Talk:Aatrox/@comment-7644418-20141004180040/@comment-24418959-20141008133934

In my opinion it always comes down to the choice between Hydra OR BotRK as your first item. Both have their advantages, it depends on who you are facing.

If you have an easy/squishy opponent, snowball really hard or don't have to tank or initiate, go for Hydra. It gives you insane splitpush potential, and more damage in teamfights as well. But you are a much worse duelist and have less survivability.

If you are against a strong/beefy matchup, or are the main tank/initiator of your team, go for BotRK always. Even though the splash heal on Hydra is nice, BotRK in most cases gives you much more sustain, especially in a 1v1.

Other than these 2 you should go for defensive items mostly, unless you are really far ahead or have a real tank on your team.