How to win lane as Riven against Olaf · 50.56% win rate over 977 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Olaf | Olaf's axes slow on hit and his passive gives attack-speed as he loses HP — a Level 1 extended trade without your W stun online bleeds your HP bar and powers him up simultaneously. |
| Level 2 | Olaf | Olaf's sustained axe DPS through the Level 2 slow still outdamages your Q-W rotation unless you immediately disengage after the stun — hold for Level 3 before looking for real trades. |
| Level 3 | Even / skill | Full kit online but Ragnarok is the wild card — bait his R with a fake E commit, then re-engage with W-stun into full Q-chain the moment R's window begins to expire. |
| Levels 4-5 | Even / skill | He has raw DPS and lifesteal sustain to match you trade-for-trade here; both lines converge on whoever is better at tracking the other's cooldowns, making this genuinely even. |
| Level 6 | Even / skill | Blade of the Exile extends your range and Wind Slash executes below half HP — but Ragnarok's CC-immunity means your W locks up nothing if he pops it mid-combo; bait it first. |
| First item | Even / skill | Your Immortal Shieldbow or Trinity Force spike gives your burst combo a real damage ceiling — force a fight immediately on completion, ideally when Ragnarok is on cooldown. |
| Two+ items | Riven | Two items in, your rotations outdamage his sustained DPS and Wind Slash catches every low-HP Ragnarok escape — but Olaf's scaling into Death's Dance means the window to close the game is real. |
Level 1 is Olaf's lane. His axes slow you on top of his passive attack-speed scaling as his HP drops — if you take an extended Level 1 trade you are fighting a man who gets faster and hits harder while bleeding, and your W is not yet online to interrupt it. Sit on the edge of Q range and last-hit; if he pitches an axe into you, take the chip damage and do not chase into melee. At Level 2 he still edges it because his sustained DPS beats your two-ability rotation unless you immediately disengage after Q-W. Do not look for kills here — just get to Level 3 with your HP bar intact.
The full Riven vs Olaf 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.
Become a Founding Member — $1.99/month →🔒 Secure checkout · 💰 7-day money-back guarantee · ✋ Cancel anytime
Early Access price — $3.99/month for new members after launch.
Playing the other side? Olaf vs Riven guide →
All Riven top lane matchups →