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Saying goodbye to Aatrox

Lowvyr·6/12/2018, 10:27:59 PM·45 votes·12,485 views

Such an underrated character. He wasn't the best, he really just needed a smaller update than this imo (move some of the power of his abilities around and maybe gut the E because it's practically useless past laning phase), but he got an update that's for sure. I spent almost all of my league career playing Aatrox. His kit was fun to play, though only strong against people who literally can't like... walk away from me?.. it was still very fun to play. His design is exactly what I want: A melee fighter who uses lifesteal to drain his enemies and keep himself topped off. I've played every champion in league (except Zoe. I refuse to play that cancertwat no matter how weak she is now.) and none struck me the way Aatrox did. His gameplay was fun and it felt REALLY good to do good with him. Like, REALLY good. Not only because you're winning with the so called "Worst champion in league" (Which is far from the truth mind you), but because his design excelled once you got ahead. He truly started acting like what he is supposed to be: a harbinger of doom. Someone who jumps into the middle of the fight and changes the tide of battle. Now if you didn't get fed you had to run and hide and never show your face again, but it was fun in the end. once you mastered his playstyle and how to manage your resource and when to use your Q offensively and defensively, he actually felt pretty fun and could outduel almost any character in the game. Give him BoTRK and Spirit Visage and chances are he can 1v2 you if you're not careful.

He looked pretty badass too. And sounded pretty badass. I mean that VO was amazing. It fit his character SO well. It sounded like Aatrox. Like, if you had never given him a VO that's exactly what I would imagine his voice being. That voice embodies aatrox. Deep, smooth but raspy. Calm, collected, calculated, eerie. That's who Aatrox is. He's calm, he's collected, every move, every swing of the sword is smooth and graceful, he doesn't have to think: He's mastered the art of the sword. Aatrox really felt like he was the sword. Even before that became the canon idea of a Darkin, Aatrox had that feel. He had a giant greatsword that bent and moved and drained the life of his foes to power itself. The sword felt alive. His very presence felt eerie. It felt like a storm was coming. He felt imposing (in character at least, not by kit). He is exactly what you wouldn't want to encounter on the battlefield. You can't best he who has mastered war itself. He was the embodiment of war. He filled his allies with a rage and fury unlike any other. He turned the tides of battle. He didn't scream and yell in a Russian accent with such a highly processed voice it's hard to even understand what he's saying.

So I guess it's goodbye, old friend. Because lord knows whatever they cooked up IS NOT aatrox anymore. The kit is nothing like what I picture aatrox being, it's not calm, it's not collected, it's not eerie. It's batshit crazy and seems kinda like a cartoon villain. he just yells and screams about wanting to kill and murder everything. He is not the Darkin Blade anymore. He's the "World Ender" (because that isn't a super cliché and annoyingly cheesy name for anything). Hopefully I'll find some joy in the new you (after I've muted VOs ofc), and maybe something similar to you will return. Maybe.

Really though, to me, this doesn't scream "aatrox" anymore. Change is hard, and it's something you have to get used to, but god damnit. Irelia still looked and felt like Irelia. Sion still looked and felt like Sion. GP was little more off, but it was still a good update (damn that was a good VO we lost too.). Warwick still looks, feels, sounds, and plays like. Warwick. Irelia's new VO sounds like Irelia. Sion's sounds like Sion. Why take Aatrox and completely strip him of everything that made him Aatrox? His doesn't feel like he is the sword. He looks like he's a spellcaster. That's not Aatrox. He's not a master swordsman who has mastered the art of war anymore. He's The WOOOrrrlDD EnndnDDDEERRRr REEEEEEEEEEEEEEE Like I didn't expect him to be so similar that he's basically the same champion, but I was hoping he'd have more than just his revive. I get that he needed an update but I don't think he needed to be completely removed from the game and re-added as a crazy Russian guy who just wants to make sure that EVERYONE knows he's here to kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill. And honestly, his new kit doesn't look all that more fun to play against or as than his current. It's more interactive and more up to date, but it A) still doesn't seem like it will give him a unique role in the game imo (But I'm bronze so idk), and (more importantly) B) just flat out looks boring to play and doesn't scream "Aatrox". Like where's his banner wings? Why doesn't his sword feel alive? Why do his wings only come out during his ult? And why the fuck is basically a big red blob with a sword and wings every now and then past level 6? AND OH GOD WHY THAT VO????

Just on a side note, if you're going to update his base splash to better reflect his new model you should do the same with his other skins bc now they don't really look like new aatrox. They still look like Aatrox.

TL;DR: New aatrox doesn't even remotely seem like Aatrox.

item 3070 Aatrox item 3070

27 Comments

Starboyˇ6/13/2018, 3:07:54 AM25 votes

Aatrox easily had the best voice in the game this is an aatrocity

FrostlySpark6/13/2018, 3:02:43 AM12 votes

This has easily got to be one of the WORST vgu's in a long time. They not only fundamentally changed the entirety of his gameplay, but also ripped away its calm and collected self. I feel like they could have had him still be a focused auto attacker and have some teamfighting buff or something, but they just turned him into the love child of riven and rhaast. Severely disappointing, but at least he looks cool and his animations are nice.

Morgy Morgy6/13/2018, 12:40:27 AM7 votes

hey, they ruined galio too. for every few good VGU's there's gotta be one bad one i suppose.

ModAcademy Kayn6/13/2018, 8:20:39 AM5 votes

Aatrox's VO changed because he went from "An embodiment of War itself" into a Darkin. Look at any other narrative that tends to have a personified version of some aspect of human nature, they all sound like Aatrox. He actually has a personality now, because he's no longer a mysterious figure on the battlefield, recorded in some mention in a history book. He's Aatrox, a living, breathing, Warrior.

Caidicus6/13/2018, 6:38:22 AM4 votes

They were better of giving him a warwick level VGU where the kit was fundamentally the same. Just replace Blades of torment with a reworked version of his new Q and rework how Blood Price/Blood Thirst and Dark flight works. Then give him a combination of his old and new ult, there you go.

Also keep Aatrox's old voice and personality. Rhaast, who has decent voice lines is nice, but we don't need TWO of them.

I would also like to point out that the new aatrox has a little too much red. Im not sure if its because the sword quite literally glows red now or the fact that his wings are gone making it more noticeable that he is red.

MetalGearTeemo6/13/2018, 3:53:56 AM4 votes

Sorry boss, people didn't buy skins for him.

However riven players have shown to buy lots of skins, just about every skin they put out.

Better make him like riven. :^)

Slyzer6/13/2018, 6:05:59 AM3 votes

I begun the game in 2k16, this dude became my first main, first M7 etc... I really love the design the idea to have the wings only with ur ult is cool and the sword is cool too but, his name is aatrox i'm not sure but i think it means AUTO ATTACK ROX and when i saw him on pbe i just saw a guys who do spell like riven, miserable dash and some other things like that, where is the rox of auto? I loved to play my aatrox with my attack speed and some tankyness to survive tho but if this dude just do spells and don't need to rox auto, better rename it, no more Aatrox.... so i'm a lil bit disappointed but i did not played the champ yet so i'll wait but for now i'm disappointed

MakeOutHiIIXXX6/13/2018, 7:33:10 AM2 votes

F

SennaFirstPick6/13/2018, 11:59:05 AM2 votes

take a shot every time new aatrox says COME.

LetMeCarry19836/13/2018, 10:36:03 AM2 votes

I played a lot of Aatrox in season 5 or 6(can't remember). He was my main jungler at one point. I just looked up this new one on YouTube and I have to say, I love what they did with him. Something about old Aatrox didn't sit right with me. He needed this.

Gabresol6/14/2018, 7:14:06 AM1 votes

I feel like they created a new darkin, but did not really bought the design themselves and were like "Just shove it onto Aatrox!".

Jaspers6/13/2018, 9:15:27 AM1 votes

A good write up. Thanks for this.

It's hard to know what to make of the new Aatrox myself. I only recently picked him up, know he was one of the bad champs before I never did but got my hands on a skin in Hextech and a champ shards so redeemed it all and had a go, I think he's great. He struggles beyond belief against some matchups but against the current 'OP' Irelia, he's great.

The new version is.... odd. Yes, yes, Riven 2.0 but I'm wondering how close that will actually be.

I like his voice, but not what he says, he should be the passion of fighting, not let's make a joke/diss at the champ and have a tussle after. Only bit I like is his pure rage at Zoe. His visuals...I dunno, I'd just prefer his wings on his base model, there is no reason not to have them.

His abilities... the trailer was all about how flashy it could be, using his many knockups and his ult, it didn't really show off his E or passive and this is where I think in reality, his feel actually might be the same. Max his E first, it's his passive and E that will make him like current Aatrox.

My issues are that you can't use Q as an easy escape/engage anymore, it has 3 parts and only the last seems to dash you but I presume that is why there is a dash on E. Missing bonus attack speed will be sad, I liked him with Lethal Tempo. But his Ult... I don't get it, it's just a small AD boost and a bit of movement speed with a revive passive. There's nothing there and it's cooldown at max rank is 2 minutes. Er... what? Orrn's Ult which was a lane wide knockup, faster and better than Nami could dream, adding a brittle status to enemies so they can be CCed longer and have %HP damage dealt was at rank 3, 80 seconds on release buffed to 70 shortly after before it got nerfed to 100 seconds because of it's abused with CDR in pro play.

I guess the idea with his ult is if he Ult's he's going on, you need to either fight him and deal with him or run, similar to how he was before except, now it's easy to get the revive off because it's part of the ult, he doesn't have to stack a passive to get it.

Anyway... just some thoughts.

FilDaFunk6/13/2018, 9:37:44 AM1 votes

Almost every rework is the same, it's different people that notice it each time. Just a new champ in the skin of an old one.

Vlada Cut6/13/2018, 12:04:06 PM1 votes

He was starting to climb up the meta list after Conqueror was released... Oh well, time to let new Aatrox to continue the climb for his old self.

Lil Homie busta6/13/2018, 2:05:29 PM1 votes

Farewell, Aatrox. I would play with you more in the last years if i knew that you would be deleted from the game; but indeed, you only value something when you lose it.

Eye Of Terror6/13/2018, 6:36:02 PM1 votes

Such a cancerous no skill right click character. Hope it says in Olaf tier for a long time.

THE RlVER KlNG6/14/2018, 1:47:26 AM1 votes

broken right click pos just like trynd

good riddance