Ay-aytrox? Is that one of those new Pokèmon?
I'd like to start this out with a general introduction: Hello friends, my name is Rockbadger and I have played this game all the way back since Season 1. I by no means tout myself as an extremely skilled player, though I do like to think myself to be credible in topics such as these which involve champion insight as well as general game balance, as I play with friends ranging from Diamond to Bronze who tend to have many opinions that at times collide into very similar ones. Furthermore, the title captures my problem with one specific champion, though I believe there are many others who need to be addressed at this point. With that out of the way, let's delve into this!
How many times have you seen this man in your recent games? Upon seeing the teasers and actual release for Aatrox, I couldn't have been more hyped in my entire teenage life. A flying demon man with a big arm and living sword? What's not to love? Unfortunately, however, I think Aatrox is very much so a sign of the times in which he was made.
Aatrox is commonly known as a sustain monster, as well as what League is now putting into a group known as Divers. A top lane bruiser who can opt to build a spicy mix of damage and tankiness along with built in sustain, a tad of mobility, and a good deal of Crowd Control. That being said though, I have a few problems with this champion.
- His Kit is somewhat disjointed. For the most part, it's mainly just his passive and the rest of his kit, more specifically the revive part of his passive.
- He really doesn't feel like he delivers on his 'fantasy'. A literal God of War shouldn't be undone by the blinding dart of a small hamster scout imo.
- The flat amount of lifesteal as well as lack of any special health interaction with his Blood Price honestly makes his W feel lackluster as the game continues on.
Call me Jerry Seinfeld because what's up with that? I truly do love this champion in many ways, though I feel he falls short in many respects, especially compared to most champions of the moment. Oddly enough it feels as though many of the items in the game such as 
or 
should synergize with him extremely well, and yet, as with every Q I do on him, it still seems to fall short of the mark. I can't say I have a ton of suggestions, beyond possibly making his W healing scale (% of health? Lifesteal?) and giving his Blood Price a special interaction, such as 50% more damage when below 50% health (that number is just an example).
A large point of this, however, is a problem I feel happens with many champions. I feel Aatrox is still a cool champion, well-designed in his own right, but, yet again, is a sign of the times in which he was made. Many of the older champs are put to shame by the newer ones due to their versatility, damage, or what have you, and thus champions such as our boy just seem to end up falling behind in one way or another-- that aside, truly do believe that there are many ways to add a cool new feature onto already existing abilities (Lissandra self ult-heal), or perhaps we truly do just need to wait for another class rework for our favorite shark-headed shish-kebabber to find his way onto the rift again.
TL;DR: I like Aatrox, I feel he doesn't deliver on his fantasy, I think he and many older champions are simply outclassed these days, and I also believe that there are many fixes and have a bright hope for his and many other champion's futures.
I hope those of you who did read this enjoyed it, and I would love to see any criticism, thoughts, or just general comments here altogether. This champion was one of the first to ever completely and utterly infatuate me, and thus he has a special place in my heart. Oh, and if you've made it this far, I hope you have a lovely day <3
