Riven vs Poppy TOP Matchup Guide | LaneStomp

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Poppy

Riven vs Poppy

Updated Jun 3, 2026

Overview

Riven should leverage her high early agency and mobility to pressure Poppy and deny her control over the lane.
Focus on short burst trades using cooldown sequencing to prevent Poppy from using her anti-dash (W) effectively.
This is a snowball vs. control matchup where Riven must snowball early leads to outpace Poppy's scaling durability.

Trading pattern

Initiate trades with (E) shield, chain (Q) and (W) for crowd control, then disengage before cooldowns expire.
Punish Poppy immediately after she wastes (W) to deny her anti-dash defense.
Avoid trading when your (Q) and (E) are down, as your mobility and shield are reduced, making you vulnerable to her crowd control.

Danger windows

Be cautious when Poppy holds (W) to counter your dashes; avoid engaging into it.
Watch for (E) wall stun near terrain; avoid fighting near walls where she can lock you down.
After using your mobility and shield, you are vulnerable to Poppy's retaliation; disengage quickly to avoid extended trades.

Early game

Use early levels to poke and trade quickly, avoiding extended fights where Poppy's tankiness and (W) anti-dash can punish.
Avoid committing dashes when (W) is up; bait it out before engaging.
Control the wave to create space for mobility resets and prevent Poppy from setting up wall stuns with (E).

Power spikes

At level 6, use (R) to convert prior chip damage into lethal burst, baiting (R) before committing.
First haste/damage item spike lets you threaten repeated trades and recover cooldowns faster; use this to contest wave and punish Poppy's cooldowns.
Respect Poppy's level 6 (R) knockaway as a disengage tool; avoid overcommitting when it is available.

Win conditions

Snowball early by punishing Poppy's cooldowns and mobility windows with fast combos.
Use side-lane pressure and roams after gaining a lead to extend your advantage.
Convert level 6 burst into kills by baiting Poppy's crowd control and then committing with (R) execute.