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Not a bad guide.
But it makes me worry that my days of a Riven-free mid lane are getting shorter.... :3
Exactly the opposite. There are nerfs for riven in the PBE.
But it makes me worry that my days of a Riven-free mid lane are getting shorter.... :3
Thanks for the constructive criticism!
Hydra > BT on almost every melee champ. The burst damage / heal it gives are extremely valuable. Hydra + Spirit Visage also go very well together. BT can be better on Riven situationally though since her shield's AD ratio can give you just as much survivability from more AD as the heal from Hydra. The AoE is great for skirmishes and farming jungle camps though while the wave clear lets you roam more efficiently. (This was more so in response to a previous comment than to your guide.)
Nice coding, good information for the most part, and it makes me happy when people actually use the +Notes tool.
My main suggestion is to max E over W. The CD reduction will drastically increase your mobility and having the shield more often is crucial. The reason you don't max W second is for two reasons. The CD reduction is generally unimportant as when you get in range to use W you are generally attempting to 100 to 0 someone. Having it up again 4 seconds sooner won't change anything. The second reason is because you don't need the extra base damage you get by ranking it to kill your lane opponent. Riven dumpsters almost every Mid in all-ins. Since you're melee you are likely to get heavily harassed until you are ready to all-in so a stronger and more frequent shield is a beautiful thing. The extra mobility you get from the CD reduction via leveling it will also increase your roam potential and decrease the intervals between trading capabilities.
nice suggestions...
I build hydra like 85% of the times but BT is also strong as well and quite gold efficient.
About the E max now...it is viable of course and quite good but in a matchup where you easily can force all-ins the bonus damage is just better. I have already mentioned the E max over W when it comes to a difficult matchup with much poke.
I'm upvoting but I have a few notes for you.
I play a ton of mid Riven and I've found that running 2 Life Steal Quints and starting Dorans blade is freaking OP. I also think Bloodthirster is weaker than Hydra 100% of the time. Hydra if you're good with the active allows you to cancel spell animations and output significantly more damage in short bursts than Bloodthrister. I also don't think its viable to build Brutalizer before you finish Hydra. I go Hydra -> Brut -> LW.
Again, in my opinion hydra is indeed better but BT is also worth mentioning.
I think I have mentioned life steal quints. They are great indeed but i am not sure if they should be my primary choice. I trust your opinion though and I will test them again.
Now on Brutalizer, it gives lots of early game damage and it helps a lot when trading. I think it's a good investment. Of course, there is the danger of dying once or twice falling behind and delaying your build into hydra.
Anyways, I'll try the suggestions of both and I will probably make changes.
I play a ton of mid Riven and I've found that running 2 Life Steal Quints and starting Dorans blade is freaking OP. I also think Bloodthirster is weaker than Hydra 100% of the time. Hydra if you're good with the active allows you to cancel spell animations and output significantly more damage in short bursts than Bloodthrister. I also don't think its viable to build Brutalizer before you finish Hydra. I go Hydra -> Brut -> LW.
Nice coding, good information for the most part, and it makes me happy when people actually use the +Notes tool.
My main suggestion is to max E over W. The CD reduction will drastically increase your mobility and having the shield more often is crucial. The reason you don't max W second is for two reasons. The CD reduction is generally unimportant as when you get in range to use W you are generally attempting to 100 to 0 someone. Having it up again 4 seconds sooner won't change anything. The second reason is because you don't need the extra base damage you get by ranking it to kill your lane opponent. Riven dumpsters almost every Mid in all-ins. Since you're melee you are likely to get heavily harassed until you are ready to all-in so a stronger and more frequent shield is a beautiful thing. The extra mobility you get from the CD reduction via leveling it will also increase your roam potential and decrease the intervals between trading capabilities.
Good guide, but should really be deleted, I don't want more
lol:D
hydra mid sucks
actually not. By the time you will have build hydra your main goal will be taking objectives and roaming or countering the fast waveclears the enemies have. So under the right circumstances hydra is decent.