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Aatrox Build Guide by

An in-depth look at Aatrox by postaldude

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Aatrox Build Guide By Updated on

Guide Discussion (2) More Aatrox Guides

Choose Champion Build:

Example of a Good Build
Example of a Bad Build

Spells:

Flash

Ignite

Items

Good Build <in purchase order>

Ability Order

Aatrox Passive Ability

Introduction

Hey there Mobafire,

My name is postaldude, i'm currently a Silver Division 2 player on the NA servers and i'm looking to help out people who don't quite know what to build on Aatrox, or don't really know what items to go for. I see many people building and playing Aatrox incorrectly in lane, as in rushing very strange items, or being over aggressive all the time. I decided to take an in-depth look at Aatrox, his mechanics, his counters, who he synergises well with and what items are good on him. Also, this is one of my first guides (I made one back during Season 2 under a different name)and I plan on making more after this. Any constructive criticism will be greatly appreciated. Also, I do plan on updating this to add more information to the match ups / who works well with him, the only reason I am not doing it now is because I like going in games and getting matched up against the champions, or matched with them randomly, just to study it. Hope you like the guide.

Pros / Cons

Pros

Good at bullying in lane with his and trades.
Good sustain, especially when near 50% HP because of
Great burst potential with the third hit proc on mixed with
Great late game presence
Can easily peel off an ADC / APC
Great 1v1 mid/late game
Can set up ganks early on with his and

Cons

The sustain is a bit contradictory, as I claim it is good sustain (because it is) but is also bad because you must be near minions, or the enemy champion for it to be effective. When you're at 50% HP or lower, will heal you double the amount. If you're behind, or getting zoned extremely hard it becomes virtually worthless. If this is happening, try to get your jungler to gank, you're going to (A) Kill the enemy. (B) Force them out of lane. (C) Make them use a summoner. (D) Put them on edge, and get them afraid of being ganked again.

If you die too many times early game, whether its from an over-confident 1v1 attempt, or a jungler ganking while you had no wards, it will be difficult for you to pick up in mid-late game. Going 1-2 0-2 sometimes 0-3 is pretty acceptable, but not ideal. You need to try your best to stay alive and continue to get lane EXP, even if your farming isn't on par with the enemy. If you feel like you're falling way too far behind, call for a gank. is exceptionally good at farming from afar. If you cant seem to get close enough to last hit, consider maxing before

I'm about to kill three birds with one stone here. can be countered easily in lane because he is so squishy, and because a good amount of CC (example , , ) can completely shut down his wombo combo. Early game is 's weak point, even though people like denying it because he has but theres no way around it. Solo queue, build to counter.

Masteries

With I like going 9/21/0 masteries, it helps with his early game weakness.
I the offense tree I take over because I feel that the 4% attack speed boost works better with his passive. I take because putting a point in is a must considering you are completely auto-attack dependent.

Now, onto the defense tree. I took 4 points intp because I feel the extra HP per level is more important than the regen or less minion damage. Now, What I did next with the three points in and three points in , nothing is set in stone. This is a simple guideline, not what you should use every game. Under certain circumstances may be totally useless, like versus all AD teams while in other cases, its useful because of double AP on the enemy team. I take two points into because it also unlocks , both of which are useful for early game trading. because is shut dow nby hard CC. because isn't naturally healthy. The last point I chose is because in general, its just amazing. 3% less damage, thats from all sources, not just "3% from AP damage" or anything, pure damage reduction.

Skill Sequence

Whenever Aatrox uses an ability that costs health, he stores 100% of the health cost into his Blood Well. The maximum amount of health the Blood Well can store equals 30 + (45 × level). If Aatrox has not dealt or received damage in the last 5 seconds, his Blood Well will deplete at a rate of 2% per second.
Upon taking fatal damage, Blood Well activates and places Aatrox in stasis for 3 seconds. Over the stasis duration the Blood Well is emptied and Aatrox restores health equal to its contents plus 10.5 + (15.75 × level). Blood Well's activation has a static cooldown and is unaffected by cooldown reduction.
Also, Aatrox passively increases his attack speed by 1% for every 2% in the Blood Well.

is the bane of 's existence, get to negate . Also, gives you more attack speed the more blood you have stored, so be sure to keep as much stored as you can.

ACTIVE: Aatrox takes flight and slams down at a targeted area, dealing physical damage to nearby enemies upon landing. Enemies in the center of the area are also knocked up for 1 second.

I personally, max out last because I feel that and / are much more efficient, takes too much of your HP early on for it to be viable to max out first.

TOGGLE OFF: Aatrox heals himself on every third attack. If Aatrox is below 50% health he will heal for three times as much.
TOGGLE ON: Aatrox deals bonus physical damage on every third attack at the cost of health.

This is 's bread and butter. allows him to sustain in lane just by auto attacking, at no health cost and it isn't weak if you don't have much AD, it actually becomes powerful the more you get and starts off decently. scales ridiculously well, and makes trading amazing with that third hit damage. I max this ability first because of the lane sustain and trading potential.

ACTIVE: Aatrox unleashes and sends forward the power of his blade, dealing magic damage to enemies in a line and slowing them by 40% for a few seconds.

Another very good ability, useful for poking. I max this second. The slow does not get stronger as the game drags on, but it does last longer. It is a bit tedious to actually land at times, and the animation goes further than the actual skill. Extremely useful for chasing.

ACTIVE: Aatrox draws in the blood of his foes, dealing magic damage to nearby enemy champions.
For the next 12 seconds, Aatrox gains bonus attack speed and 175 bonus attack range (325 total range). His attacks are still considered melee.

Another amazing ability, sequences perfectly with the third proc on , you can burst someone out of nowhere, preferably an APC or ADC as they're the squishiest ones on the team.

Items

Tier 1 Damage Options

One of the best for , Attack Speed, Lifesteal, Attack Damage, a passive that steals run speed and heals you. What more could you want?

Another great item for . It has lots of lifesteal and lots of attack damage. If you get it with you can sit in for most of the fight. (Unless you're getting focused)

Considering is completely auto-attack based for his main source of damage, this is viable if the enemy is getting a lot of armor, or if you want to be doing "lesser true damage".

Another good item, it gives you health CDR and attack damage along with armor pen for each hit, since your passive gives you attack speed its not hard ot get the stacks off.

Tier 2 Damage Options

I was never a big fan of this on because other items are more viable for him, but if you want to do some AoE damage in teamfights this would be your go-to item.

An above average magic resist item because of the unique active, it helps get out of some tight spots, but I still wouldn't choose it over some other items.

Gives you a good amount of health, you don't really need the slow if you're landing and it doesn't give much AD, sometimes as AD is not what you need. All in all its an okay item.

Viable Defensive Options

Makes an excellent starting item versus people like , it gives you that early game trade advantage and I suggest getting it if its a poke lane or a trade lane.

Another viable item, gives you a nice amount of armor, a nice amount of health and the 50 magic damage/sec helps more than people think. I personally get this if they don't have too many auto-attack reliant champions.

You can't really go wrong with this item, it gives you 1K HP, which is a lot of bulk and it also regens 1% of your maximum health every few seconds.

Excellent defensive option versus a , , , or because it gives you armor, health and the active is amazing versus those champions specifically.

One of my two personal favorite for mainly because you get a second chance, with a certain build you can become the one versus one king at a certain point in the game, mainly because of this item.

Good vs extreme AP team, or if the APC is super fed, otherwise its not really worth investing money into and the support or jungler should pick it up.

I love this item on because not only does it give health and magic resist, but the passive on it works for and . It pretty much negates ignite on your passive.

Viable Boot Options

You can't really go wrong with this because of the tenacity they offer you. The only time I don't see these being super viable is it the enemy team is full of AD champions.

Excellent for laning phase, and versus the enemy ADC. May leave you feeling a little weak versus AP champions so feel free to pick up some additional magic resist items if you do go

Match-Up Difficulty

Easy Match-Ups

walks into a bar, is sitting there with a spiked bat. This will be literally one of the easiest lanes you can possibly dream up for . One of 's major counters is someone with more sustain than him, that's where you come in. He requires mana to stay in lane and keep his sustain up, where doesn't require anything except auto attacks. He has absolutely no way to stop you from auto attacking, and he only has a movement speed slow. Just be careful for a or . TL:DR, If you're getting the short end of the stick with trades, keep doing it. He'll run OOM and you'll be able to stay in lane.

, you'd think with his and similar healing passive, he would make an exceptional opponent. To beat in this lane as , you wait it out until level four. The second rank on your allows you to heal more, it makes the worlds difference. When he tries his + wombo combo on you, simply disengage with and wait it out. Once you're level 4, you can brawl him. I suggest starting with 5 pots, and making the into picking up a before finishing off your . TL:DR, is a must, wait until level 4 to brawl him.

Lets face it, when people play in the top lane, its usually frowned upon, yet people still do it. Hes as weak as is early on, so the squishiness isn't that much of an issue. The only thing you'll want to look out level 6+ is the random burst from . If he runs close to you and uses , disengage with your (especially if you have no wards and feel like you're going to get ganked). If he uses , you disengage yet again with and wait for it to go down. If he doesn't have his ultimate, hes the prime candidate for you. If he uses you can easily outheal it with . TL:DR, Try fighting when and is on cooldown.

, his greatest creation! Contrary to popular belief, should be able to win this lane with ease. Sure, has sustain with but not nearly as much as your . I cannot stress enough how good will be versus him. Pre-level 6 you need to harass the cr*p out of him with and make sure to keep him away from farm. When hes level 6, You shouldn't attempt to take him on without because of his . If hes going all in on you and you have up, thats his mistake. Immediately switch to if you have not yet already and pop for the attack speed and damage, I would not suggest moving around unless you plan on doing the AA walk to kite him around. When his is around 2 seconds left, throw your onto him. If all goes well, you should have stayed around 25% or higher, and if he popped your passive then his would be down. If he uses on you, do not panic! away, or onto him if you feel you can continue the fight. TL:DR Bully him like crazy pre-6, then brawl him if he goes all in at level 6.

, just like a lane without all the sustain! Seriously, has NO issues in this lane whatsoever. All can do is poke you with his and stop your with . Other than that, its smooth sailing. If he goes in to make a trade, be relentless. Most people go in, use a few abilities and walk away. If tries doing that, you punish him and hard. Don't leave him alone until you're just outside of turret range. Denying farm and kills is denying him everything mid to late game. Also, you have a get-out-of-his-ult-for-free kind of deal, he can't do anything until he pops your and in a 1v1 he won't be able to. Think about it, if he uses before your is down, he wasted it. If he doesn't use it before is down, he has a 0% chance of killing you. TL:DR, DON'T BE AFRAID! This is the easiest lane for you.

Skill Match-Ups

Lets face it, is a ranged version of you in lane, except he can juke harder. His passive, will allow him to build tanky and still deal damage. This won't matter once you get your because of the percentage damage on it. As be prepared to get harassed. He WILL poke you with and . has a very high CD early on, so do NOT be afraid to go and farm with up. If the is an exceptional or above player, you will almost never hit him with on your first try because of . When he pops after you use , thats the signal to go in and follow him until he pops back up, then slow him with and switch to . If that isn't working [which it should, especially early levels] then be sure you farm with up and keep him at bay with and the constant threat of . TL:DR, Try going in on him with to pop his , it has a ridiculous early level cooldown, if he uses it follow up with .

, the hero of solo top. Its a fairly even match up, if you know you know hes going to try to poke you the hell away from the farm. Its going to be another one of those "keep up and farm" kind of advice sessions. Hes gonna poke you, and a lot. Personally, for this lane I would start and then buy my first back just to counter his poke. His and combo is going to be brutal if you don't have armor, so all in all, and are two excellent items for this match-up. If you jump onto him with we all know hes going to you away, and your cooldown is longer than his. Poke at him with and keep your focus on farming. [Unless jungler ganks of course]. TL:DR, Build a good amount of armor for this lane match-up, its going to be a farm lane.

is slippery and dangerous. He can you, but that wont stop , it will just reduce your damage and obviously force you to attack him. He can brawl you upfront by using mixed with his passive, . If hes smart he will use when you try using The cooldown is high at low levels so abuse it. If he tries brawling you, switch to . If he tries disengaging, follow him. If he uses to get away follow him with and punish him. If hes winning due to and , then you must disengage with . Consider picking up a after your and getting some tenacity to make his taunt last less time. TL:DR, Build tenacity, get some meat on your bones before finishing your

, the terror of top lane.. even will have a fairly hard time with this. builds extremely tanky and still has a very good damage output, you WILL need jungle pressure for this match up. His passive is , so much like you, when at 50% health he also becomes deadlier to fight. You must watch his lower bar, if its red you need and I can't stress this enough you MUST YOU NEED TO STAY AWAY WHEN THE BAR IS RED! He will DESTROY you with the damage output from and . He has a double dash with , which will make it easier for him to get close to you when he has a fury pool running. At level 6 be careful for because he will tower dive if you are low enough and if he has already popped your . A tip for this lane is building and before even getting a or . TL:DR Build armor, lots of it. Stay away from him when he has a full fury bar, and be careful for

like , is on the verge of entering the "Extremely Difficult" category. At this point, If you were both exceptional players, the would beat the . You need to have a slight curve in skill in order to beat in lane, but its nowhere near impossible. For this lane, start and make her waste her mana by using . If you can force her to shift into then lane becomes easy for you. The only thing that should hold you back from going all in, his her . can only be used in , so keep that in mind. When she is in , she gets which makes her untargetable, and she can jump to an enemy, whether its a jungle monster, a minion or a champion. If you can get her to waste all of her mana on , make sure you're above half health before rushing in to fight her. The lower health you are is usually the better with , but in this lane.. one false move with low health will get you killed. Remember folks, does more damage the less health you have while does more damage if you have more health. to and are a MUST after your . TL:DR, Build plenty of magic resist, make her run OOM so she cannot you and get an early

Extremely Difficult Match-Ups

Yeah.. this guy.. every first-pick dreads seeing his face show up on the other team. is 's worst nightmare. just demolishes you. every third hit is stronger than because it doesn't cost him any health, and the active on it counters you. The most you can do in this lane is sit back and max to last hit minions at a safe distance. If decides to go all in with a and , disengage with . You can't build one straight resist because he is a hybrid-damage champion. You can't build health because is EXTREMELY viable on him. TL:DR Wait for jungler to gank, sit back and farm. Max first.

Another extreme challenge for , but if you get two kills on , you will most likely win the lane and shut her down hard. The two things that will screw you over is her saving her third charge on to knock you back in attempt to interrupt your . If she does this, shes free to you and just unleash her early game power. Try dodging her and if you can't, disengage and sit back, wait for cooldowns. Your best bet would be to start 5 health potions, and get a early and . If you plan on brawling her, poke her down with a few times before finally going in to trade hard. She can dodge your with and go back in with so be careful for that. TL:DR Play cautious, build armor, health and try to sustain while she will be most likely zoning you.

This can be considered an easy or a hard lane, it all depends on the skill level of the . If she is good, its going to be a very hard challenge. Her sustain is good, but not as good as yours. You both rely on auto attacks for sustain but hers is up more because it gives her health regen, rather than health every three hits. When you pop , she will try to juke with , you can either continue going at her, or run away.. either way you're going to take a ton of damage. If you run, she will pop and use twice to chase you. If you don't run, she'll do the same exact thing but you'll take the damage from . Its always going to be a close fight between you two, but she will most likely come out on top if you do not have any help because, in my opinion is much better than . TL:DR Plenty of armor, plenty plenty plenty. Get as many ganks as you can pre level 6

The tiger in the top lane, . This lane is close to impossible, he has almost infinite sustain with , he makes better trades because of 's passive and he has AKA a free stun and run speed every few seconds. People say "Oh but is better in the jungle!". They're wrong.. counters many solo tops such as : . The only way you will win this lane is if decides to go first. Or if you get plenty of ganks. TL:DR Never play vs , it is almost impossible for you to win. If you're suicidal enough to try this, get as many ganks as you can. [

Champions Aatrox synergises well with

Tier 1

The synergy between and is unbelievable. If uses on , he can then into the enemy team, activate followed up by an . Both of those ultimates combined like that are devastating if the enemy team is grouped up.

also works amazing with . If can land and follow it up with , can them jump into the middle of it with and pop . I only suggest doing this if managed to trap three or more people, or if it caught a carry.

If can land his and follow it up with a good , should follow up with what? You guessed it, and .

Not only do the and ultimates synergise well together, also provides excellent peel for . Example ; leaps onto , then uses on her and then to slow him, while AA runs and uses to kite him further.

Tier 2

Ahhh.. and . Who doesn't like a into a followed by and ? The guy getting ganked of course! and work well together too.

The level 1 invade possibilties while you have and is pretty nice, a combination. You think doesn't die with and ? Imagine that with . Oh, did I mention the peel off an ADC with these two is ridiculous?