A lot of people have been hating on the new Aatrox rework saying that hes clunky, weak, and simply unplayable. I completely disagree with all of these opinions and I am a firm believer that he holds a spot in League of Legend's roster. I think that people have simply been playing him incorrectly, taking the wrong runes and having an incorrect playstyle. If played correctly, Aatrox's early game power is incredible, he has great damage in the mid game, and he has enough CC to carry the late game.

The new Aatrox is nothing like the previous one and plays more like Pantheon would. In the early game he is looking to poke out his enemy laner, constantly getting guaranteed Arcane Comet procs with The Darkin Blade and Infernal Chains. An important tip is to miss your Q intentionally then use your E at the last second so you can reposition before the enemy can react. Landing all 3 q's in the early game will chunk the laner down to atleast 1/2 health. This will allow Aatrox to gain a CS advantage or even a kill due to this immense early game pressure. One Aatrox gets 6 he should look to dive the low health enemy continuously alone or with a jungler due to the safety his ultimate, World Ender, provides along with Nimbus Cloak. In the midgame Aatrox should look to flank the enemy, ulting right before he engages for extra movement speed and to charge his blood well in case he dies. World Ender's revive allows Aatrox to be much more aggressive than he normally would be able to and gives him the proper damage to take out multiple carries. In the late game Aatrox is not as relevant so he should stand back by his carries and look to CC the enemy front or back line and eventually all-in with his ultimate.

Arcane Comet Arcane Comet: This rune supplements Aatrox's immense early game pressure and allows him to poke out the enemy laner with ease. He can get guaranteed procs of Arcane Comet due to The Darkin Blade and Infernal Chains allowing him to constantly harass the enemy. Nimbus Cloak Nimbus Cloak: This rune gives Aatrox a strong way to catch up to his enemies especially because World Ender also gives movement speed on activation. Nimbus Cloak also allows Aatrox set up better dives and get better flanks on the enemy Transc... endence Transcendence: This rune allows Aatrox to hit his much needed 40% CDR cap with the current build, allowing him to spam his Q's and E's during teamfights making him more effective overall Scorch Scorch: This rune supplements Aatrox's great early game poke and allows him to more easily win out the laning phase due to the extra damage Scorch provides Sudden Impact Sudden Impact: Aatrox can very easily proc this rune wtih Umbral Dash and it gives him good early game damage that is still relevant in the mid to late game Ravenous Hunter Ravenous Hunter: This rune gives Aatrox insane healing in his kit because of the combined healing from Death's Dance, Umbral Dash, and this rune

The Black Cleaver This item provides everything that Aatrox could ask for: 20% CDR, bulkiness, damage, chase potential, and armor shred. Overall a solid first buy

Death's Dance This item gives Aatrox an extra 10% CDR allowing him to reach his limit once he has built this item. It's passive provides him with some extra bulkiness, but most importantly its passive also provides him with some extra healing. This is complimented by Umbral Dash and Ravenous Hunter turning Aatrox into a Sustaaintrox

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Sterak's Gage This item also makes Aatrox more bulky with its shield and tenacity increase, but it also gives aatrox much more AD increasing his effectiveness in teamfights. You normally want to get this item you are fed because it increases your suitability and damage at the same time

Guardian Angel This item gives Aatrox a second revive (including World Ender) making it extremely hard for the enemy to kill you. You normally want to get this item when you are not ahead because it is cheaper than Sterak's and the revive still gives you bulkiness

Gargoyle Stoneplate If you activate this item right before you ult, you could in theory double the amount of health your blood well heals you for, and on top of that this item gives Aatrox the most bulkiness and overall the best teamfighting potential out of the 3 items