In Solo Queue, no matter if it's one of those Riven mains or Boxbox or BRNA, they always build Hydra, Lucidity, Brutalizer (then Yomuu)
However, every time I see a Riven in competitive play such as Smeb or Huni or Ssumday, they always rush Cleaver or Bloodthirster.
Why is there such a difference? Which build is better?
Can an experienced Riven player explain this to me?
Thanks!
Tiamat is for fast wave clearing/combo. Since players are less experienced, you're less likely to be ganked, because when you buy Tiamat, you'll almost always push (push = gank).
Brutalizer is built first against heavy armor champion, or to try stomping your ennemy when the first minutes have gone well.
But I saw people building Brutalizer in soloQ too. It also depends of the amount of golds you have when you back. For exemple, if I back with 1500 golds, I'll more likely buy Brutalizer and pots, not Pickaxe + Sword. If I back with 2000+ golds, I might buy Tiamat + pots, not Brutalizer + Something else.
Solo queue build = maxing personal power.
Pro play build = maxing teamplay-focused options. Cleaver gives an effect that at the very least your ADC will also profit from, BT gives more safety with the higher lifesteal (mitigating Riven's abysmal HP regen) and shield.
because for a low-cost item, brutalizer synergizes with riven very well (CDR + DMG + APen).
hydra is used for wave-clear, but it also synergizes with your AA combo (more damage).
basically, streamers go for the flashy builds where you can cheese early game. meanwhile, team pro gamers work together to make their team composition as most efficient possible (CDR + sustain), hence bloodthirster or cleaver.
They do it for more early teamfight presence. The armor reduction makes her a huge threat if not focused, and if she is focused too late, the enemy team is already taking more damage from the -armor. Bloodthirster keeps her in the fight longer through more powerful sustain, and can make it very easy for her to deal out sustained damage with low cooldown reduction. The typical builds are used because they are most effective when you don't have full team coordination. You are a major thread on your own and don't need to worry about your teammates in fights to be a monster. The pros builds are more team friendly. It is really up to you which build you think would benefit you and your team the most.
