Aatrox

Overview

A monster with a storied history in pro play (unless you are a G2 fan), Aatrox is a top lane bruiser and carry who can bring a lot of damage to fights while still being difficult to kill even if he’s not tanky in the traditional sense. He’s a mobile champion with a lot of outplay ability and will be a comfortable pick for players who want a lot of agency at all phases of the game. Click here for the latest data on her best builds, including Runes, Items, Summoner Spells, and more. 

Keys to Remember About Aatrox

1. Aatrox has a lot of power early in the game, which means the best way to win with him is to win early and then snowball that into more wins across the map. Play aggressively early and look to make plays to help your other lanes.

2. Be careful using your Darkin Blade [Q] or Umbral Dash [E] in quick succession unless you can commit to the all-in if needed -- especially without good vision control -- as those are also tools to help you disengage.

Strengths

You can dominate lane if you’re able to land The Darkin Blade [Q] on enemies, especially if you combo it with Infernal Chains [W] to pull them into the damage zone. He also brings a little bit of sustain to the lane, which contributes to the early strength, and is a champion that can also turn a 1v2 into his favor if enemies aren’t careful to avoid his abilities. In team fights, especially in the mid game, you have a lot of AoE damage potential if you’re able to combo it together with some supporting damage from your teammates -- landing a big knock up onto multiple enemies can single handedly win you the fight. 

Weaknesses

He doesn’t scale greatly into end game, even if it’s not bad, and he’ll have some trouble against true split pushing focused champions in the side lanes. This means he’s a champion that benefits more from snowballing early, so if you find yourself falling behind, it’s going to be difficult to snap back. His abilities are also fairly telegraphed, so if players know what he does and play around his range, they can effectively neuter his damage and kill him before he’s able to get any resets with his World Ender [R]. 

Game Plan 

1. Early Game: Look to play aggressively in the early game, as you are very strong -- you’ll want to save Infernal Chains [W] until you can severely punish an enemy if not kill them outright. Being pushed up a lot means you are susceptible to ganks, though, so make sure to keep track of the enemy jungler as much as possible.

2. Mid Game: This should be a good spike for you as long as you won the early game. You can use the advantages you secured to continue pushing the issue for your team as you’ll be one of the most difficult champions to face head on in fights. 

3. Late Game: You won’t be able to run straight at enemies at this point in the game if they are competent -- instead look for flanks or angles to approach from the side. If you’re unable to do that, then you may be more effective at peeling for your carries or trying to draw pressure by split pushing.