u/AccomplishedJello343

I have around 500k mastery points on Aatrox and managed to climb up to Plat 1, but I feel like there are still some missing pieces in my knowledge. I would really appreciate some help with these questions:

• Lethality vs. Bruiser: Which build path is currently better on Aatrox? In what specific team comps or matchups should I opt for one over the other?
• Hard Matchups & Cull: What is the best game plan in hard matchups where I know I have zero solo-kill pressure? I usually buy Cull in these passive lanes to scale—is this a correct approach, or am I sacrificing too much early-game power?
• Passive Lanes: In which matchups am I not forced to look for kills? Against which champions is it perfectly fine to just sit back, match their farm, and outscale them in teamfights?
• Macro (When ahead): How do I hard-carry the map when I completely destroy my laner but my bot or mid lane is losing heavily? What is the best macro play for Aatrox to impact the map in this scenario?
• Adapting to other fed members: If I am ahead in lane but there is another enemy member who is equally or more fed, how should I adapt my build? Should I still go damage or start building hybrid/defensive items earlier to survive them?
• Shutting down gold: How should I itemize when I am the only fed person in the game and nobody on the enemy team is big? Should I double down on full damage, or transition into a bruiser/tankier build earlier to protect my shutdown gold?
• Post-First Turret: After taking the first turret in top lane, should I stay in the side lane and draw pressure, or should I start grouping and moving around the map with my team?
• Pivoting into Tank items: As a general rule, when should I stop buying damage items and start pivoting into pure tank/defensive items?
• Teamfights (Target Selection): During teamfights, should I dive straight for the enemy ADC/backline, or is it better to just peel and hit whatever frontline is directly in front of me?
• Flash Usage: How should I look to use my Flash on Aatrox? Should I play aggressively and use it to force high-reward plays/combos, or should I hold it defensively to protect my own shutdown?
• 5v5 Role: What is my primary role in a 5v5? Should I look to be the primary engage for my team, or should I wait for the enemy to dive in first and then counter-engage?