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wait for lvl 3 for trades! let him use his q first and while his q is casting engage on him with your q!
If you are having troubles try to dodges his Q's especially the red parts and farm up safely!
Akali
Don't get poked out by her lvl 1 Q into AA at lvl 3 you can try to get her Shroud and after it expires you can look for trades!
(You can Cancel her dashes with your 3rd Q)
Camille
Don't trade lvl 1.
If she does her W dash into her to deny the sustain!
Dodge her e with your dashes!
After lvl 6 if you are even or ahead you have the ultimate advantage!
Cassiopeia
Take Second Wind and grab yourself a Dorans Shield!
Farm with your E or 3rd Q.
Dodge her Q.
Keep in mind whenever you go for an all-in to face backwards after getting close to dodge her ult or go through her with your Q
Cho'Gath
You can go for a lvl 1 trade with fast Q combo but keep in mind not to get hit by his Q
Dodge his Q!
Dont go close to the wave when he is farming with his E active!
Darius
If he has Ghost don't push the wave and play safe dont trade unless he wastes his E or you dodge it!
If he has ignite or TP and doesnt have W lvl 1 you can go for trades else you have to wait for lvl 3!
Whenever Darius casts his Q you should Q into him to deny his Q dmg and healing!!
If you are having problems in this Matchup take Second Wind in the resolve tree and buy Dorans shield as the first item!
Dr. Mundo
Don't get hit by his Q and go for short trades!
Short trade-> AA Q W AA E Q(out)
Build Grievious wounds pre 6 if you are ahead to kill him even with his ultimate healing!
Fiora
Dont trade lvl 1 and try not to get hit on the weak spots!!
You can reposition the Spots if you go away from Fiora !
You can also hug Walls when a weak spot is on that side same goes for the ultimate Weak spots!
If you see her trying to go for a Q on you, then you can E WQ on her AA and then Q out. Try to hold on to your Q3 and wait for her to use W or use it to the side and not on top of her and immediately e to the side you Q3 to!
Be creative with your W and use it differently all the time !!
W aa Q E
E WQ AA
if she catches you with her W try to approach the trade differently
Gangplank
Farm safely and try to E his Q when you go for farm.
If there is no minion that is low dont stand in his Q range.
At lvl 3 you can start trading with him !! Watchout for his barrels and AA them right before they go from 2 HP to 1 HP!
Garen
The Garen changes made him a bit stronger..
Start with E lvl 1 and always E his Q
Don't trade him in his E
If you are having major troubles go for Shield Bash and Bone plating get yourself a Dorans Shield and rush Deaths Dance!
Don't buy Hexdrinker since it doesn't deny his R dmg anymore since it got changed to TRUE DMG!!
Gnar
Consider Dodging!
Start with Dorans Shield!
If he gets too close you can trade with him.
Best time to trade him is after he goes from MEGA gnar to MINI gnar!
Gragas
Consider Dodging!
Dodge his Q and E his W !
If you try to engage he will always E you thats why you should use you E to get closer to him AFTER he used his E!!
Rather play safe since the trades are not in your favor!
Heimerdinger
Farm Lane ~
Dodge his Abilities and dont force trades!
if he misses his Stun (E) you can look in to trade him, BUT make sure you dont stand in the range of ALL 3 Turrets of Heimer!!
Let him push and ask for Jungle help
Illaoi
Dodge her E AND Q!
Whenever she misses E you can go for a trade ! Try to trade/fight her away from her Tentacles!!
If she uses R step back and DONT fight her!
Irelia
You either trade before she can stack up her Q or you wait for lvl 2/3
Make sure you trade her with her Passive not being stacked!!
Dodge her E and dont use all your CDs(spells) when she is casting W!
You can dodge her R and also cancel her Q with your Q3!
Jarvan IV
Trade lvl 1!
Dodge his EQ Combo!
Try to E his Q pokes!
You can Q3 out of his R so if you are running away keep this in mind !
Jax
Start with E and use it whenever Jax walks up to you with his E activated !!!
take W 2nd and deny his E Q engage with your EW!
You see him using E and walking to you and using Q right before he lands press EW instantly this will stun him and get you out of his E range and also deny his QW dmg !
Go for Short trades !! Q AA W Q E !
Jayce
Dorans Shield !!
Trade windows are whenever he goes from Melee to Range !!
Kayle
Play Aggressive and try to deny as much farm as you can !
E her E!
Trade as much as you can before she hits 6!!
After 6 you can engage when she uses Q! Hold on to your R2 for after her R expires!
Her R immortality expires a few seconds After the swords fall from the sky !!
Kayn
No Words ! You Outtrade him at every stage of the game !
Try to dodge his W with your E !
When he ults you go to your Tower( or teammates later on the game) !
Kennen
Consider Dodging!
You need Tenacity and a Hexdrinker !
Consider building Black Cleaver first Item!
Dodge his Q and W him whenever he activates E and tries to get ontop of you !!!
Consider Building Merc. Treads!
Kled
Dodge his Q and wait until he uses his 4 empowered AA's on the minions!!
Wait for your Ultimate DMG after he gets off Skarl !!!
Lissandra
Try not to stay behind your Minions !
Get yourself Merc. Treads!
Focus on farming
Lucian
Play around his E and dodge his Q!
Wait for 6 to ALL IN him!
Malphite
E his Q and Break his Shield before going for long trade!
Maokai
Try to dodge his Q by dashing to the sides! He sustains more than you can harm him try to farm and shove the wave and look for roams!
Mordekaiser
Lvl 1 trade him if you get in AA range dodge his Q and retreat right after Q3 him!
You can easily dodge his Q and E!
If he E you after Qing the wave take this opportunity to get a free gap closer and trade him!!
Consider getting Stopwatch for teamfights or even a QSS to make his R useless !!
Nasus
Trade whenever you can ! E his Q and deny as much CS and EXP you can !
Dont stand/trade in his E as it lowers your armor!
Nautilus
Play safe and try to get as less dmg as possible !!
Focus on farming!
Get Tenacity in runes and through Merc Treads! Also look into buying Deaths Dance Black Cleaver and Steraks
Neeko
Dodge her E and trade!
Farm the first few lvls!
Take E lvl 1 to dodge her E or Deny AA poke
Nocturne
Try not to get hit by his Q!
Bait out his W shield before comboing him !
When he E you get out of the E range!!
He will most likely take Lethal Tempo and will proc it with his passive while farming, so try to trade after his Lethal Tempo expires and goes on CD.
Olaf
Dodge his Q and try to E his E!!!
If he throws his Q too far away from him you can trade him ! Try not to kite towards his Q !!!
Keep in mind that his R gives him Armor and MR , which he loses when he activates his R!
Ornn
Dodge the last part of his W! Don't stand near Terrain or his Q !!
If he is casting W and you want to trade him just go through him with your Q (not hovering Ornn with your cursor, but the ground) ! Try to CC him when he is about to Headbutt his R !
Watchout for his items since he can upgrade them without going back !!
Pantheon
E his Q! Watch out for when he is 1 skill off of his Passive maxed! He can do Q empowered W AA E Q!
Do not go near him when he is about to have his passive stacked !!
While trading try not to waste your DMG/Spells on him when he uses E!! You either want to go behind him or wait for it to expire!!!
Poppy
Take Dorans Shield!
Watch out for her Passive AA and block it with your E !!
Dont stand in her Q since the 2nd part also deals DMG!!
DONT STAND NEAR WALLS OR TOWERS!!! If she catches you with her E into a Stun she will deal alot of DMG!!
Advanced: you can dodge her E into walls if you time your E correctly!!
Pyke
Try not to get poked out of lane by his Q!! Go for short trades, but you can also go for longer ones if he already used his E to engage or something else !! If he is about to R you you can deny the Execute with your E shield if the Shield amount is enough !
If he E ontop of you you can always dodge it to the side !!!
Qiyana
Either block her Q Dmg or dodge it ! Dont Trade near walls !! If you all in on her while she has R she might try to knock you back with R so keep that in mind !! If she E on you when you are close to her she goes through you! She will land behind you!
Quinn
Renekton
Consider Dodging!
Renekton is my go to BAN!
If you dont dodge or ban him play undertower and just try not to die!
His W changes made it impossible to lane against him and all the sustain he gets from his Q!!
Rengar
Hug the other side of the lane towards the River so he cant jump on you !
If you are going for trades at lvl 3 keep your E ready and E AA WQ him after he jumps on you !! He will then try to get back into the bush and you should also go back to the opposite site of the lane out of his jump range!! KEEP YOUR RIVER WARDED SO YOU ARE SAFE FROM GANKS !!!!
Rumble
You can outtrade him lvl 1 if you get to AA him before he Q's or if you see him using Q! When he waves arrive he will either push with Q or freeze with E if he has E farm and ward your river and keep track of the enemy Jungler!!
DONT STAND in his R and dont trade when his bar turns yellow!!
Ryze
Let him push with his E spam!
Dont stand too close to your own wave !!
You can trade him freely after lvl 3 and at lvl 6 you can kill him with an All-In !!
Shen
Dont trade Shen at lvl 1 he will win it !
At lvl 3 you can look for trades !!
Dont get hit by his Sword when he casts Q !! And also dodge his E!
If you are looking for trade go in and let him use his W back off and re-engage after your abilities are back up! Keep an eye on shen and try to cancel his ULT with your W or Q3!!
When he hits 6 inform your team that he has ultimate !
Singed
If he decides to proxy (farm in between your towers) then ignore him unless you see you jungler with red buff nearby!!
Please just get a perfect CS score since there is no one harrassing you when you try to farm !
Melee minions 2 tower hits and then AA!
Ranged minions AA them first let the tower attack them ONCE and then finish them with another AA!!
DO NOT CHASE A SINGED !!!
Even if he E you into his poison just try to get out of his Q
Sion
DO NOT GET HIT BY A FULLY CHARGED Q!!
If he is charging his Q just E into him W go for a full fast combo AA Q AA Q AA Q and back off !! You can repeat this trade pattern over and over!!
Try to dodge his R if you can !
Swain
Stay behind your minions to deny his Q DMG!! There is no way he should be able to hit is W on you and you should always be able to dodge his E!!
Sylas
You can pretty much dodge his Q and E!! He has no real usage when he steals your R but look out for his execute dmg with his W and your R!!
Get grievious wounds!
Talon
Do not get hit by his W twice!
WATCHOUT FOR HIS lvl 2 SPIKE !!! DO NOT GET HIS BY HIS W TWICE!! Best way to dodge it his to the sides!! You either want to push the lane all the time or hard push whenever he tries to roam !!
If you dodge his w fully you can easily long trade him !
Teemo
Take Second Wind and Dorans Shield!!
Start with E and let him AA you early DONT E this AA ! This will make you minions focus him and push the wave towards you!!
Always E his Q at lvl 3 and especially after lvl 6 you can E towards him when he tries to Q you and ALL in him after the blind expires!!!
Tristana
Consider Dodging!
If you happen to still play this matchup take Second Wind and Dorans Shield!!
E lvl 1 to farm a few champs !! Ask for jungle help and try to be as healthy as you can for when your jungler comes !!
You can cancel her jump with your 3rd Q! Ask for a gank pre 6!!
After 6 you should try to engage on her and try to get her Ult or Flash!! if you get them both without using your Flash --> You have a 1.5 Minute window to kill her !
Trundle
E his Q ! Go for Short trades!! You cannot cancel his Q --> cancel his next normal AA with your W and back out with Q!!
Trade pattern E AA QW AA Q away, here he can use his pillow right infront of us but you can jump over it with your Q3 !!
Do not fight him when he used R on you !! His Q steals your AD and his R steals your Def. STATS!!
Tryndamere
DO NOT TRADE HIM TILL LVL 3!!!!
Always short trade !! (AA) QW AA E out !!
Be always moving do not stand still and try to block his AA DMG with your E and try to cancel his AA with your W or Q3!! You can also cancel his E if you Q3 to where he spins !!
Try to get CDR as fast as you can and kite him !! Ghostblade and Black Cleaver with Ninja tabis are good items !!
Udyr
Try not to get AA after he Q's!!!
He is a free kill after lvl 6! E when he tries to stun you to deny the DMG income afterwards.
Urgot
Dodge his Q E and R ;)
If you are going for trades make sure you trade whenever his legs are inactive !!
Vayne
Try to bait out her E and then go for trades whenever she gets too close/tries to last hit!
Viktor
E his empowered AA after he Q's!!
His W stunfield is useless against you since you have 4 dashes to get out of it!! You can also dodge his E to the side to not get his by the 2nd part of it !! You can look to trade at lvl 3 and lvl 6 all in him !!
Vladimir
E his Q!!!
Keep distance when he is about to have his empowered Q(RED BAR)!!
His Q bar under his hp bar not only shows you when he is gonna have his Q empowered it also shows you the cooldown of the ability(whenever it hits 50% and 100% his Q is up !!
Bait out his pool W to all in him !!
You can deny the E dmg by standing behind minions !!
Get grivious wound for mid-late game !!
Volibear
Try to E his bite W!!!
You can stop him from Q'ing you by stunning him with W when he gets close!!! Short trade with him W AA E away try not to use your dashes when he has e up since if he breaks them he will deal additional dmg !!
Warwick
E his Q dmg!!
When he uses his E do not fight him try to walk away from him !!!
Grivious wounds help in this matchup and Merc. Treads aswell!!!
Try not to flash his Q because he travels with you even if you wallhop while he Q's you!
Wukong
E his Q dmg !!
His trade pattern is like this EQ AA W run away invisible !! You can reveal him in stealth when you hit him with your Q (he will most likely go towards his tower or a brush!! If he has no W up you can just trade him freely !! You should always win the trades!! You can get an early sweepers !
Yasuo
Dodge his Q's!
Don't really trade till lvl 3!
At lvl 3 wait for him to go crazy on the minion wave with his E and if he gets close to you lock him down with your W and short trade him !!! Dodge his Tornado with Q or E !!
If he tries to EQ combo you you can just EQ towards him this way you dodge his Q dmg as it will be behind you !!
Yorick
DODGE HIS E !!
You can jump out of his W with your 3rd Q!! Try to prevent as much dmg as you can from his Q with your E!!
Try not to tank his ghouls since they deal alot of DMG!
You can all in if you dodge his E at 6 !! Dont drag the fights too long since his ghouls and the maiden deal alot of dmg the longer the fight goes !!
Zed
Dodge his Q's !! Watch how he uses his EQ Combo and dodge it or deny the dmg with your E!!
If he E towards you and misses his Q you can look for a trade here as he has no escapes at all!!
When Zed uses his R he will ALWAYS position right behind you!! Keep this in mind so you can time your Combo/DMG towards that position!!
Jarvan IV
Jarvan in the jungle is a nice pick whenever you play Riven !! He can be the main Engager and lockdown multiple people for you combo !!
Yasuo
He can ULT on your 3rd Q knock up !! Can be game changing!!
But make sure you build armor pen. if you have an AD mid!!
Pyke
If you engage and combo the enemies Pyke can always clean up !!
Sona
Following a Sona ultimate engage is pretty easy and you dont even have to waste your flash !!
Veigar
Veigars Cage (E) Is a really good teamfight ability on which riven can play with very well!!
Orianna
Ask for her Ball and Flash engage on mulitple enemies for a wombo wombo !! Make sure if you Flash into the enemies that you are still in Oriannas range, because if you are not in range her ball will automatically teleport back to orianna!!!!!
Synergies
IdealStrongOkLowNone
Jarvan IV
Jarvan in the jungle is a nice pick whenever you play Riven !! He can be the main Engager and lockdown multiple people for you combo !!
Yasuo
He can ULT on your 3rd Q knock up !! Can be game changing!!
But make sure you build armor pen. if you have an AD mid!!
Pyke
If you engage and combo the enemies Pyke can always clean up !!
Sona
Following a Sona ultimate engage is pretty easy and you dont even have to waste your flash !!
Veigar
Veigars Cage (E) Is a really good teamfight ability on which riven can play with very well!!
Orianna
Ask for her Ball and Flash engage on mulitple enemies for a wombo wombo !! Make sure if you Flash into the enemies that you are still in Oriannas range, because if you are not in range her ball will automatically teleport back to orianna!!!!!
Hi there,
I am a 6 Seasons long Riven Main with over 1 million points and several thousand Games on Riven in Ranked.
I started my Ranked Journey in Bronze back in Season 3 and reached Diamond this Season!!
After I started picking up Riven and practicing her in Season 5 I steadily climbed the ranked ladder, well with some loss streaks here and there!!
Play Riven if you enjoy her! She is not a free ticket to climb. If you prefer to focus on the game instead of on the game and on the champion with all the matchups i would recommend you play an easier champion!
Riven Combos
Riven has alot of combos but the most important ones are:
Cancelling your AA animations with Q (THE FAST COMBO!!)
This is basically what differs a good Riven from a bad one!
The combo goes like this:
AA Q Click on the ground AA Q Click on the ground AA Q Click on the ground AA
To practice this go into the practice tool take the preset runepage THE TIMELESS!
Get yourself a longsword and lvl up to lvl 3!!
Now practice it on a dummy start the fast combo with an E -> E AA Q AA Q AA Q AA (Always click on the ground after Q'ing!! If you have a DPS of 111 you are getting the hang of it! My DPS is 117 on AVG and the max DPS I saw was at 125!!!
Cancelling your spells after using E :
Basically you can animation cancel any spell after you cast your E
(this is called DoubleCast)
E WQ
E RQ
E RW
E WR
These are good while trading !!
Teamfight engage combo:
1. Charge up your Q (Use your Q's right before they expire!) till you have you Q3
2. If you see an opportunity to engage USE ER Flash Q
3. Now that you are on the enemies: W them AA R2 !!
4. After that your Q should be back up and you can choose a target and fast combo them!
There are more flashy montage combos but these should be what you will need!!
(ER WQ AA RQ) (R ER2 F WQ) (E F AA WQ)
Go into a practice tool and try these combos out !!
Riven Playstyles
Riven has 2 roles in a teamfight:
You either ENGAGE or PEEL for your carry !!
If you have Flash and no main engage you should try to engage in the teamfights !!
If you have Flash but a main engage you can either engage with him or peel for the carry!!
If you don't have Flash and a fed ADC or MID laner than try to peel for them!!
Peeling for your carries mean: You focus the enemy that is the closest to your carry!! Stand between your carry and the enemy !!
Roaming
Whenever you are pushing into the tower and you feel like you cant do anything just go and check the river and the enemy buff place a nice ward and go back to your lane! The vision will enable you your midlane and your jungler to play around it.
This Build with Ghostblade gives you alot of roaming potential!
Roaming is when you go away from your wave and place wards/spot the enemy jungler/get sums from the enemy jgl/mid or even kill them !!
A roam should only be an option whenever you wont lose alot for leaving your lane that means losing: waves of minions or plates !!
To prevent that you should always push in the wave and then roam!
The wave will push back to your tower and this is the window where you can roam! Make sure you catch your minion wave under your tower !!
Also try to play around the ACTIVE of your Ghostblade!!
HARD MATCHUPS/BANS
Firstly Hard Matchups:
Take Resolve as the secondary tree and grab yourself a Dorans Shield!
Bans:
1. Renekton
2. Garen
3. Morde
Always wait for your Team to ban to see if you can ban one of your own hard mathups!!
Garen is not a must ban aswell as Morde since there is a high chance that the enemies or your own team will ban them!
I would recommend you to ban Renekton since whatever happens he wins!
(honorable mentions patch 11.3 udyr ban!)
Other Riven Mains
If you are looking for a Challenger Level Riven Streamer/Players:
These guys are all awesome and I learned alot from them !!
Conclusion
Thanks for taking your time and reading my Guide!!
I am sorry that it is really text heavy and I will make sure to keep this Guide up to date and decorate it with Pics and Videos from time to time!!
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