Kennen vs Riven TOP Matchup Guide | LaneStomp

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Kennen vs Riven

Updated Jun 3, 2026

Overview

Kennen controls lane pressure by poking and stacking marks to punish Riven's cooldown windows.
Prioritize ranged poke and avoid giving Riven extended trades where her mobility and burst excel.
This is a control vs snowball matchup where Kennen must deny Riven's cooldown advantage and scale into teamfights.

Trading pattern

Trade short poke bursts using (Q) and (W) when (E) and (W) are down.
Avoid extended trades if (E) is on cooldown or Riven still has her crowd control ready.
Commit to all-ins only when you have full stun stacks or (R) ready to maximize kill pressure.

Danger windows

Riven is most dangerous when all her cooldowns including (Q), (W), (E), and (R) are available; avoid extended trades then.
Kennen is vulnerable after using (E) as it is his main escape; play cautiously until it resets.
Beware of Riven's stun (W) and knockup third (Q) during her combo; maintain spacing to minimize risk.

Early game

Use (Q) and (W) to chip Riven safely before level 6, avoiding all-ins without your stun or (E).
Keep (E) ready to escape Riven's engage attempts and punish her after she wastes mobility.
Focus on building health and mark stacks for level 6 threat rather than forcing early fights.

Power spikes

Level 6 unlocks (R), enabling Kennen to threaten all-ins and objective fights; preserve health and seek flank angles.
Flash plus (R) creates reliable teamfight engage windows; hold resources for decisive fights.
Respect Riven's level 6 (R) power spike and her cooldown resets that allow repeated burst trades.

Win conditions

Use ranged poke to control lane and force Riven to waste cooldowns or miss farm.
Stack marks and look for level 6 (R) flank or flash engage opportunities to turn fights.
Deny Riven cooldown windows and survive early pressure to reach teamfights where your area stun and engage excel.