Aatrox Top Build Guide: Key Takeaways
- For Aatrox top, you should skill path max in the following order: Q->E->W->R
- Recommended Runes are Precision with Conqueror keystone and Resolve secondary tree.
- Recommend Doran’s Shield start into a Goredrinker + Black Cleaver as core items.
- Build AD and Heath with situational tank items.
- Aatrox counters primarily tanks and bruisers while having a hard time against champions with high mobility and short bursts of high damage.
Table of Contents
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Recommended Runes
Aatrox should be using Precision and Resolve trees for ramping Damage, Omnivamp and durability options allowing him to survive fights while outplaying his opponents.
Conqueror keystone is highly recommended as the longer you stay in combat, the more value you start gaining via the rune, As it offers anywhere between 2 – 5 Adaptive Force, based on your current level, every time you attack an enemy with either your basic attacks or spells stacking up to a maximum of 5 stacks upon which you gain omnivamp that heals you for 8% of all subsequent damage dealt.
This Allows Aatrox to initiate team fights and dive straight into the back line slam dunking the enemy bot lane as your main source of damage with Aatrox is your Q – The Darkin Blade, an ability that deals Area Of Effect damage Meaning it can hit multiple enemies at once almost instantly giving you maximum conqueror stacks.
Recommended Skill Path for Aatrox Top Build
Aatrox Top Summoner Spells
Against opponents that can fight you on even grounds and/or are stronger than you
- Flash + Ignite
Against opponents that you can easily bully and beat in lane
- Flash + Teleport
Aatrox Abilities Level Up Order
Order: Q → E → W → R
Aatrox Top should always Start with Q – The Darkin Blade at level one. Putting a point into his E – Umbral Dash and W – Infernal chains thereafter.
This helps with CS and early harass on enemies, as the spell itself can hit multiple targets at the same time. Additionally, Aatrox can recast his Q – The Darkin Blade three times with three different sweet spots. Players should always try to land the sweet spots as not only does it provide a much more offensive CC by knocking up your enemies, it also acts as a defensive tool to retreat back to your tower while the enemy is still CC’d.
Once all your abilities are unlocked, you should look to add points to your R – World Ender at lvl 6, 11, 16.
Max Q – The Darkin Blade, as it’s your main source of damage, followed by E – Ubral dash since it allows you to dash away or dash into enemies. Aatrox E additionally gives you a passive omnivamp that scales with skill points, making it the obvious choice to max second.
Always remember to make use of your Passive skill, Deathbringer Stance, which empowers your basic auto attacks dealing bonus damage while simultaneously healing you based on your opponent’s max health. It is recommended to always auto-attack in between ability cycles, as what differentiates a good Aatrox from a bad one is how many Basic attacks they can weave through their abilities.
Items – Recommend Build Path for Aatrox Top Build
Starting items: against ranged and melee matchups, respectively
- Doran’s Shield + Health pot
- Doran’s Blade + Health pot
Core items:
- Goredrinker Mythic
- Defensive boots(Plated Steel Caps/Mercury Treads)
- Black Cleaver
Third, Fourth and Fifth (always situational)
Not in Sequence
- Death’s Dance: against high AD burst enemies.
- Maw of Malmortius: against big AP threats.
- Chempunk Chainsword: against enemies that heal a lot.
- Steraks Gauge: against high mixed burst.
- Force of Nature: against AP threats that deal damage over time.
- Randuin’s Omen: against multiple enemies that utilize critical strikes.
- Ravenous Hydra: When you snowball off of the 0 10 yasuo top and want to dominate mid to late game.
- Hullbreaker: Big fan of Thebausffs? Don’t like playing boring champions? Just build Hullbreaker on your favourite champion and never show your face around your teammates again, you might get a lot of hate for it, but in turn, you get to farm karma on Reddit based on your insanely high objective damage.
Sixth Item
- Guardian Angel: Provides you with a lifeline and a second chance at fighting.
- Gargoyle’s Stoneplate: Alternative to GA, Stoneplate allows you to survive a little longer during teammates, giving you that oomph you might need to turn the fight around.
Aatrox Top Counter Matchups
Aatrox Top is overall a very strong and meta pick in the lane.
These are some of the best matchups where you should consider picking Aatrox Top
- Vladimir
- Teemo
- Nasus
- Nasus
- Shen
- K’sante
- Dr. Mundo
Meanwhile, you can expect a difficult time(0/10/0) against these Champions that excel at surviving your damage output while dealing back significant damage and debuffs.
- Malphite
- Irelia
- Pantheon
- Kled
- Olaf
- Rumble
- Quinn
- Rengar
Recommended Aatrox Streamers
Check out these streamers for educational content as well as flashy Aatrox Top outplays.
- Naayil – Currently sitting at 400LP Masters tier, having peaked last season at 1200LP challenger on EUW.
- Hashinshin – High Elo Aatrox OTP that hovers around Masters tier, Streams daily on youtube.
If you found this guide helpful, be sure to check out our build guides for Garen and Jinx.
