Hi, let me show you a sure way to play Riven: My way!

To begin with, This champion is my favourite one, because she hurts, she is kinda pretty and... she hurts a lot!!

Riven is an AD caster, wich means that the damage output she does is based on her skills, especially, she excelles on skills combos, but she is a fighter, so she is not as much tanky as someone like Garen or Renekton.

Well, that is a good question, if you want an OP champion, who is easy to play, there is not.
Check out the reasons why would I play her.

Pros -Great damage output -High mobility character -Real AoE potency, which means that she can handle 1v2 battle -Good farmer. -Escape/Chase mechanism

SPACE

Cons -Has less survivability than others fighters -Lack of sustain ability -Vulnerable to CC's -Hard countered by those who takes some armor -Needs some CDR to be more effective

My runes choice:
Viables runes:
HP quintessences are also viable but, don't forget that you are supposed to dominate your opponent by your early strengh.

My masteries setup:Offensive side
-Brutal Force: Flat AD: cool!
-Summoner's Wrath: Ghost & Exhaust upgraded, I won't say no!
-Alacrity: humph, I don't care but it is always a bonus.
-Weapon Expertise: Yearr ;)
-Deadliness: Why not?
-Havoc: Mini Damage Output Scaling, yay.
-Lethality: Always good to have.
-Sunder: Yay, more ArP
-Executioner: Wow, cool! Synergizes with my ultimate!

Defensive side
-Hardiness: cool more armor!
-Resistance: one point, no choice.
-Durability: Not bad, scales out with Atma.
-Veteran's scars: More HP, more sustain.

You can also go for an defensive axed tree, but you will fell guilty that you don't have early damage output.

My choices:

- Ghost: Always useful to have it, you go faster and pass through minions like Fizz You will need it when: you want to chase n' kill an opponent, but also when you need to flee quickly.

- Exhaust: Same as Ghost, Exhaust will help you to chase and flee. It also guarantee a win on 1v1. (I'm not meaning that you will kill your enemy, but you are sure to dominate him)

Viables choices:

- Flash: same as ghost, but since his nerf, it is more difficult to use it. It forced you to use it wisely, due to is cooldown, and his reduced range.

- Cleanse: always useful but more since his buff, take this to counter CCers and make you unstoppable with your Combos. But his Cooldown has been increased, so you must use it wisely, like flash.

- Ignite: maximize your damage output with this, guarantee to kill some champs like Tryndamere, Soraka, and everybody who has some luck, or some healing abilities.

- Smite: because sometimes, you want to jungle with her, which is viable, you need to take this.

- promotion: good summoner spell, for sololane champions like Nasus, Renekton or an middy character like Annie, Xerath, or Master Yi helps out to push early game.

- Teleport: should been taken when you go sololane, in deed you have to be always present in your lane.

Just in case, I will remember what are the rules when you play Riven:

She must always have a higher mobility than her opponent.
She must always have more damage output capacity than her opponent.
She must always lookout on every opportunity to harrass or kill her opponent.
She must always lookout on every hazard she can encounter.

But let's check with what our Riven can do to respect those rules.

Mobility

Broken Wings: this skill is what makes Riven unique, this skill will deliver a high early damage output, a "in three times Bump", and mobility. As says Phreak: "Broken Wings, Attack, Aroken Wings, Attack, Broken Wings, Attack" is afar a good way to harrass.

Ki Burst: an AoE stun with a good damage deal. Simply clever. What else?

Valor: a dash + a shield, decent skill and your way to harrass without taking too much by your opponent.

Blade of the Exile: an powerful AD, range scale. Want more? tjen you will appreciate this attack, a skillshot which has a long range and an executioner! This skills screams: PENTAKILL!

Runic Blade: meaning? You have to auto attack every time you use a skill to maximize your damage output. That is all.

A good combo is: valor, broken wings, attack, broken wings, attack, broken wings, attack, ki burst, attack, attack etc... This procures a chasing ability, and you will maybe grab the kill :) Why am I saying maybe?

The "always picked items"



Those items are always picked for good laning/jungling phase. Yeah your boots must be defensive, because you will feel like you are not so much tanky as you should be.

the depending/situational items


Explaination maybe?
-Trinity force: It is the only item which is providing MS without being too auto attack based. Because it synergizes with your passive, besides you have a lot of stats increased and an snare on your auto attacks. Almost a must-have, you can still change this for a Frozen Mallet but you lose MS and an AD add on your attacks for a "sure" snare and 700 HP, and 20 AD. It's up to you to decide.

-Infinity Edge: It will simply increase dramtically your AD, your crits are also upgraded. An other "viable" choice is Bloodthirster but you have to stack it... Personally I prefer have 80 AD, crit scaling over than 60(+40) AD and some lifesteal.

-Atma's Impaler: It gives more AD and more crits chance, don't forget also the correct amount of armor gived.

-Stark's fervor: Yay some lifesteal, but also an halo who gives HP regen, lifesteal, attack speed and an armor debuff, which is great because Riven can 1 v 2 easily. And it can make the difference in a teamfight.

Wanna more survivability??

: simply increases dramatically your HP, which means your AD!
: when you die a lot of times, take this.
: when you get too much focused or if you are against too much AP. Take this.

I admit, The Brutalizer is a very good item on her, but improve it on yoummu's ghostblade is less viable, because it is too much expensive for what Riven really needs.
If you disgree, I won't stop you to take it but I think you will lose more than you will win.

The Brutalizer:GOOD item
yoummu's ghostblade:VIABLE to BAD item

Taking the brutalizer and sell it after is like when you stack multiple doran's blade. So it's up to you to decide.

Riven can jungle, and more since the so-called nerf of the jungle. But she has to gank a lot to sustain pressure to the enemy team, which means: early ganks!
Play Video
Note that this video show how to jungle.

This image shows you where you can begin in jungle. Don't forget to take Smite

Riven can mainly solo lane, but she can also go duo botlane.

I invite you to click on this link, to see how to solo with Riven.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xm5309_league-of-legends-riven-fighter-solo-lane_videogames?start=19#from=embediframe

An other video about Riven solotop. It is on daylimotion so I can't put the video like on jungling part. And the video is on French.

Hope you enjoyed the guide, you can see that my Riven is based on sure values, talking about the AD. Riven is also hard to mastery, maybe not as much as Master Yi, but she is always a way fun to play and takes times to handle her.


So the key about Riven will be: Training!