Your Win Condition
Secure one or two kills before Level 7, as this is the cutoff point where Aatrox's Q cooldown becomes low enough to make the lane extremely dangerous.
General Strategy
Prioritize dodging his abilities, especially his Qs and Ws. If you can't dodge the Q entirely, ensure you do not get hit by the sweet spot (the area that knocks you up and deals more damage/healing). Rush defensive items like Plated Steelcaps (Toby's) and armor. Build Gore Drinker for extra survival (meat) and sustain from poking creep waves, which helps counter Aatrox's free Q poke.
Trading Patterns
Use Ghost to dodge his abilities and stay mobile. If Aatrox lands W, he will easily chain his CC (Q-W-Q-Pull-Q), leading to Darius's death. Utilize your own minions as a shield to block his W. If you successfully dodge his Q sweet spot, you take less damage, and he heals less. If Aatrox is the type of player who kites often, Stridebreaker is the better mythic choice to stop him from escaping your range.
Wave Management
When trying to CS against a high elo Aatrox, be aware that you are 'just going to eat free poke every time'. The player must manipulate the lane to win, even if it costs some HP.
Their Win Condition
Aatrox wins by maximizing damage and healing from landing Q sweet spots. His main power spike is gaining four or five points in his Q (around Level 7), which reduces the cooldown enough that he can free poke Darius whenever Darius attempts to CS. He also uses his ultimate's movement speed to kite Darius and win fights with a second ability rotation.
!["](https://lolmatchups.net/Darius".png)
!["](https://lolmatchups.net/Aatrox".png)
