Zac vs Aatrox

Zac
vs
43.8%

over 48 games

Aatrox

Hard matchup

Heavy AD damageHigh sustainSplit pushSustained DPS

Build vs Aatrox

The champion's reference build, for lack of enough games in this matchup

Recommended items for Zac: Sunfire Aegis, Spirit Visage, Thornmail, Plated Steelcaps, Bramble Vest, Unending Despair, Hextech Rocketbelt, Randuin's Omen.

Starting items

Doran's Shield
Health Potion

Core build

Sunfire Aegis
1
Spirit Visage
2
Thornmail
3

Standard

Boots of Swiftness
4vs Slow
Bramble Vest
5

Summoner spells

FlashDot71%
FlashTeleport29%

Anti CC

Mercury's Treads
4vs CC

Other options

Bramble Vest
Unending Despair
Hextech Rocketbelt
Randuin's Omen
Hollow Radiance
Liandry's Torment
Abyssal Mask
Riftmaker
Jak'Sho, The Protean
ResolveResolve
Grasp of the UndyingGrasp of the Undying
DemolishDemolish
Second WindSecond Wind
RevitalizeRevitalize
PrecisionPrecision
Last StandLast Stand
Legend: HasteLegend: Haste
Attack SpeedHealth ScalingHealth Scaling

Power Spikes

Strength by game phase

Aatrox's abilities

Passive, spells and ultimate

Deathbringer Stance (P)

Periodically, Aatrox's next basic attack deals bonus magic damage and heals him, based on the target's max health.

Cooldowns

Cooldowns by spell rank

LevelQWER
314s18s9s–
610s18s9s2m
96s16.5s9s2m
116s15s9s1m40
166s12s7s1m20
186s12s5s1m20

Playing as Zac

Tips to maximize your impact

  1. Smash them into each other

    After Stretching Strikes (Q) on one enemy, hit a second enemy with your auto: you fling them into each other, and if they collide, they and those nearby take damage.

  2. Pick up your Goo

    Pick up the chunks of Goo you shed when your spells hit: Cell Division (passive) heals you for each one, and Unstable Matter (W) comes back 1 second sooner.

  3. Charge your Slingshot out of sight

    Charge Elastic Slingshot (E) from the fog of war: the enemy has less time to react, and the longer the charge, the longer the knock-up on landing.

  4. Bounce into the middle of them

    Cast Let's Bounce! (R) into the heart of their team: the first bounce knocks back each enemy hit, the following ones slow them, and you can cast Unstable Matter (W) at the same time.

Playing against Aatrox

How to counter and exploit weaknesses

  1. Avoid the edge of his blade

    Stick to him or step out of range when he casts The Darkin Blade (Q): only the edge, at the end of each swing, knocks you into the air and deals full damage.

  2. Get out of his chains fast

    Leave the Infernal Chains (W) zone before it closes, with a dash if you have one: otherwise you get pulled back to the impact point and take the damage again.

  3. Trade after his blade

    Take a trade right after the three swings of The Darkin Blade (Q): it's his only knock-up, with a 14 to 6 second cooldown depending on rank.

  4. Short trades

    Take short trades: Umbral Dash (E) heals him for part of all the damage he deals to champions, so a long trade favors him.

  5. Respect his level 6

    Once he hits level 6, back off when he casts World Ender (R): he gains AD and increased healing, and every takedown extends its duration.

Patch 16.21.1