People complain about Aatrox's rework but then...

...they build him like Riven or an AD caster.

New Aatrox is NOT Riven!

He is a JUGGERNAUT!

ALL he needs is and , then full tank.

, and are all garbage on him. He already has innate waveclear, sustain and a free revive on his ult. Would you build a on Garen? Obviously not, Garen's passive already covers that item's niche. The same goes for Aatrox, you don't need a second revive, his ult already covers that on demand, but you do need the extra tank stats to survive in the first place, and to revive with even more hp after you ult.

I'll repeat this again, Aatrox is not an AD caster, he is a JUGGERNAUT. Riven can afford to go full AD/lethality, her combos can be quickly executed, her stun is instantaneous, she has tons of mobility and escape. Her base damage are also sh*t so she really needs extra damage to function properly. On the other hand, Aatrox is slow, his E dash barely makes up for his Q cast animation, his attacks are slow, and his whole combo takes a while to setup. Unlike Riven, he has great base damage, he really only needs BC and Sterak since they both work so well on him, but he does need the extra tank stats since you'll be looking for prolonged fights. Also the tankier you get, the more you'll be able to dish out damage in extended fights, and the more you'll regain from your ult when you revive. He already gains a bunch of AD from his E and ult, combined with BC and sterak, any additionnal offensive item is overkill.

You also pick Conqueror on him. Once again, you'll be looking for extended fights, Conquerer allows you to thrive in teamfights and duel, adding to your already high base stats and allowing you to shred any targets with true damage. This rune synergize best with Aatrox's kit and play pattern.

You also don't pop his ult preemptively to a fight, sure the extra AD is useful, but once again, Aatrox is not Riven. Riven pops her ult to increase her burst potential and then quickly finish off her target. With Aatrox you'll want to use your ult whenever your enemy commits to a fight, not before. Aatrox is slow, and unless you land your W and Q perfectly, he has little sticking potential. His ult allows him to survive and force the enemy to reconsider any fights they initiate. Practice and experience will allow you to know the perfect moment to use your ult. Pop it too early and you'll risk your ult expiring before dying, pop it too late and you'll revive with barely any HP.

Do not go out of your way to land perfect Qs. Positionning is very important, and backing away or using E to get extra damage on Q1 and Q2 just isn't worth it when the enemy is already in your face. Save your E casts when the enemy is getting out of reach and to stay on top of them. Don't shy away from hitting an enemy with the inner part of your Qs to optimize your positionning. You should never back away from an enemy just for the sake of landing with the tip of your Q1&2, you'll miss out on auto-attacks and possibly allow them to flee.

Sorry for the rant, i'm just sick of people bashing on Aatrox's rework, but then failing to build him properly and playing him wrong. They compare him to Riven, but although his spells are somewhat similar, his kit's execution is completly different. In fact old Aatrox was so much more closer to Xin Zhao than New Aatrox is to Riven. I just thought i'd share my thoughts and some tips about reworked Aatrox from my extensive testing (mostly on PBE though) and hope to dissipate some misconception about new Aatrox.