AG.AL vs G2 Esports Game 1 Draft Analysis: Can G2’s Flex Picks Survive AG.AL’s Engage?
An in-depth Game 1 draft breakdown for AG.AL vs G2 Esports at the Esports World Cup, covering compositions, key picks, draft edge, and prediction.
Compositions
AG.AL drafted a direct, devastating front-to-back teamfight composition. Flandre’s Shen, Tarzan’s Jarvan IV, Shanks’ Orianna, Kael’s Leona, and Hope’s Varus give the LPL side multiple reliable engage tools while maintaining exceptional follow-up damage. Shen can join fights from a side lane with Stand United, Jarvan IV can trap priority targets inside Cataclysm, and Orianna can punish that confinement with Command: Shockwave.
The final layer is Hope’s Varus, whose ultimate provides either long-range pick pressure or another way to lock an opponent in place for AG.AL’s wombo combo. This lineup is comfortable playing through vision control around major objectives, forcing G2 to walk into narrow corridors where Jarvan IV and Orianna become especially dangerous.
G2 Esports opted for a far more unusual composition. BrokenBlade’s Anivia top and Labrov’s Camille support create flexibility and surprise value, while Caps’ Ahri, SkewMond’s Lee Sin, and Hans Sama’s Ezreal form a mobile pick-oriented core. G2 want to create chaos rather than accept a standard five-on-five battle. Ahri Charm, Lee Sin’s Sonic Wave, Camille’s Hextech Ultimatum, and Anivia’s wall can isolate a target before Ezreal supplies safe poke from range.
However, G2’s composition has a demanding execution threshold. Their damage and crowd control are distributed across several champions, but they lack a traditional durable frontline. If their initial pick fails, AG.AL can rapidly turn the fight with layered engage.
Key Picks
Jarvan IV is the defining pick of this draft. Tarzan has ideal targets in Ezreal, Ahri, Lee Sin, and Camille, all champions that rely heavily on movement to survive. Cataclysm can force flashes, restrict Ezreal’s Arcane Shift, and set up the Orianna ultimate that G2 must respect in every objective fight.
Anivia top is G2’s biggest strategic gamble. BrokenBlade can offer strong scaling, zone control, and waveclear, particularly if G2 secure early tempo elsewhere. Anivia’s wall can also disrupt AG.AL’s engage angles. But the champion is vulnerable to early jungle attention and may struggle to find safe positioning against Shen’s global pressure.
Camille support is another high-variance choice. Labrov can threaten decisive engage onto Varus or Orianna, especially alongside Lee Sin and Ahri. Yet Camille is fragile, and Leona has a much more reliable baseline in coordinated fights.
Draft Edge
AG.AL hold the clearer draft edge because their champions naturally combine into a single win condition: engage, lock targets down, and let Orianna and Varus finish the fight. Their composition is easier to pilot around dragons and Baron, and Shen gives them useful side-lane flexibility without sacrificing teamfight presence.
G2 have stronger surprise value and meaningful pick potential, but their draft requires precise flank timing, vision control, and target selection. They cannot repeatedly run into AG.AL head-on.
Prediction
G2 can win if SkewMond and Caps create an early snowball around Ahri and Lee Sin, allowing Anivia time to scale and Ezreal to poke before objectives. Still, AG.AL’s cleaner engage structure and more dependable five-versus-five tools make them the favorites in Game 1. Expect Tarzan and Shanks to dictate the most important fights once major objectives appear.