How to win lane as Olaf against Riven · 50.94% win rate over 958 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Olaf | Your Q-slow into auto plus passive attack speed wins first contact before she has any dashes charged. |
| Level 2 | Olaf | At 2 you have Q plus E for a guaranteed true-damage burst her E shield can't fully eat yet. |
| Level 3 | Even / skill | She gets her full three-dash Q and shield online, so she can dodge your Q and reset — it's a spacing duel now. |
| Levels 4-5 | Even / skill | W omnivamp keeps your trades even, but her Conqueror stacking and combo damage match you when she lands it. |
| Level 6 | Even / skill | Ragnarok cleanses her W stun and Q3 knockup so you can free-cast E, but a good Riven just disengages — it nets even. |
| First item | Even / skill | Black Cleaver / Bramble keeps you oppressive, yet her Q-reset burst trades back evenly into your bruiser core. |
| Two+ items | Riven | Her two-item mobility sidesteps your Q and her shield resets trades your flat true damage can no longer punish. |
Level 1-2 are yours: lead with Q to slow her, pick the axe back up to refund the cooldown, and chain another Q-auto before she can space you. The instant you hit 2-3 you have Q plus E, and her early Q-dash chain plus E shield aren't enough sustain to eat a guaranteed E true-damage hit on top of your slowed autos. Don't waste E chasing a full-stack Riven who can three-dash out — land the Q first so the slow takes a dash window away, then E.
The full Olaf 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 Olaf guide →
All Olaf top lane matchups →