League of Legends patch 13.5 set to introduce buffs for Aatrox: W cooldown reduced, R bonus AD increased, and more

Aatrox is one of the champions set to receive buffs in the upcoming League of Legends patch 13.5. After heavily dominating the season 12 professional play and Ranked Solo/Queue meta, he has struggled to match dominant champions like Jax, Fiora, Olaf, etc. in season 13, owing to the nerfs he received in patch 13.1.

One of the core reasons behind Aatrox being a highly contested pick in League of Legends season 12 was due to his unmatched sustain, slow, damage output, and healing. As a result, he was undoubtedly the strongest toplane champion for many players, dominating in both the Ranked Solo/Duo queue and professional play, even in unfavorable matchups.

Unfortunately, in League of Legends season 13, Aatrox plummeted dramatically from the top of the ladder. The reason for this was due to the significant nerfs he received Moreover, champions such as K'Sante, Jax, Olaf, Fiora, and others were being overtuned.

Having said that, Aatrox is still a powerful pick in the right hands, but only in specific situations and against favorable matchups.

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Full details about the buffs for Aatrox in the upcoming League of Legends patch 13.5

Aatrox buffs:

W (Infernal Chains)

• The slow has now been increased from 25% flat to 25% - 35%
• The ability's cooldown has now been reduced from 20 - 14 seconds to 20 - 12

R (World Ender)

• The ability's bonus AD has now been increased from 20% - 40% to 20% - 45%

These buffs are considerably beneficial for Aatrox, who has been suffering in the meta. However, players should keep in mind that these buffs aren't large enough to promote him to the status of best toplane champions in League of Legends.

One of the reasons these buffs aren't as significant is that Aatrox's W (Infernal Chains) is the last-maxed ability in the vast majority of his League of Legends matches. So, while the ability's slow has been increased and the cooldown has been reduced, it is still insufficient to compel players to begin maxing this ability second.

But the buff to his R (World Ender) is by far the most noteworthy. While it is far from substantial, it is still a welcome buff that will let Aatrox do somewhat more damage when unleashing his ultimate ability.

Ultimately, one could argue that the buffs that Aatrox will receive in the upcoming League of Legends patch 13.5 are placebo buffs because they aren't significant enough to push the champion to be extremely dominant but rather a reminder to high elo and professional players that this champion can be viable in certain situations.

Whether Aatrox will be able to become one of the finest toplane champions in season 13 will be determined once patch 13.5 is released.