Darius Nerf

but he was designed specifically around having synergy with cleaver

if you took that away they would buff him

it doesnt proc phage

The problem is that without the Cleaver phys-dmg-ms stim, he's got very little going for him. I'm pretty sure he's near the bottom for attack speed, so even if he had a Frozen Mallet he'd pretty much need attack speed to keep on you.

Mind the pull, know what you're up against and know when to run. It's an advantage for him to leave your lane, but it's an advantage for his team to die.

Part of the thing about Cleaver is that the move speed happens over all damage, so it's best to try and weave in and out of his range to gobble his cooldowns/mana.

If your champion sucks against his pull, perhaps consider someone whose weaknesses are from further ranges.

darius has no sticking power if his w is down and he has no frozen mallet

I didn't even know his passive proced phage or cleaver.