This article is part of “Professional Help” an ongoing series of tips and tricks from pro players on their favorite characters.

Jeong “Chovy” Ji-hoon is one of the best mid laners in the LCK, and was a key part of DragonX’s success in the 2020 Spring Split.

Before joining DragonX last December, he was Griffin’s star player, and was voted the LCK 2019 Spring Split regular season MVP.

Chovy is capable of playing a wide variety of heroes but Aatrox is one of his best, with a 100% win rate on the hero this past season.

Here are five tips from the man himself to improve your Aatrox:

1. Use this combo to land all three hits of The Darkin Blade 

Aatrox’s The Darkin Blade (Q) has three hits (Q1, Q2, Q3). For maximum damage output you’ll want to combo them to ensure you hit with all three.

The most basic skill combination for Aatrox is opening with Q1, then using Infernal Chains (W), followed by Q2 and Q3: Q1-W-Q2-Q3. The knock up from Q1 will CC opponents, ensuring they remain in range for W, which will pull them back. Then you can finish them off with Q2 and Q3.

2. Weave Umbral Dash and Infernal Chains into your combo 

If you use Umbral Dash (E) to close the gap between you and the enemy unit, follow up with Infernal Chains. You can anticipate the location where your opponent will be pulled back to. From there, use The Darkin Blade right below the enemy to knock him up, forcing him to remain in Infernal Chain’s hit box range, and be pulled back into the center.  

3. How to stop enemies from running away 

When an opponent is running away, don’t use The Darkin Blade first. Instead, you should use Umbral Dash followed by Infernal Chains, then hit them with The Darkin Blade: E-W-Q. This is way more efficient and will output more damage. Alternatively, you can use Flash to close the distance, then follow up with Chains and Blade.

4. Know the ranges of The Darkin Blade 

For the second hit of The Darkin Blade, if you place the opponent at the edge of the skill box, they will still get hit. Keep this in mind when you’re following up from Q1. It’s essential to learn the range of all three The Darkin Blade hits if you want to master Aatrox.

5. Master The Darkin Blade – Umbral Dash combo

It’s also important to know how to aim your The Darkin Blade hits after using Umbral Dash, which changes your positioning and the angle of each hit. A sense of distance is important.  

This applies to the Flash – Blade combo too. Keep practicing Q-E and Flash-Q to get the hang of it. The unique trait about Aatrox is that E can be used with other spell casts, primarily Q, without interruption. 

Finally, you can pop World Ender (R) before team fights to give more damage and increase healing.

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