How to win lane as Heimerdinger against Riven · 50% win rate over 138 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Riven | Riven owns Level 1 — you have a single H-28G turret and no CH-3X grenade, so her Q-dash mobility and Runic Blade empowered autos win the only contact window before your nest exists. |
| Level 2 | Even / skill | It is genuinely even at 2 — your second turret and slowing beams start to contest the wave, but her E shield-dash and Q mobility let her trade and disengage on her terms. |
| Level 3 | Heimerdinger | By Level 3 the grenade and a fuller three-turret nest mean any Q-dash commit eats the slow edge plus turret beams she cannot out-trade through. |
| Levels 4-5 | Heimerdinger | Levels 4-5 are yours — three banked turret charges plus the center-stun grenade turn her all-in suicidal: land the stun, then three beams delete her before her E shield can soak them. |
| Level 6 | Even / skill | Level 6 is even — your UPGRADE!!! super-turret or wider grenade spikes the zone right as her Blade of the Exile comes online, and her dash-burst still answers an immobile yordle. |
| First item | Heimerdinger | At First item your Liandry's/Malignance and zoned turret nest keep her off CS while she farms scared of the center-stun-into-triple-beam. |
| Two+ items | Riven | After 2+ lethality items Riven reclaims it — her Q-Q-Q-W-E combo under Blade of the Exile dashes through the turret zone and one-shots you through a landed grenade, and the nest can't out-stat her item spike. |
Level 1 is hers — you have one H-28G turret and no CH-3X grenade yet, so respect her Q-dash mobility and Runic Blade empowered autos and don't contest the first wave inside her combo range; concede the level and last-hit from max range with W rockets. The lane flips fast: the moment your second and third turrets and the slowing beams come online around Levels 2-3, you start fencing off the wave. Don't burn the grenade as poke — she'll Q-dash or E-dash around it. Bank it for the moment she actually commits.
The full Heimerdinger vs Riven report continues with the mid-game plan, the late-game and teamfight plan, every power spike to play around, and the win conditions for both sides — plus cooldown tracking and the live enemy-jungle tracker inside the app.
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Playing the other side? Riven vs Heimerdinger guide →
All Heimerdinger top lane matchups →