The New League of Legends Champion Zaahen Revives Aatrox’s Old Strengths
Zaahen, the newest champion in League of Legends, brings back a mechanic once unique to Aatrox: the revive. This change stirs strong reactions among players, especially those who struggle against top laners.
The Challenge of Facing Top Laners
Many squishy support mains dread facing top lane champions, and Aatrox remains one of the most intimidating foes. Known as the Darkin Blade, Aatrox has never truly left the game's meta thanks to his powerful kill potential, constantly threatening champions like Janna and Senna.
Zaahen's Unique Mix of Abilities
Zaahen combines Aatrox’s relentless melee combat style with Xin Zhao’s stacking damage mechanics, making him a formidable enemy. His passive includes an Anivia-like revive system, adding another layer of threat on the Rift.
Lead gameplay designer Blake "Squad5" Smith explains, "Zaahen is a tougher, top lane melee character inspired by Xin Zhao and other Darkin in the game. We tried to make something that felt like he hit similar notes but at the end of the day was uniquely his own thing."
Zaahen’s skill kit features dashes, pulls, and double strikes, closely mirroring Aatrox’s playstyle on paper. The passive revival ability and Xin Zhao-inspired stacking attack damage set him apart, blending old and new elements.
Smith also acknowledges the irony: "The revive passive is pretty ironic, given that Riot removed Aatrox's revive passive from League of Legends with patch 9."
Player Reactions
For players wary of facing durable top laners with revival capabilities, Zaahen presents a fresh but intimidating challenge, reviving a controversial mechanic in a new form.
Author's summary: Zaahen reintroduces Aatrox’s iconic revive with Xin Zhao’s stacking damage, creating a uniquely tough top lane champion that renews old fears on the Rift.