Saigon Heat, Vietnam’s premier professional basketball team. Saigon Buffalo attended the World Championships for the third time in the team’s history. Although they failed to reach the finals, the players made an impression on the audience.
Conclusion
Saigon Buffalo has made progress towards League of Legends success, However, the most recent news is the team is hoping to find a new sponsor or owner to help them reach the top level of LoL. For news of more League of Legends teams click here and discover some of Saigon Buffalo’s opponents.
