Aatrox Counters Classic 26.22

Aatrox takes two things from Massacre: damage on each enemy champion near him, and a short stretch of quicker swings with extra reach. Those swings are still basic attacks. Inside Counter Strike they are dodged outright, and if he is still beside you at the recast, he is stunned as well.

Dark Flight and Blades of Torment both come through the stance. If Aatrox waits out Counter Strike and swings only after the recast, the dodge catches nothing, and you trade into his whole kit with the stance on cooldown.

Keep hitting him after Blood Well triggers. His stored blood returns as health over a brief duration, and every swing you land meanwhile cuts into it. Relentless Assault speeds up your attacks with each strike, to a limit of ten stacks. By the time his recovery starts, those stacks may already be full.

From the air, Aatrox can land right where you stand. Dark Flight knocks you up if you are at the center of impact. Massacre damages the enemy champions near him, and after that landing you are one of them. His swings reach you there as well.

Aatrox's feet set off Noxious Trap. A mushroom on his path slows, poisons and reveals him. You get back into hiding on Move Quick's sprint. Camouflage hides you once you have spent a moment motionless and idle. The first attacks after you break cover come faster.

Make Massacre the signal for Blinding Dart. Between his ultimate and the blood sitting in Blood Well, he may be swinging very fast, but a blind makes each of those swings miss while it lasts, and your attacks still carry Toxic Shot poison into him.

In long trades, Aatrox heals on every third attack with Blood Thirst / Blood Price toggled off. Lunge and its recast within four seconds put you on him, and Burst of Speed gets you back out, adding movement speed for each basic attack or Lunge you land during it.

Massacre lends his swings extra speed and reach, and Riposte parries the next one, sending magic damage back at him. Blade Waltz then dashes you through a run of physical strikes on enemy champions. Those hits are damage dealt, so Duelist starts healing you before the waltz is over.

Aatrox's swings meet one parry per press of Riposte. A parry used on an ordinary swing just before Massacre leaves his faster attacks coming in with Riposte on cooldown. You still have Blade Waltz to break his combo, though each repeat strike on him deals less.