I mean, the dude is literally a possessed sword and a war God. However, his in-game appearance is a bit mediocre compared to that amazing story. But how can we get his look to match his lore? With skins, of course! So here’s my ranking of every Aatrox skin in League, ranked from kinda-good to best-of-the-best.
7. Victorious Aatrox
Released: November 21st, 2019 Price: Ranked Reward Victorious Aatrox definitely had the potential to be amazing – but I think the final design flopped in the end. The angelic look could have been pretty cool, and I do like the mix of white and gold on the champion model. However, the front side just looks awful. How can you give him a cool golden arm and cool wings, and then just slap a nerdy sweater on top of it? The animations are pretty decent here, I will give him that. But it just feels like a waste to pair them with this model. Especially when you consider that there’s a different skin that covers the same theme and does it in a much better way. So I will admit that this skin isn’t terrible. But I can’t say that’s worth grinding ranked for.
6. Mecha Aatrox
Released: July 23rd, 2014 Price: 1350 RP OK, I might get a lot of hate for this, but I think Mecha Aatrox is severely overrated. The base model looks so basic that I can’t take the skin seriously. Don’t get me wrong, the animations and particles are very nice. And this skin probably has the smoothest Q animation out of the entire lineup. But I just can’t get myself to like it. The dude just looks like he’s made out of Legos. And I see none of the original badass design mixed in here. Even his ult, which is supposed to be his coolest state, looks a bit dull. The splash art and backing animation are both decent for sure. But I think the design team could have done a lot better with the idea. If you really like the Transformers, give it a shot. But rest assured that there are futuristic skins for Aatrox coming up.
5. Sea Hunter Aatrox
Released: July 22nd, 2015 Price: 750 RP If you’ve spent your entire life thinking that this is a trash-tier skin, don’t worry, I was right there with you. But Sea Hunter Aatrox is lowkey fire. Sure, it only changes the character model. But I think that’s more than enough to justify the price. I mean, you basically look like an even more demonic Kisame. You get a cool-looking demonic arm, your head and torso become very shark-like, and your ult wings just look demonic in the best way possible. I can’t say that the base animations fit the skin perfectly – but they don’t detract much either. Maybe if Riot just changed his W to be a bit more water-themed things would look better here. But even with the minor gripes, it doesn’t matter too much. This skin is very simple and very good for what it is – so if you’re a lover of minimalism and don’t need fancy bells and whistles, I suggest giving this a shot.
4. Odyssey Aatrox
Released: October 15th, 2020 Price: 1350 RP Now this is how you do a futuristic design for Aatrox. I say “futuristic”, but it’s more galactic than anything. But then again, the galaxy is in our future, so my point stands. This skin borrows everything cool about Mecha Aatrox, and it even adds a bit of Thanos in there to really make the whole thing pop. The character model makes you feel like you can take on the world. And your new backing animation confirms that belief, as you tear open a hole in space and time. All the animations are clean as all hell, managing to be pretty without becoming too flashy and obnoxious. Especially the W animation. I will say that the face looks a bit weird in this skin, as my dude just looks completely lost. But the cool Thanos glove, warrior armor, and Honor level five head piece more than make up for that. And don’t even get me started on that sword. Odyssey Aatrox doesn’t have any glaring weaknesses. But I do prefer the following skins (just my personal taste) since they embrace the demonic side of Aatrox a lot more – which is what I want to see.
3. Lunar Eclipse Aatrox
Released: April 28th, 2022 Price: 1350 RP Lunar Eclipse Aatrox just feels like a slight step-up from odyssey Aatrox. The galactic theme is very striking and very distinct – taking everything Odyssey did well and making it slightly better. For one, the character model looks a lot more natural and threatening. Two, the voice filter fits the skin a lot better. And three, the ult form feels more badass. It’s also worth pointing out that this skin has an incredibly strong chroma selection – with each one giving Aatrox a whole new feel. I especially like Ruby because it matches Aatrox’s original theme. I will say that I’m not a huge fan of the symbol on Aatrox’s back in this skin, but that’s hardly worth docking any points. Overall, Lunar Eclipse Aatrox is your best bet if you don’t care too much about Aatrox’s demonic side and would rather feel like a galactic overlord.
2. Blood Moon Aatrox
Released: January 10th, 2019 Price: 1350 RP I absolutely love this skin, because it takes everything cool about the original concept, and dials up the coolness meter. I mean, just look at this skin’s character model. You get those sweet horns, that demonic color palette, and even a literal skull on your shoulder. And the sword just looks like an ancient artifact ripped straight out of Demon Slayer. Plus if all of that wasn’t good enough, the design team decided to put in some excellent animations as well. The Q and W are both very clean and easy to keep track of, while the ult is just a feast for the eyes. I never even thought about how black raven-like wings would look on Aatrox – but now it’s the only thing on my mind. And you even get the blood moon itself once you activate it. I personally prefer the original Blood Moon skin over the Prestige edition for Aatrox, but I will admit that both designs are fantastic. And the splash art is just God-tier for both too. Like honestly, this might be the coolest splash art in the entire game. This skin has everything an Aatrox main could want. And I want to see more League skins like this in the future.
1. Justicar Aatrox
Released: June 12th, 2013 Price: 975 RP Even though I just spent a dozen paragraphs drooling over the Blood Moon skin, it honestly has nothing on Justicar Aatrox. Even the concept alone is pretty amazing, as it’s always interesting to think about what a bad guy would look like if they were good. So the fact that Riot nailed such an interesting thematic is a good sign. The yellow and blue color palette here makes you look royal, but also dangerous. And the headpiece plus white wing combo just really sells the “angelic” vibe. I will admit that the animations aren’t anything too extravagant – but I think they’re just distinct enough to make this skin stand out amongst the others. Also, the ult is just amazing. Plus we have to keep in mind that this skin is the oldest out of the bunch. And as such, it holds a certain legacy among Aatrox veterans. All of this is without even mentioning that the skin is almost the cheapest in Aatrox’s entire arsenal! Justicar Aatrox is just amazing: It has been around the longest, it offers the best bang for your buck, thematically it’s the most interesting, and visually it’s also among the best. It’s truly deserving of the top spot. Note: this content was created under Riot Games’ “Legal Jibber Jabber” policy using assets owned by Riot Games. Riot Games does not endorse or sponsor this project.
