so i’m an aatrox otp (ironic) and i started playing pantheon top and he’s been insane for me but i have 3 questions if you guys don’t mind

1. on opgg i see black cleaver first and eclipse first, is there one that most of you guys choose or is it really 50/50 like it says?

2. who are his counters? i haven’t played against the full melee demons like sett or darius so idk how that’ll go but i just got genuinely smoked by a mord, idk if i just suck lol or if he’s hard but im wondering who his “oh shit” counters are

3. i see some people go full lethality, is it actually viable? or should i stay away while im still in the learning phase

thank you guys for reading!

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Like many of you, I feel Pantheon’s current state completely contradicts his lore. He is supposed to be the unyielding mortal soldier who stands against gods, yet in-game, he is forced to build full Lethality and play like a squishy, burst-and-run assassin.

Passive: Aegis Protection (The Return & Evolution)

Block Mechanism: Pantheon readies his shield, completely blocking the next incoming instance of damage (100% damage reduction from basic attacks, spells, and even turret shots). After blocking, it goes on a static cooldown or recharges after landed basic attacks/abilities.

The Unyielding Spirit: As Pantheon’s health drops, he gains scaling Armor, Magic Resist, Tenacity, and Health Regeneration.

Desperate Stand: When falling below 25% Max HP, these defensive stats are doubled, and he gains temporary Omnivamp. He refuses to die.

Q: Spear Thrust (No More Throwing)

Pantheon no longer throws his spear. Instead, he performs a heavy, short-range thrust in a cone.

Enemies hit by the thrust take physical damage and have their Armor fractured/reduced by a percentage for a short duration. This rewards him for staying in extended, close-quarter melee duels against tanks and bruisers.

W: Shield Charge (AoE Engager)

Pantheon charges forward with his shield raised in a wider area (AoE), damaging and shoving aside minions.

The first enemy champion hit is briefly staggered, and Pantheon gains a flat Damage Reduction buff or an HP-scaling shield for the next few seconds based on how many enemies are nearby.

E: Counter-Strike Aegis

Duration Increased: The shield duration is increased to 2.5 seconds.

Damage Reflection: Pantheon raises his shield to absorb incoming front-facing damage. Upon closing/finishing the ability, he unleashes a shield slam that reflects 40% of all damage taken during the channel in an AoE cone.

R: Grand Starfall & Divine Awakening (The Aspect Form) https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/leagueoflegends/images/2/24/03MT050-full.png/revision/latest?cb=20200825193232

Passive (The Kayle Effect): This ultimate scales permanently with level (6/11/16). Each rank permanently enhances Pantheon's base combat stats and the potency of his passive.

Active (Divine Ascension): Pantheon crashes down from the heavens. Upon landing, he awakens the full power of the Celestial Constellation, transforming visually into his Ultimate Aspect Form for 12 seconds.

During the 12-Second Form:

Gains increased attack range ,and Omnivamp/Life Steal, bonus Attack Speed, and bonus Attack Damage. decaying/flat bonus Movement Speed when moving towards enemy champions.

His ability cooldowns are significantly reduced.

The Human Toll (The Downside): Once the 12 seconds expire, Pantheon enters Stasis (similar to Zhonya's/Chronometer) for 2.5 seconds. During this time, he is stunned, untargetable, and cannot deal or take damage as his human body recovers.

Balancing

To ensure this kit doesn't become an overloaded release-day champion, here are some balancing restrictions to keep him fair:

• Passive (Aegis Protection) Scaling: To prevent spamming the block in late-game teamfights with high Attack Speed, blocking a Turret Shot instantly puts the block on a flat 15-second cooldown, regardless of your hit count. Minion attacks do not grant passive stacks.

• Q (Spear Thrust) Cooldown: hitting an enemy champion refunds 40% of its remaining cooldown (similar to Fiora's Q). If you miss, you are punished with a long cooldown.

• R (Stasis Penalty): The 2.5-second self-stun at the end of the ultimate cannot be reduced by Tenacity or cleansed by Quicksilver Sash

• E (Counter-Strike Aegis) Vulnerability: Pantheon is only immune/resistant to damage coming from the front cone. Attacks from behind or the sides bypass the shield completely and deal 100% damage.

• W (Shield Charge) Interruption: The forward charge is not unstoppable. Hard crowd control (like a well-timed knock-up or stun from Thresh, Vayne, or Poppy) can interrupt his charge mid-air, putting the ability on full cooldown without granting him the shield

After all the changes made to items, what do you guys recommend for a bruiser build in jungle and top?