How to win lane as Nasus against Riven · 49.34% win rate (1,062 Emerald+ games, lolalytics, sampled July 2026) · Matchup data reviewed on patch 26.15
She bursts and kites you early — Wither her, build armor, out-scale.
Track: Riven's W — Ki Burst (11–7s cooldown). Her engage CC. Dodge it.
Read from Nasus's seat: which stage windows this plan plays for against Riven.
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Riven | Riven's level 1 Q-dash poke and auto chunk you while you have no Wither and zero stacks to answer. |
| Level 2 | Riven | Broken Wings into Ki Burst out-bursts you in her window — the third Q knocks back, her only stun is Ki Burst (W). |
| Level 3 | Even / skill | Wither cuts the attack speed that cashes her Runic Blade charges, but with no ult and few stacks it is still a coin-flip on who commits. |
| Levels 4-5 | Even / skill | Punish an over-extended all-in with Wither once Valor is spent, but her burst still trades evenly if Ki Burst lands — Skill decides. |
| Level 6 | Nasus | Fury of the Sands plus a Wither-slowed Riven lets your bonus HP, Spirit Fire shred and lifesteal eat her entire combo. |
| First item | Nasus | Sheen/Iceborn empowers Siphoning Strike and a Wither-locked Riven can't disengage — your duel, your kill. |
| Two+ items | Nasus | Your infinite Q scaling and ult durability bury her — she has no percent-HP or true damage to break your fat bar, and she hard-falls-off. |
Riven owns the first two levels — Broken Wings' three dashes, Valor's shield-dash and Ki Burst's stun burst you inside her window before you have any answer. Note the third Broken Wings cast knocks back, it does not stun: Ki Burst (W) is her only stun. Don't trade auto-for-auto here; soak Q last-hits, use Spirit Fire (E) to farm and chip from range, and accept you're behind on tempo. The early game is hoarding stacks and not feeding her a kill.
Pooled Emerald+ win rates from Nasus's side, sampled July 2026.
The full Nasus 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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Nobody on paper — a 49.34% win rate over 1,062 games makes this a coin flip decided by play, not champion select.
Yes — Nasus vs Riven is a genuine skill matchup: 49.34% win rate, and the favour swings window to window rather than being set at champion select.
No hard counter either way — the Nasus vs Riven win rate is 49.34%, an even lane decided by execution.
Nasus takes Fleet Footwork on the Precision tree with Triumph, Legend: Haste and Last Stand, and Resolve secondary (Second Wind and Unflinching) vs Riven.
Start Doran's Shield + Health Potion and back for Sheen (≈900g) — every Q after this hits twice as hard. Build Trinity Force (Iceborn Gauntlet if you need the slow + armor) first, then Frozen Heart (her attack speed dies here), with Plated Steelcaps.
Playing the other side? Riven vs Nasus guide →
All Nasus top lane matchups →
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