Saigon Buffalo have made the return of the VCS to the international League of Legends stage a memorable experience. With the aggressive playstyle that has characterized the region for many years, the team left both Team Aze and DetonatioN FocusMe behind them in the 2022 MSI Group Stage.

Although SGB bit the dust twice against LCK champions T1, bot laner Nguyễn "Shogun" Văn Huy is confident that his team will step it up in the Rumble Stage. At the end of the Group Stage, Shogun spoke to Inven Global about his team's performance thus far and what he has learned from the first few days of play. He also evaluated his own performance and looked ahead at the new opponents he has to face in the Rumble Stage.

Congrats on making it to the Rumble Stage, Shogun! How do you feel about getting out of the Group Stage?

I think that, with this victory and with advancing to the Rumble Stage, we will get to face even more challenging teams. We will have a ton of learning experiences from playing against these teams.

In order to make it, DetonatioN FocusMe were the most important hurdle for you to overcome. The second game between you and them was very hectic. How was it for you to play against them?

As you can see, in the game against DFM we had very strong early leads, but we made mistakes. We started to throw the game, so we had to find ways to come back in the game.

We've seen a lot of aggressive play from Saigon Buffalo so far. What's it been like for you to play that style against international teams?

I feel like this is a signature playstyle from the VCS. We play like this all the time. It's kind of our obligation that we showcase what we are like on the international stage. I feel like it is true that our playstyle will have some difficulties, some challenges when we face tougher opponents. But we will always try to create surprises for our enemy.

You've played against T1 twice, and they're seen by many as the best team in the world at the moment. What have you taken from those games?

They are tough opponents to play against. We aim to give our very best and we try to learn as much as possible from our losses against them.

You have personally received quite some praise for your play. How do you feel about your own performance?

I feel like my performance has just been normal. Honestly, my teammates have been helping me so much to create such good conditions for me to shine.

What about your team's performance? Have we seen Saigon Buffalo's top shape yet?

I don't think we've reached our peak performance yet. We will get to face even tougher opponents next and I think we will become even more confident against them, gaining skills and playing better.

Something Saigon Buffalo did quite often in the VCS was juking opponents in the draft phase and giving Taki a surprising champion to play. Do you think that's a viable strategy here at MSI?

In preparing for our opponents in the Rumble Stage, I think we will have even weirder picks to surprise our opponents with.

I'm looking forward to it! Which teams that you're up against next have caught your eye?

Besides T1, I really want to face off against RNG. They have a very strong bot lane duo.

It sounds like we're in for a treat, then. To round up, is there anything you'd like to say to your supporters, Shogun?

To our fans from the VCS, thank you so much for always watching us and cheering for us, all the way to the international stage. I hope you will continue to cheer for us in the upcoming matches.