Riven, Stella + Heron & Hidden mind games

Deck is still undergoing testing but the core of the deck is stellacorn and Heron + a range of options to keep the opponent guessing and having multiple ways and answers to break battlefields and close out games. An early stella drawing cards allows all the one ofs to really put in work and the range of hidden cards ensure even your two drops provide value later in the game.

FEEL FREE TO ADJUST SIDEBOARD AND CHANGE SOME OF THE ONE OF CARDS IF YOU WANT MORE UNITS. META IS STILL DEVELOPING AND SIDEBOARD WILL NEED TO BE OPTIMIZED. 

Game 1 → Always Star Spring

Star Spring gives you free repositioning every turn you develop a unit there. In a movement-heavy deck full of Stellacorn Herder, Tideturner, Ride the Wind, Gust, Flash, and Blade of the Exile. Turn 2 we can play stella to star spring, move it back to base and also push our two drop back to base ready.

When you’re on the draw, the extra resource is valuable and you often need slightly stronger individual units to contest.

Game 2 – Going Second → Valley of Idols

Valley of Idols lets you pay 1 to immediately Buff any unit you play there. That turns your mid-cost bodies (Herder, Innovator, Tideturner, Broken Blade, etc.) into more efficient combatants right away. It helps you stabilize or push back when the opponent has the initiative, and the permanent +1 Might sticks around for future turns. Still deciding with this BF but its somewhat neutral and gives you ways to protect smaller units from a lot of 3 dmg removal spells.

Game 2 – Going First → Windswept Hillock

When you have the play, you want maximum mobility and tempo.

Hillock gives every unit on it Ganking. Combined with your existing movement suite and Blade of the Exile. If you can hold this BF early with hidden cards and interaction, you can play units to the BF ready and gank over to trade or conq and build an advantage.

You’re sequencing the battlefields to match the needs of each game:

Game 1 – Consistent value + protection (Star Spring)

Game 2 on the draw – Efficiency and stronger individual units (Valley of Idols)

Game 2 on the play – Maximum mobility and tempo (Windswept Hillock)

WHY WE DONT PLAY HUNTERS CIRCLE! 

This battlefield is amazing but it also provides a lot of value for your opponent. Losing control of this BF puts you well behind tempo when your opponent can play units cheaper. You also dont want rengar to jump in for 4 energy and then play punch first to wipe your BF early. Every ambush unit becomes a problem for you. Its a really strong battlefield and works great with riven so maybe it will make a return but from testing, it provides too much value for your opponent if you lose control of it. We also can't play 3 BFs that our opponent can make use of so you could cut star spring or hillock for hunters circle but this has worked better for me. 

1. Core game plan:

Develop early board presence and movement tools. 

6 two drops so we will mulligan to try hit a 2 drop. 2 Bedeviling Stranger, 3 tide turner, and 1 gust monk to make use of the assault if you draw it later. Every 2 drop can be hidden for extra movement for Stellacorn or use strangers to bounce units. But the plan is to use the two drops with Astral Heron later in the game to play cards for free. You could add extra 2 drops like scuttle crab.

Stick Blade of the Exile (and other gear) onto Riven or a strong body.

Blade opens up the game allowing Riven, Adaptatron, Heron or other units to gank over. We play 3 copies because we want to ensure we draw them. You can mulligan blade if necessary and stella and Reckless Innovator provide ways to draw them later.

Use movement (Ganking from the Blade + spells like Ride the Wind / Gust) + Stellacorn Herder draw triggers to generate card advantage while contesting battlefields.

We want to get stella early and be able to protect it. Stella can be played turn 2 to a BF and moved back to get the immediate draw with Riven legend. Ride wind also provides more movement to draw. Tideturner does the same.

Stabilize with protection (Zhonya’s, Guardian Angel, Defy) and close games with discounted big plays (Astral Heron) or repeated attacks.

Once you have drawn enough cards, Heron allows us to close out games with Heron, Blade, Zhonyas or GA, and other buff and pump spells.

2. Mulligan Guide

Keep:

Early units (Stellacorn Herder, Tideturner, Reckless Innovator, Gust Monk) and Stranger helps against swarn decks or boards that develop a lot of units. Innovator helps generate gold to ensure we dont deramp and can play Heron early.

Blade of the Exile or protection

Interaction (Defy / Discipline) - Cards like twiglight shroud are also good to keep in some match ups. You can flow later on Riven or Heron to avoid removal or kills spells.

Ship: High-cost cards (Astral Heron, second Riven, adaptatron if they arent playing gear) unless you already have a strong curve. You can play 3 Herons but depending on the match and whether you are going first or second, you will mulligan the Heron in some situations going first and keep going second.

3. Early Game (Turns 1–3)

Develop board + set up movement. Playing a unit to BF and then moving them back to base to develop. Prioritize Herder or Innovator. Don’t force Riven too early unless you can equip immediately or have ways to protect her. Her stun and being able to spend the buff to ready her to send her back to base is really useful but we play another riven in main. Going first and you draw the second riven, you can be a bit more aggro and play riven early but you can also mulligan the riven if you think its not necessary in order to search for a 2 drop or stella. We need stella to really out tempo our opponent but 2 rivens is pain to deal with.

4. Mid Game (Turns 4–6)

Drop Riven + Blade. Start chaining moves for draws and battlefield pressure. Use Zhonya’s / Defy to protect key pieces. Innovator can also be accelerated to take back at BF and generate gold. I almost never use the draw option on this card so playing the gold basically pays for itself later.

5. Late Game / Closing

Astral Heron + discounted bombs or repeated Ganking attacks with loaded Riven. Star-Crossed and Twilight Shroud help protect the win.

When trying to hold, having 2 or 3 units at a BF. Most likely Heron + a 2 or 3 drop + a hidden stranger allows you to bounce a unit when they enter and then Heron allows you to play more interaction for free. This is a really strong combo and why play 2 strangers. Its a 2 drop but also late game enabler and closer. I might drop the gust monk for 1 more stranger. If they are holding with 4 units at BF, you can play stranger from hand to still bounce one of their big guys allowing you to gank over or move in for an easier conq.

Riven + Ki Burst or back off allow for multiple stuns when holding.

6. Sideboard Guide (high level)

Disarming Rake / The Good Stuff: Vs heavy Equipment or gear decks.

Irelia, Fervent / Riven, Deserter: Additional Champion options or alternate threats.

Sneaky Deckhand / Not So Fast / extra Star-Crossed: Vs control or specific interaction packages.

The one-ofs aren’t just flexible answers; they’re also for mind-games. 

Because you only run a lot of one of each, the opponent never knows which specific answer you’re holding. Every turn they have to play around a wide range of possibilities:

Stella allows use to draw lot of cards and innovator can do the same but becareful not to deramp too much.

Is it Back Off (stun + draw).  Can be hidden to protect units or used from hand to draw.

Ki Burst (cheap stun at the cost of exhausting one of yours). This can also be used with a ready riven to stun 2 units.

Rebuke (bounce). Removal that can't be defy'd

Flash (instant reposition/save) - an option to save multiple or key units.

Twilight Shroud (protection + untargetable) - allows use to run face first into possible removal, stuns, or kill spells. Has flow which can be used to also close out games.

Guardian Angel or Zhonya’s? - GA to protect a specific unit like Riven or Heron or Irelia but added zhonyas to use at reaction speed and to activate Herons ability when holding.

In practice this does a few strong things for the deck:

Slows the opponent down — they hesitate to over-commit, which buys you time to set up Heron or load Riven. Game 2, opponents could stay guessing the hidden cards or what might be in hand.

Makes your bluffs real — you can hold up energy and look threatening even when you only have a movement spell or a blank, because the one-ofs make every hold-up look dangerous.

Protects your key pieces better — opponents are less likely to point removal at Heron or Riven when they don’t know if you’ll just Flash it away, Shroud it, or bounce their attacker or simply defy it.

Other Notes: Adaptatron still gives us an option to kill gear while still having a unit on board. More gear kill could be added from sideboard.

Whiteflame protector helps use close out games. If played a BF you control, it enters ready and you could gank over with a 19 might unit with Blade and potentially more with shroud and other buff spells. You can also use it to buff riven or heron.

I like Irelia in this deck, I might put it into main. You could also play akali or khazix for the ambush options.