Aatrox: The Letdown

Hi, I have invested a couple of dozen hours into new Aatrox(and Lord knows how many into his old self), and after putting much thought,tears,blood,sadness and complete lack of hope into it i came onto the single worst conclusion for an Aatrox fanatic like myself The rework was a massive LETDOWN. Let me explain myself but first a bit of history.

The start of a 3 year journey

In the context of when i started with League i am fairly new compared to some other people, i wasnt there for the 5 Black Cleaver stacks or release LB or even the Cinderhulk tank apocalypse since i started when it ended. And one of the 3 main reasons i started besides friends and boredom was well, Aatrox. Something about this badass demon with a wicked sword lured me in and i coundt stop thinking about how i will take him to the top of League play (a rather absurd thing to consider but i was as green as an Irish hill). And there i was, Aatrox being one of the 10 champions you are given to play when you started at that time, and i remember loving every bit of this champion. The voice,the SFX, the animations i was hooked in and i fealt like i could play him forever. Aatrox was the very first champion i was saving IP(now blue essence) for, i was fanaticly trying to get him. And when i did i kept playing him more and more and more. Until i started playing other champions. And i came to a rather depressing conclusion that Aatrox, my sweet beloved Aatrox was increadibly generic, uninspired, and outdated. I no longer got much joy from playing him, even after the mini rework(il come back to this in a moment) Aatrox was always something i saw such potential in and he never lived up to which was sad to no end.

And then the first Reav3 Roadmap hit.

Road to Disaster

I was completly livid, my mind racing at all the possible ways this could go, all the cool things that could be done with his amazing theme of a Demon Swordmaster. I couldnt calm myself for at least an hour, i was raving on and on to my friends about all the ideas and directions he could go in, i was searching all over the web. Reddit,Discord,Youtube any scrap of info i could find. Nothing realy came up so i waited. With each new Roadmap my anticipation grew, i was going all around asking people what they thought. And then the true teasing began.

A Greatsword of Hype

The moment i read greatsword duelist and Dark Souls boss i was launched into the atmosphere of hype, i was already picturing ARTORIAS in League, of dashing around a teamfight and cleaving entire swaths of foes before me. I was so happy and content at that point i didnt care about any balance, pricing, LCS issues or any League related issue. My champion was coming. Someone i could never get bored with, a kit i could play for days straight and not get bored, a model i will never get tired of looking at, a VO i will know by heart. I was prob the happiest League player alive.

The World Ender has arrived

The day had come, I was with my long time friend helping him move into a new apartment when my YT notification light up. Aatrox: World Ender | Champion Teaser If i ever came close to a heart attack, that was it. I had that damned trailer on replay at least 20 times. I Coudnt Stop Watching When i came home i rushed to make a PBE account, bought Justicar the only skin i didnt have of Aatrox. And i waited. And then he came onto the PBE

Blinded by Hype

I was so happy, i waited in que for hours just to get a single game with the new Aatrox. I made up builds,runes for every occasion, ran through every matchup in my head that i could think off. Made at least a dozen lore theories and even joined the Aatrox Mains Subreddit and Discord. I was never excited about anything game related like this in all my life. And then my boi hit live. And my entire world slowly came crashing down. Reddit and Discord were a literal inferno. Thousands on Reddit calling it the worst VGU Riot has ever released, others saying it to be a complete bastardization of what Aatrox was and should be, bashing on his new voice comparing it to a drunk Russian with anger management issues. And i couldnt stand it. Everyone who said anything bad about the rework i attacked, from simple argueing to flat out insults. Nobody will dare trash MY CHAMPION so as long as i was present. And i continue playing my Aatrox, and with every game my illusions cracked bit by bit. From simple sighs of "that was unfortunate but it was my fault". Things quickly devolved into "why the fuck does this exist in his kit" and "who the fuck pushed this to live". I was found hating the very champion i so fanaticly defended, whose every skill, every voiceline was perfect to me, i grew to hate. And then i broke.

A fool and his Darkin

And this is where i am now, on the verge of quitting the champion, hell even quitting League alltogether. If Mordekaisers rework wasnt promised next year i would prob not even be writting this post or having any activity on my account. It keeps pulling me back in, come on give him another try, you will like him, its not so bad. And every time i do i get more and more angry and sad. Every time i get CCd, every time somebody hugs me when i Q, every time somebody stacks armor and render me worthless againste them, every time my R times out at the worst times and i die to a single auto, to the absurd CDs. I cannot take it anymore.

Know your Enemy

This reworks head designer was Riot Jag, a persone whose work before i wasnt paticulary fond of, since i cant stand Camille and think Kaisa stupidly overloaded but i gave him a chance and my full support, how wrong i was. Just to be clear, the death threats and KYS messeges he has gotten from other disgruntled individuals is disgusting and inexcusable, no rework no matter how bad anyone thinks it is warrents a man and his familiy getting threatend and calling for his firing, it is horrid. That being said Jags comments on how "Aatroxes rework is not meant for his mains" and his later response to the criticisam and hate with a "i will just say what has alread been said and take into account none of the VALID proposals and ideas brought forth by reasnoble Aatrox players" made me lose any and all respect for the man as a designer. I will not endorse any other champion or rework made by him as a lead and will not buy a skin for them either. I will not buy any of these champions and any content related to them weather it be skins,emotes,icons none of it. I know a few dollars less means nothing to Riot but still i will hold to my principals. You do not demolish a mans favorite champion and have him still give you money for your work.

The Darkin Whimp**

Everything about him screams lazy to me. To how his animations freeze, dont loop or are MISSING. Why doesnt he have a joke, why is his taunt so jokey, why due his autoes freeze and then snap back with another wonky auto animation, why does his E animation look like he tripped over a rock? And thats just the tip of the iceberg. Deathbringer Stance is just weird and fits into his kit rather poorly, and the heal and shield reduction serves literaly no purpose most of the time its just there sucking up power from the rest of his kit. Qs first 2 hitboxes dont make any thematic or logical sense. What kind of sword punishes you for hitting someone with the BLADE. The W is so strange and out of place for a greatsword champion, give him a third E charge or allowing him to move while in Q invalidates its entire point for existing since it makes literal 0 thematic sense. Why wasnt the Hellbent mechanic kept and refined? It could have been such a cool mechanic where both Aatrox and his opponent could play around it. No its scrapped. The Ultimate, where do i even start. Keeping the arguabley worst part about old Aatrox in the forme of the revive, but he moves no during it so yay its worth dumping so much of his power budget into it, and oh heres some AD cus its an Ulti and it has to do something i guess. World Ender my ass, old Aatrox made more use of his wings and they werent even proper wings and acted more as banners. New Aatrox has proper BADASS glowing wings. Only for show they dont actualy do anything.

Im tired and dont want to go one, if you like new Aatrox that is completly fine, enjoy him to your hearts content, more power to you. But me i am tired and dissapointed and spent. If anyone actualy made it to the end i THANK YOU from the bottom of my lil heart, your amazing for stomaching this lunatics ramblings. Feel free to post your opinions, wheather you agree with every word or think me wrong on every account.

Thank you for sticking throught this.

Much love,

Poolpary Sauron (Cute Balrog)