Malphite vs Riven TOP Matchup Guide | LaneStomp

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Riven

Malphite vs Riven

Updated Jun 3, 2026

Overview

Prioritize surviving early pressure and avoid extended trades until your armor and cooldowns reduce Riven's burst effectiveness.
Accept a low lane pressure role focused on stable farming and preparing for impactful level 6 engages.
This is a scale and teamfight control matchup where Malphite aims to blunt Riven's early aggression and win grouped fights with (R).

Trading pattern

Take measured poke with (Q) only when your passive shield is up and avoid overcommitting before (R) is available.
Use (E) to reduce Riven's attack speed and punish her cooldowns after she uses (Q) or (E) aggressively.
Avoid extended trades where Riven can chain crowd control; instead, trade when her (W) stun or third (Q) knockup are down.

Danger windows

Be cautious when Riven has all cooldowns up, especially (W) stun and third (Q) knockup, as she can burst you before your engage.
Avoid fighting when your passive shield is down or (R) is on cooldown, as your threat and durability drop significantly.
Respect Riven's level 6 all-in window when she can convert chip damage into lethal burst with (R).

Early game

Play defensively and use (Q) sparingly to conserve mana and avoid provoking Riven's all-in before you have armor.
Use (E) to reduce Riven's auto-attack damage during short trades when she commits cooldowns.
Focus on farming safely and maintaining your passive shield up to mitigate poke before level 6.

Power spikes

At level 6, use (R) for guaranteed engage or kill setups in teamfights rather than solo lane poke.
After your first armor item, increase safe trading windows by blunting Riven's physical damage.
Respect Riven's level 6 (R) burst execute and her full cooldown combo; avoid fights when her mobility and shield are available.

Win conditions

Survive early lane pressure by using armor stacking and (E) to blunt Riven's physical trades.
Use (R) to initiate grouped fights or ganks where your knockup guarantees follow-up and objective control.
Deny Riven scaling by maintaining lane stability and punishing her cooldowns with (E) and well-timed poke before she snowballs.