Yasuo should use his medium lane pressure and mobility to contest Riven's high early agency and avoid giving her free cooldown resets.
This is a snowball matchup where Yasuo must manage wave control and cooldown windows to prevent Riven from snowballing with her burst combos.
Trading pattern
Stack (Q) and use (E) through minions to engage short trades, committing only when you can threaten your tornado knockup for (R).
Punish Riven after she spends (Q) dashes and (E) shield, as her mobility and defense drop.
Use (W) to block key projectiles but respect that it won't block all of Riven's combo damage and crowd control.
Danger windows
Respect Riven's full combo when her (Q), (W), and (E) are up, especially if (R) is active, as she can burst and stun quickly.
Be cautious when your (W) and passive shield are down, as you lose key defensive tools against her burst.
Avoid extended trades or fights when Riven has all cooldowns ready, as she can chain crowd control and mobility to punish mistakes.
Early game
Use level 2 power spike by combining (Q) and (E) to trade when Riven's mobility or (W) stun is on cooldown.
Avoid extended trades when (W) and third (Q) knockup are available to prevent getting stunned or knocked up.
Maintain minion wave presence to enable (E) mobility and avoid vulnerability when (W) or passive shield is down.
Power spikes
At level 2, use the unlocked (Q) plus (E) combo to force trades when Riven lacks cooldowns.
At level 6, track (R) availability and only commit to all-ins if you can guarantee a knockup to follow up.
After your first item, increase pressure on waves and trades, but remain aware that Riven's burst and cooldown recovery also improve.
Win conditions
Use wave control to maintain minion presence for (E) mobility and create short trades that threaten knockups.
Exploit windows after Riven spends (Q) dashes and (W) stun to punish her reduced mobility and defense.
Reach level 6 with a knockup ready to enable (R) all-ins, snowball by denying Riven cooldown resets, and pressure side lanes or skirmishes to leverage Yasuo's mobility and damage.
Tip: For Yasuo vs Riven, read overview, trading pattern, and danger windows first for a fast Top lane check.
