Aatrox Rework (Riot PLEASE Read)
Ok so this is responding to "Aatrox and Trust" post by riot, I've mained aatrox for a long time and I have a lot of experience on him and there are others who perform amazingly on him on extremely high elo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peMPaWQy2R4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LctDegkzXCc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFem7uJXqtk Some examples.
Now that we have established he CAN be a good champion, we know he doesn't need to be reworked MUCH just a little, in effective and decisive ways.
As we don't want his potential to be ruined for a lot of people, just make it easier for him to find it.
He is FAR from an ok champion and is very clunky and weak in a variety of ways, but I think with a few simple changes he can be a good, balanced champion that is a lot smoother, cooler and FUN to play.
The changes he needs to his abilities are minor except for one and he does need some changes to his base/scaling stats.
Also at the bottom of the page I'll explain why these changes will help, fit him and I have explained my reasoning below for anyone who is curious or wanting to discuss it.
- Base/Scaling Stats
Armor 33 - 96 (this makes a BIG difference! Very needed!) Attack Speed +15% base
- Passive - The Same as live, Except the resurrection timer is 50% shorter (the time it takes you to revive)
when you resurrect you are CC Immune for a mere 0.5 seconds and your Q and E cooldowns are reset upon revival.
- Q - Range increased from 650 > 700, Cooldown 12 seconds at all ranks
Will always get to the location, even on death so your revive passive will proc on landing.
The exception being displacement effects whitch will ofcourse still distrupt it like they do every jump, aatrox's is just slower.
- W - Same as Live
- E - Blade of Torment/Cruelty. (Or Skyward Slash/Slice, This is crucial what Aatrox needs desperately) This ability will change depending on wether he has Blood Thirst or Blood Price selected.
Cooldown - 16/15/14/13/12 Range 550-600, only targetable on enemy champions.
Aatrox will dash (The speed of Akali Dash) to his opponent and attack for his third strike depending on what W is toggled (Independant of his W cycle so he could do two in a row) and during this strike he will do his critical strike animation and slice them upwards.
- Ult - Same as Live, but it will remove and make you immune to Grevious wounds.
YOU CAN LEAVE NOW, THE REWORK IS NOW OVER, YOU DON'T NEED TO READ ANY FURTHER UNLESS YOU ARE INTERESTED IN MY REASONINGS (Just so you know there isn't a bunch more you have to read)<<<<<
(Reasons for changing abilities)
- Passive - mostly when you use this ability, you have no attack speed and that is fair enough as it is connected to blood well and you are instantaneously CC'd as your enemies time it right when you get up, making it quite useless, by some miracle this doesn't happen you can only walk away or walk towards the enemy with no steam left.
Giving him a moment of immunity will fix this toxic abuse against the ability and the ability cooldowns will let him jump into the fight with Q. Also manuever the battlefield immediately with E to get back right into the fight or leave, making a very high cooldown ability not effected by CDR actually worth it.
Q - Merely a quality of life change I think we can all agree with? There are champions far stronger in all area's whilst also having far more mobility than this very counterable skill.
E - The main reason for this change is to give aatrox exactly what he needs, more ability so he can't be cc'd kited forever, and if you miss your jump or simply don't kill your opponent within the knock-up they can't just walk away from you, it will also give him the mobility most melee champions have, as most meleers even kite him.
Those who don't have this mobility like Darius have wide range aoe and strong CC, things he doesn't have.
Also Aatrox has a staggering lack of an ability to clean up, even squishies out in the open can usually laugh him off and just walk away as he has no real dependable way or getting on anyone or finishing anyone off from a decent range, this will give him the ability practically all other Assassins/fighters/duelists have, the ability to clean up.
This quick speedy and elegent slice will make him feel like the painter/ballet dancer of death like you intended him to play like a walking blade, elegent, viciously quick, but deadly.
Even Fiora who is classified as a Duelist someone who Is just meant to 1v1, not fly around has this ability and far more mobility than aatrox.
It is only targetable on enemy champions, so can't be used as an escape and it doesn't even have any extra damage attached to it and its a higher cd than every other dash, Ultra balanced right?
The best thing is this is just a dash (you could use his dive animation except horizontal) and his critical strke upward strike animation, so you don't have to make any new animations.
Ult - Because you can have a build with 5 pure damage lifesteal items (not hybrids, full like blood thirster) and a spirit visage and this ability (grevious wounds) makes all of your time and effort and actually getting fed with Aatrox of all people worthless and totally destroys everything your champion is.
RIot, you said you were going to give him some quality of life changes before the rework, but a lot of mains on him don't want him as some tanky support, PLEASE just give these changes a try in the pre-season and see how everyone likes him hmm?
Also make his recommended items pure damage like Deaths Dance/hydra/botrk and boots ninja tabi so people know how to build him, as he simply isn't effective as a pure tank.
: Witness truth!