Play Aatrox jungle by the "drag the sweet spot" rule: start Q, use E during the windup to bend the hitbox onto the dodge, and throw W on the exit line after Q1 or allied CC instead of opening with raw chain in open space
Your first clear is buying a real blade pattern, so level 4 crab fights, counterganks, and retreats through one narrow path are much more natural than thin level 3 ganks where nobody has committed to a line yet
Aatrox's best games are the sticky ones where the first burst or CC chain fails and enemies have to keep fighting through Q2, Q3, and World Ender; the pick falls off hardest once early mistakes push you out of blade range and into face-checking fresh CC
If Q1 misses, do not force the rest of the combo just because you already started. Check what the miss changed. If they still have to run through one line, you can place W on that exit, keep E to drag Q2 back onto their dodge, and keep the sequence alive. If the miss means they now have full freedom to sidestep, back off and wait for the next commit instead of donating your cooldowns. A lot of bad Aatrox jungle fights come from treating every first swing like a contract to finish the whole chain. The better habit is to salvage when the path is still good and disengage when the line is gone.
Periodically, Aatrox's next basic attack deals bonus magic damage and heals him, based on the target's max health.
Aatrox slams his greatsword down, dealing physical damage. He can swing three times, each with a different area of effect.
Aatrox smashes the ground, dealing damage to the first enemy hit. Champions and large monsters have to leave the impact area quickly or they will be dragged to the center and take the damage again.
Passively, Aatrox heals when damaging enemy champions. On activation, he dashes in a direction.
Aatrox unleashes his demonic form, fearing nearby enemy minions and gaining attack damage, increased healing, and Move Speed. If he gets a takedown, this effect is extended.