Despite an imminent rework, Aatrox has surged back into the competitive spotlight, as the meta diversity that was brought about by Patch 8.11 has given the Darkin Blade a chance to regain a spot in the top lane conversation.

And while Aatrox’s rework is set to hit the competitive stage sometime this split, it seems like the champion could remain prevalent in the meta in his current state for at least a few more weeks of competitive play. With that in mind, it’s safe to say that the recent surge in Aatrox picks across the world is not a fluke, but a trend that could hold steady throughout a good portion of the Summer Split.

And while Aatrox has already experienced 9 picks on the wildly insane Patch 8.11, it’s even crazier to think that the champion had only received 3 picks worldwide between 2015 and 2017, including a whopping 0 picks in 2016. However, this season, he’s garnered enough attention to be picked 13 times throughout the course of the season with 70% of those picks occurring in the past week alone.

Perhaps the scheduling of Riot’s rework for Aatrox couldn’t have come at a more inopportune time. The champion is finally being played on the competitive stage across every region, but will soon be scrapped from the game. To say that Aatrox’s rise in the meta was unexpected would be a massive understatement, as, even after all of the massive changes to the bottom lane and the jungle, seeing Aatrox come to prominence in the top lane was an incredible surprise.

And now, with Patch 8.11 slated to cycle out fairly soon, and no direct nerfs to Aatrox in the Patch 8.12 notes, it’s possible that the Darkin remains atop the top lane ladder for quite some time. Although the guaranteed rework is slated to appear sometime this summer, it’s still too early to tell exactly how long Aatrox will keep his crown atop the meta.

Photo Credit: Riot Games, League of Legends