Aatrox vs Darius
Skill matchup
Build vs Darius
Build adapted to this matchup
Recommended items for Aatrox: Eclipse, Sundered Sky, Death's Dance, Plated Steelcaps, Spear of Shojin, Black Cleaver, Voltaic Cyclosword, Sterak's Gage.
Starting items
Core build
Standard
Summoner spells
Anti CC
Other options
Power Spikes
Strength by game phase
Darius's abilities
Passive, spells and ultimate
Darius' attacks and damaging abilities cause enemies to bleed for physical damage over 5 seconds, stacking up to 5 times. Darius enrages and gains massive Attack Damage when his target reaches max stacks.
Cooldowns
Cooldowns by spell rank
| Level | Q | W | E | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 9s | 5s | 26s | – |
| 6 | 6.5s | 5s | 26s | 2m |
| 9 | 4s | 5s | 26s | 2m |
| 11 | 4s | 5s | 26s | 1m40 |
| 16 | 4s | 5s | 21s | 1m20 |
| 18 | 4s | 5s | 16s | 1m20 |
Playing as Aatrox
Tips to maximize your impact
- Hit with the edge of your blade
Land the edge of The Darkin Blade (Q): enemies hit by the edge take a short knock-up and more damage, so Umbral Dash (E) heals you for more.
- Reposition your blade with your dash
Cast Umbral Dash (E) during The Darkin Blade (Q) to put the edge on your target: the dash doesn't interrupt your other spells.
- Trap your target with your chains
Cast Infernal Chains (W) when the target can't leave the zone, against a wall or in a chokepoint: if they stay inside, they get pulled back to the impact point.
- Transform before the teamfight
Cast World Ender (R) before you engage, not in the middle of the teamfight: you instantly gain AD, increased healing and move speed.
Playing against Darius
How to counter and exploit weaknesses
- Short trades
Take a short trade, then back off: each of his hits applies a Hemorrhage (passive) stack, and at five stacks he gains a massive AD bonus.
- Leave his blade or hug him
Step out of range or stick to him when he casts Decimate (Q): only the blade, at the edge, heals him and applies Hemorrhage (passive).
- Boots early
Buy your boots early: before he hits level 6, Apprehend (E) is his only spell to get back on you, on a 26 to 16 second cooldown.
- Respect his level 6
Once he hits level 6, don't let him put five Hemorrhage (passive) stacks on you: Noxian Guillotine (R) gains true damage with each stack.
Other Aatrox matchups
Patch 16.21.1