How to win lane as Riven against Nasus · 50.66% win rate over 1,062 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Riven | Nasus has no CC or meaningful poke at Level 1 — you can threaten him freely with Q autos and set the CS dynamic early. |
| Level 2 | Riven | W comes online and you can land a full stun-burst before he has stacks — this is your cleanest solo-kill window all lane. |
| Level 3 | Even / skill | Both kits are fully active and Wither starts to complicate your dash-in; the lane outcome now depends on who hits their abilities first. |
| Levels 4-5 | Even / skill | His Wither CDR is meaningful and stacks are building — only engage when Wither is on cooldown or you will lose the extended trade. |
| Level 6 | Nasus | Nasus R grants lifesteal and bonus HP that outlasts your burst; he can now sustain through your combo if you do not have a clean execute. |
| First item | Nasus | His stacked Q and Wither uptime make extended duels dangerous; your first-item spike does not outpace the damage-sustain he brings online. |
| Two+ items | Nasus | 300+ Q stacks plus Wither shredding your dash speed makes 1v1s his win condition — play the map, not the lane, and trust Wind Slash for low-HP executes only. |
You win Levels 1 and 2 cleanly — Nasus has no reliable poke or CC at those stages, and his Q is just a last-hit tool. Hit Level 2 before he does, step up immediately, and force a trade with W-stun into the full Q chain while he has zero stacks to punish you with. Every Q you interrupt is permanent damage denied. At Level 3 you can still burst him in one full rotation, but start respecting his W Wither: if he lands it on your dash-in, your Q chain slows to a crawl and your whole combo falls apart. Bait him to step up for a CS with a short E-in, then commit the stun only when you see the Wither animation miss or finish its cooldown.
The full Riven vs Nasus 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? Nasus vs Riven guide →
All Riven top lane matchups →