What Aatrox SHOULD have been

DarkinPrime··1 votes·892 views

This is something I posted on another conversation, the commentor asked what I would have done. This is something like what I wanted to see.

What needed to happen before the rickless rework, which was dogshit and insulting and only served to double down on a kit that apparently Riot hated, was for some these areas to be addressed:

1)his lack of build in damage that you mentioned, such as true damage, %health damage, armor pen etc (things most champions enjoy) 2)His lack of passive resistances, shields blocks or parrys (things most top laners enjoy) 3)His ult. 4)His passive

I didn't mind him not having damage in his kit when he had magic damage for his E. And I understand that he healed better that most champions. However his healing was worthless if he was stunned or had his attack speed slowed. And his revive was worthless nearly every time. It was worse after rickless, because isntead of always having it, you had to stack to get it, which means that version of Aatrox was super easy to tower dive--hes sititng under turret, no bonus attack speed or revive due to no stacks AND super squishy. What horribly conceived concept.

If I had to decide right now on what I would have done with Aatrox it would be these changes:

1)Unstoppable dive on descent, just like they finally (FINALLY) had it 2)E does magic damage. E torments target, granting vision to allies for x seconds. 3)Blood Price/Blood thirst scaling off of AD 4)Blood Price doing more damage with consecutive hits but costing more health 5)Blood Thirst healing for less, but granting resistances or reducing of incoming damage from basic attacks while blood thirst is toggled OR increasing resistances by a % for those who want to build him as a tank 6)dark flight can be used to target ground, so if you land on ground and don't damage or knock up a champion, half of the CD is refunded. 7)remove revive. Passive is old blood well bonus attack speed plus Upon taking fatal damage, Aatrox drains gains a blood shield for x plus x % of his blood well, absorbing damage for 4 seconds 8) Ult, dark inspiration--Aatrox chooses a location (not global, more like panth) and lands . Nearby enemies are feared for .5 seconds, For 10 seconds nearby enemies take x % more damage from all sources while near Aatrox. Nearby allies gain x % attack speed and x% movement speed. Range is based on % of bloodwell filled.

Something LIKE that. Its fun. It tones down the healing and the revival, makes him more engaging, adds some mobility with the half CD on dark flight and his long range ult as well as some tankiness so that he isn't entirely dependent on healing. It also reduces the mistakes of enemies miscalculating his heals since they are smaller and less drastic. It even tones down his dueling because his ultimate is sort of a waste when he is alone.

So really, would this have been so bad?

15 Comments

The Ecdysiast7 votes

I say this again and again on Aatrox threads: Aatrox was never good, even in concept because we had a stronger version of him before he was released: Xin Zhao.

I'll copy-paste my explanation here: Every single patch without Conqueror, he was the bottom of the barrel for AA-based fighters. And why? Because Xin Zhao provided every single strength Aatrox had-- without the need for the revival gimmick, or having to choose between healing and damage-- both being stronger on his ability that did both at once. And when Xin Zhao wasn't the go-to, it was because other strengths were needed-- strengths that Aatrox simply didn't have because he was nnothing but an inferior Xin Zhao. Especially since Xin Zhao's rework that gave him an even better ultimate than any revive.

Yeah, it sucks that the one time Aatrox was top-tier was right before his rework was completed. But that has nothing to do with him specifically. The combination of his E's cost being removed and Conqueror's introduction pushed him far and above what was intended for the rune.

Ætheist2 votes

{quoted}

Yeah, it sucks that the one time Aatrox was top-tier was right before his rework was completed. But that has nothing to do with him specifically. The combination of his E's cost being removed and Conqueror's introduction pushed him far and above what was intended for the rune.

Also because Conqueror's introduction removed most tanks from top lane, because there's probably nothing that Aatrox hated more than a tank that could rush Bramble/Tabi and render him entirely useless in lane.

DarkinPrime1 votes

I never said he was good, and I don't think anyone is really making that argument. He was fixable within the scope of his playstyle and mechanics, and you will never convince me that he wasn't. Also, Riot introducing weird runes that screw up the game is not the fault of Aatrox's kit.

The Ecdysiast2 votes

{quoted}

I never said he was good, and I don't think anyone is really making that argument. He was fixable within the scope of his playstyle and mechanics, and you will never convince me that he wasn't. Also, Riot introducing weird runes that screw up the game is not the fault of Aatrox's kit.

I'd say it was fixable, but the changes you suggest are far and away from his old playstyle. Specifically and especially changing him from a solo dueler to a champion capable of strong roaming. Not that that would've been bad, but it's a stretch to say it's still the same playstyle.

And I actually love your suggestion for his ultimate, since it really gives a Sterak's feel-- and he was always wearing Sterak's Gage anyway.

DarkinPrime1 votes

It was the same play style or close enough that the skill accrued by aatrox palyers would have translated directly over. Still dive poke auto...but better and less toxic

DarkinPrime1 votes

Also, why in the hell would you downvote my post?

Ralanr5 votes

Frankly that ult seems like a “win harder” mechanic that Riot has been trying to push away from.

DarkinPrime1 votes

How so? This version has less dueling potential more compatibility with team comps due to his team fight ult, and less reliant on tricking players into exchanging blows.

Ralanr6 votes

How so? Let's recap.

"Ult, dark inspiration--Aatrox chooses a location (not global, more like panth) and lands . Nearby enemies are feared for .5 seconds, For 10 seconds nearby enemies take x % more damage from all sources while near Aatrox. Nearby allies gain x % attack speed and x% movement speed. Range is based on % of bloodwell filled."

  1. Ten seconds. That's pretty goddamn long for a teamfight buff. Especially one that is both providing a negative for the enemy and a positive for his allies.
  2. Enemies take X% increase in damage from all sources. This is primarily a tank killing ability, but it would completely demolish squishy champions in teamfights, champions I remind you are already incredibly easy to kill nowadays.
  3. The increase in AS and MS reminds me of the Ardent meta. Yes it isn't the same because it's not providing on hit healing for allies, but it's still basically just straight up increasing their stats.
  4. In relation to two and three, you are both decreasing enemy stats (durability) and increasing ally stats. This is beyond tipping the battle in your favor, this is putting all the weight on your side of the seesaw.
  5. Having the range be based on the %of the bloodwell filled leads it to being something that is better when Aatrox is doing better. Which means when Aatrox is doing better, suddenly his whole team gets a massive boost while the enemy team gets hit with the softening stick. If you want him to have this kind of ability, you need either boosting allies or hurting enemies, not both (and boosting allies is usually the safer option as debuffing enemies isn't exactly toxic free).
  6. Speaking of range, what range? Range of the landing? Range of the AoE effect? Range it takes to be effected by Aatrox? Are you affected at the edge of the circle or only when right next to Aatrox?
  7. Increase movement seems pointless as it's not an ability that would cause many chases. I'd imagine once outside of the circle the buff is gone, and you'd want the enemy to stay inside the circle.

AoE team based ults can work, but they rarely provide big stat boosts anymore. The ones that do (Sivir and Kled come to mind) are mainly for engaging, and the ones that don't (Taric and Kindred) provide a unique effect like not dying. All this ult does is provide a ton of stats to your allies, and takes stats from your enemies. Sure it could give teams that are behind a better chance in a teamfight, but against teams when even or against teams when you're ahead, it just turns it into a straight up slaughter/win more fight.

DarkinPrime1 votes

Wow dude. Just...wow, I gave a general example. I'm not married to any of the numbers or concepts. I am just showing that there were a lot of options to make his kit better and more fun. I didnt even read your post. I am not going to debate this. You put way too much effort into destroying an off the cuff example.

10 seconds. 5 seconds...4 seconds. I don't care. I was expressing a rough general idea. Don't hammer me on specifics.

Okay fine. Fuck. "Enemies take X% increase in damage from all sources. This is primarily a tank killing ability, but it would completely demolish squishy champions in teamfights, champions I remind you are already incredibly easy to kill nowadays."

Again, the idea is general. It doesnt HAVE TO BE bonus damage. It could be bonus AS, or tenacity or they could gain resistances near Aatrox. The point it an AOE team buff and enemy debuff, however it would work out to be balanced.

"Speaking of range, what range? Range of the landing? Range of the AoE effect? Range it takes to be effected by Aatrox? Are you affected at the edge of the circle or only when right next to Aatrox?"

The range aatrox can take off from and land at the battle. Im sorry I didn't make that clear. He flies there, and the aoe would be indicated by say, tormented land or some kind of torment waves radiating off of him. Or whatever.

Ralanr2 votes

You wanted me to explain and I explained.

Ætheist1 votes

Also, you realize that ultimate would have a high chance of getting Aatrox nerfed because of pro play, right?

Just about every instance of a long-range teamfight disruption ultimate has been a pro balance issue.

Galio Gangplank Shen Taliyah

DarkinPrime1 votes

Semi global, more like panth at max range, or even less. Don't jump on the specifics, its just a general idea of how his kit could have been more interesting.

Ætheist1 votes

{quoted}

Semi global, more like panth at max range, or even less. Don't jump on the specifics, its just a general idea of how his kit could have been more interesting.

Panth's ult has 5500 range.

For a comparison, Galio's ult has 4000/4750/5500, and Taliyah's has 3000/4500/6000.

DarkinPrime1 votes

I was thinking something less than that like a max range of 3000, at full blood well

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