My Aatrox Rework

I won't pretend to be an Aatrox main in any way shape or form. Heck, I may have played him once in a One For All match, but I'm not sure if I even own him. But with the amount of complaints about him, the blandness of his character, and the obvious need for a rework, I decided I'd give it a go. Please note that I understand Riot's initial design for him was around the concept of "lifesteal tank". I won't be using that idea and will more be focused on Diver/Team Buffer, which fits more into the lore.

Passive: Heroic Acts/Brutal Atrocities - When Aatrox's team wins a team fight (minimum three enemies within a certain radius and Aatrox is involved), the team receives a buff to their AD, AP, Health Regen, and MS. If the team does not engage in another fight before the buff expires, they receive a debuff to their AD, AP, Health Regen, and MS which lasts the same time as buff would. When a member dies, they lose the buff/debuff. Aatrox is unaffected by this buff/debuff.

So let me pull a quote from the lore for you: "Aatrox vanished after that battle, but the Protectorate army's newfound fury did not. Their surprising triumph led to many more until they were able to finally return home victorious. Their countrymen hailed them as heroes, but though they had saved their entire civilization from destruction, darkness lingered in the mind of each warrior. Something within them had changed. Over time, their memories of battle faded, only to be replaced with a grim revelation: their acts of heroism were, in fact, brutal atrocities committed by their own hands."

This passive goes right in line with Aatrox's lore. The people continue fighting and having heroic victories, but when they rest and stop the war, the reality sets in that they had committed brutal atrocities. This type of buff/debuff passive is something we don't have in League and would be incredibly unique. It would encourage teams with an Aatrox to fight and fight often, pushing their advantages into a victory (almost like a mini Baron buff scenario). But the enemy team can play around this. It's not just a "hey we win cuz we won one team fight". The enemy can intentionally spread themselves until the buff becomes a debuff, then engage and win their own team fight. Clear counterplay.

Q: Living Strike - Passive: Aatrox's 'Living Blade' soaks up the blood of fallen enemies, steadily increasing the damage it deals. Stacks deplete based on time out of combat. Active: Aatrox sends his blade forward, dealing increased damage to enemies hit and draining Living Blade's stacks. Enemy champions hit by Living Strike are slowed and bleed.

So think of this like stabbing someone in front of you. Fiora's Riposte, except it actually does damage and doesn't block anything. The damage the active does would need to be worth using (aka the passive is nice, but the active is better) or else people would just sit on their stacked passive. We don't want that. It could also be used in ganks to slow the enemy for the Jungler to get on top of. And who doesn't love a good bleed? We don't have many in the game anymore, but it really fits into what Aatrox loves. War. Blood everywhere. And with Living Blade, this fits thematically.

W: Bloodlust - Passive: Aatrox gains AD for every enemy champion killed (whether he participates or not). For every two minutes there are no enemy deaths, Aatrox loses half of what he's gained. If Aatrox dies, he loses all bonus AD. Active: Aatrox swipes his blade in a cone in front of him. Any enemies killed boost his AD (FAR less than champion deaths, but add up over time).

So let's get this out of the way right now. It initially comes off as a bland steroid to boost Aatrox's power. But that's not the point. The point is to fight. Aatrox encourages aggression, period. He thrives when people are dying. If you have an Aatrox on your team, you want to fight. You aren't even trying to hide it. If he, or your team for that matter, doesn't fight, he's punished.

E: Dark Flight - Aatrox dashes to the target area after a brief delay, dealing physical damage to nearby units upon landing and Airborne icon knocking up all units in the epicenter for 1 second.

Same as on Live. I think this is probably the most iconic ability of Aatrox and something I wouldn't want to lose, especially since he's an initiating diver.

R: When Hope Seems Lost - _Aatrox encourages his allies to fight on. Friendly champions within a certain radius around him receive a massive buff to their AD, AP, Armor, and MR, based upon percentage health missing. _

Another quote: "Just when all hope seemed lost, Aatrox appeared among the ranks of the Protectorate. With but a few words, he urged the soldiers to fight to the last before throwing himself into battle. His presence inspired the desperate warriors. At first, they could only watch in awe as this unknown hero cleaved through their enemies, his body and blade moving in unison as if one being. Soon, the warriors found themselves imbued with a potent thirst for battle. They followed Aatrox into the fray, each fighting with the furious strength of ten until they had won a most unlikely victory."

Now imagine this scenario playing out. Team is fighting and getting beaten. In the midst of the battle, Aatrox activates his ult, then uses Dark Flight to turn the battle. The more champions die, the stronger he becomes. His teammates get a buff to keep fighting, even when all hope seemed lost. It's a massive teamfight changer.

Since the buff won't affect anyone who's healthy (except Aatrox), this stops teams from being stupid OP when a fight breaks out. It has to be used strategically and the enemy can always try to kill any carries before the buff is used. It's right in line with his character and would be something we haven't seen in League. Normally team buffs are restricted to neutral objectives or items, so this is unique. It's not an aura, so invisible power wouldn't be a problem either.

These are just my thoughts. I think it could make for a really interesting champion that could be more easily balanced than a lifesteal tank. What are your thoughts? Anything stand out as awful or broken? I'd love to hear your opinions.