Aatrox rework suggestions

(Cross-posted on Reddit. Copy-pasta-ing the same text here for visibility).

Low-plat scrub here with some ideas for an rework (no, wait, please don't go yet!) I imagine there's probably a million of these, but please read through and let me know what you think. I've added notes to explain my reasons for the changes.

P: Blood Well

Aatrox’s secondary resource is the Blood Well, which acts as a shield for Aatrox which has a maximum value equal to Aatrox’s maximum HP.

Life-stealing effects (but not other sources of healing) additionally contribute xx% of the amount healed to fill the Blood Well. Overhealing from life-stealing effects directly contributes the excess healing to the Blood Well. The Blood Well decays out of combat by 10% of Aatrox’s maximum HP per second. //Note: xx% scales by level.

//Note: Bringing back old Aatrox’s blood well. Allowing Blood Well to essentially double Aatrox’s total HP as long as they’re left un-checked in a fight is my way of re-introducing Aatrox’s revive with… less of the problems, hopefully. While it scaling by maximum HP can be problematic, I’m hoping to incentivize a berserker/glass cannon build with the rest of the changes (below), which would make bruiser/full tank Aatrox less appealing, but still viable.

(Visual Passive:

Aatrox’s sword grows more resplendent as the Blood Well fills. At full, Aatrox’s sword is a massive greatsword that glistens in crimson. At empty, Aatrox’s sword is a thin two-handed rapier with a dull red glow.

Aatrox’s body is more corporeal and intimidating at full HP, but becomes more haggard as his HP decreases. Similar to how Zac’s model size decreases as his HP decreases, but this would just be visual.)

//Note: the length of the blade would remain the same, for visual clarity on aatrox’s attack range, but it could grow wider/more red as the blood well fills.

//Note: Deathbringer Stance’s auto attack and other passive effects completely removed

Q: The Darkin Blade

//Note: Reworked from 3 AoE skillshots to 3 consecutive empowered auto attacks in order to encourage the attack speed berserker build of old Aatrox, but trying to retain the animation/feel of the current Q.

While on cooldown, The Darkin Blade’s cooldown is reduced by 1 second every time Aatrox attacks. //Note: Coded as On-attack, not On-hit.

First Cast - Active: Aatrox’s next basic attack gains 100 bonus range and deals bonus physical damage. If the attack hits an enemy champion that is in the outer 100 units of Aatrox’s attack range, they are also slowed for 0.5 seconds (decaying over its duration)

The Darkin Blade can then be re-cast up to two additional times, each within 3.5 seconds of the previous cast.

Second Cast – Active: Aatrox’s next basic attack deals bonus physical damage, and deals damage to units in an area around the target

//Note: Think Hydra, but not as much damage and in a smaller radius.

Third Cast – Active: Aatrox’s next basic attack deals bonus physical damage and has an additional xx% life steal (Lifesteal reduced to xx% against non-champions)

//Note: A large amount of life steal. Giving Aatrox a way to fill Blood Well without needing to have spent gold on lifesteal items

W: Unchanged from current

E: Unchanged from current.

//Note: Since Blood Well can only be filled by life steal effects, the healing from E would not fill it. However, it would make it easier for Aatrox to reach full HP in order to fill the Blood Well more quickly, so I’m leaving it in.

R: World Ender

Active: Aatrox unleashes its demonic form and becomes ravenous for 10 seconds, reducing Aatrox’s HP to 30/50/70 and completely filling the Blood Well upon activation. Nearby enemy minions and pets are feared and slowed by up to 99% for 3 seconds.

During the duration, Aatrox gains massively increased bonus movement speed towards enemy champions in vision (decaying over the duration), additional attack range, additional attack speed, and massively increased Life Steal.

With each enemy champion takedown, World Ender’s duration is increased by 5 seconds, refreshing the movement speed bonus (up to the original amount) and filling Aatrox’s Blood Well by up to 50% //Note: Will not restore the Blood Well above 50%

/*Note:

I fully expect that the exact numbers on these abilities, as well as possibly Aatrox’s base stats, would need tweaking in order to fully balance these concepts in the live game, but I wanted to share at least these ability concepts.

These changes are made to return current Aatrox, who currently plays as a spellcasting bruiser, back to the old Aatrox, a glass-cannon life-steal berserker, without completely reverting current Aatrox, as some aspects of his design can be retained as a marked improvement over old Aatrox’s kit.

This change is not only motivated by an admitted bias against the current Aatrox, but also by the current Aatrox’s lore, which depicts a Darkin desperately fighting in order to prolong its existence, using the lives it takes as fuel for the body it manifests. A slow-and-steady roll-over-your-face tank/bruiser Aatrox that takes a millennium-and-a-half in long spell-casting animations does not jive well with this thematic.

The changes to The Darkin Blade are meant to incentivize building attack speed without making on-hit Guinsoo Aatrox overbearingly strong. By making Q3 the only source of built-in life-steal Aatrox has to fuel Blood Well, the intent is to strongly incentivize building attack speed to both reduce the cooldown of Q and to quickly cycle the Q1 and Q2. Meanwhile, Q1 is meant to give Aatrox a way to soft-engage a fight, since the current Q has no more knock-ups, without giving him a reliable sticking tool on targets he’s already fighting.

The changes to Blood Well and World Ender are intended to re-introduce the gameplay thematic of Aatrox prolonging his life off of draining the life of his opponents without re-introducing the gameplay mechanic of his revival, as I could not find a way to seamlessly re-introduce the revival in a way that was healthy for gameplay.

Instead, allowing World Ender to immediately give Aatrox a full Blood Well while also dropping his health down is meant to simulate him gaining a ‘free revive’, since it incentivizes Aatrox to use the ability while low on HP and penalizes him for building a high max HP (since he’ll have more HP to lose upon activation). I also took this opportunity to briefly re-introduce a tiny parallel to Tryndamere’s Undying Rage, as current Aatrox has lost all connection old Aatrox’s relationship with Tryndamere. These changes also mean that Aatrox’s durability, which comes from proper utilization of the Blood Well, is contingent on Aatrox actively being in combat and fighting. This is meant to evoke the sense that the best way to survive a tight spot on Aatrox is to just keep slashing, just keep slashing, just keep slashing… slashing… slashing…*/