Dota 2 – Is Silencer’s Intelligence Steal Talent Retroactive?

Riki will be revealed in this case.

All silences reveal Riki, as well as truesight or if he attacks. Riki is the only invis hero to be revealed by silence.

From memory (going back a few years), Riki wasn't revealed in Dota1 by silence effects, so your friend is correct as well.

Here are some general tips when you play as Rikimaru and you are being pressured by hard ganker.

What you have to do/consider

• I like to buy an early ring of health in lane with Riki and transition it into a Vanguard in the mid game when I'm in that kind of situation (being heavily ganked). Vanguard will greatly increase your survivability and the passive regen helps you sustain between ganks without having to go back to base.
• Farm Diffusal Blades as soon as possible : you can't debuff the charge (obviously) but you can debuff the dust. By doing that you'll waste a lot of Spirit Breaker's time, giving more space to your team.
• Always have a TP scroll on yourself and TP out anytime you feel unsafe or TP out if the ganker already used his disable(s). Boots of Travel is a waste of gold as Riki need the attack speed and agitility or strength brought by the Power Treads.
• Always have a Magic stick/wand : the quick burst of HP can often make the difference between living and dying.
• You have one of the most obnoxious hero to play against in the early game, if you can't farm safely, just go scout for your team and set up quick gank on their mid/support/carry. Forcing them to rotate lane and buy detection. This will slow their income and they will play less agressively. Consider purchasing an Orb of Venom (for 275gold) which give a nice slow in addition of your smoke.
• If you see him coming just drop the smoke before the charge hits you, it will greatly increase your survivability and allow you to temporize the dust debuff.

What your team have to do/consider

Even though its a pub game you can still ask for the following things to be done :

• Ward defensively (this seems obvious but I mention it anyway : having vision is the key to shutdown heavy gankers).
• Deward : if you are being ganked in the jungle a bit too often, it might be warded, deward the usual ward spot.
• Use yourslef as a bait : If you are being ganked following a certain pattern (always when you farm in a lane or in the jungle), bait the ganker into killing you once more but this time with your allies nearby and counter gank him. Repeat once or twice and he will play way more passively giving you the space you need to farm.
• Pressure the lanes, if you can't farm safely, force the enemy team to defend their towers then go back to farm.

To answer your secondary questions

• If you need an escape mechanism consider Manta Style instead of blink dagger (your illusion also benefit from passive invisibility : this will cause a few seconds of confusion among the enemy team allowing you to attempt an escape). Furthemore Manta Style provides all the stats Riki needs (Atk speed, movespeed and a bunch of str/agi/int). Last but not least Manta dispells dust and silences on use which is cheaper than a diffusal blade charge that you can now keep for aggressive usage. If you need something more "escapy", I'd buy forcestaff so you get the passive regen and a bit more mana.
• BKB blocks the damage from the bash (since its magical) but not the bash himself (so Spirit Breaker can still interrupt your TP).