Hey. This is my support build for Vladimir. I understand that this is very unorthodox but it is very fun and can be extremely effective when used wisely. In each chapter I will explain the details to the best of my ability. Read this build and maybe you could try it.

This is my first build here. Do tell me any thing wrong with my reasoning or just the format of the guide in general. Any constructive criticism will help me make this guide easier to understand.

Before going into items or abilities or anything like that, let me explain how he should be played.

As Support Vladimir you have a lot less true support skills. On that take, you are an offensive Sup. Your job is to keep a constant harassment of your enemies with your poking and immediately running away.

The constant damage will keep the enemy on edge allowing them to make mistakes and ensuring kills for your adc.

After I explain his items and other things, I will explain how to truly use him to the best of your ability.

The two summoner skills you will be taking is Heal and Exhaust.
Heal helps save your adc when low on health or when you both need to get away quickly.
Exhaust will allow you to slow the enemy ensuring a kill for your adc.

These items are taken for the fact that Vladimir has basically no constant support skills. These items make up for it.

The reason for grabbing the sweeping lens (trinket) is so that you may be able to sit in bushes undetected and land pokes (Q and E) and then run back in avoiding as much as damage as possible.

You will take the relic shield in order to heal your adc. Along with that you will take one health pot and one stealth ward.

From here you rush face of the mountain and somewhere in between grab boots for better poke and runs. Remember to grab wards.

When done you make your way to a sight stone. It is your choice to upgrade it into a ruby sight stone though this may not be necessary.

From here you rush a Rylai's crystal septar for slows. This will be used offensively and defensively for your adc.

After this is it your situation that will determine what item you will be taking.
If winning , get alacrity for more mobility.
If the enemy team is heavy in attack dmg, rush a Zhyonyas hour glass
If the enemy has heavy magic damage, rush an abysal septar.
If the damage is split in the middle grab one seekers arm guard and one negatron cloak.
It is your choice to see which one you will complete first.

In the situation of a very long game you may find your self no longer either needing the face of the mountain or the sightstone. This can be replaced with either a Death Cap or a Liandras Torment. It is your choice. Liandras synchronizes well with Rylais and gives magic pen. Death cap will give straight Ability power.

Your passive gives you extra ability power for the amount of extra health you have.
Vice versa it gives you extra health you have the extra ability power you have.
This passive will not stack on itself.(Exception for death cap)
This passive works best if you build Ap for the exchange is stronger than if you build health.

Transfusion (Q) is an ability that does damage to an enemy then heals your self. After the enemy damage, a mist of blood flows back to Vladmir and heals him on contact. Even if transfusion if blocked, Vlad will still be healed.

Sanguine Pool (W) is an ability which makes Vladimir untargetable for 1.5 seconds. This move is best used as escape for you and your adc. When using this move any enemy in the pool is slowed down. Be smart with this move for it take 20 percent of your current health. One thing to think about when using this to save your adc is the fact that although you slow the enemy, you wont be able to take the damage of skills shots aimed at your adc. Sometimes it is better to be a shield for your adc instead. Unlike you, the adc cant heal as fast. All you have to do to be a good shield is run behind your adc and take the hits. Be aware of skills shots such Ziggs bombs and other things that will still damage your adc even if it hits you.
This can also be used to avoid being bursted and after poke and runs. If rooted this can help you negate some damage and eventually run away.

Tides of Blood (E) is an ability which sends out blood to all enemies around you which inflict damage. This move can hit stealthed enemies. Use this when unsure if there is someone hiding in a bush or using a stealth skill. Make weary of your stack. The more you have the regeneration and life steal you have. Each time you use it however it take more health to use. The stack stop at 4.

Hemoplauge (R) is your ult. This is a aoe move which when it hits an enemy debuffs them allowing them to take 12% increased damage from any ally. After 5 second they enemy take more damage and the debuff is over.
Use this wisely. Try to get multiple enemies at once. When you use this make sure your adc is ready to use everything they got. It is smart to tell them before hand so that they can also use all their abilities ready to burst.

You max q first. It is your bread and butter.
Uprgade ult when every possible.
On the sequence for your w and e, this is your choice which to take in which order. Your w maybe more preferable here for its defensive qualities. However, if you are winning then it maybe smarter you max your e before w. It is very situational.

These masteries were chosen for a different number of reasons.
The 4 points in offensive is for better harrasment.
The 3 points in defensive is to brace your self for you pokes.
The 23 points in utility allow gold income, better poke and runs, lower spell cool downs, better mobility, and more use of trinkets.

The penetration allows for more damage when poking.
The Armor and Magic Resistance allow you to poke without worrying about getting bursted too much.
The Movement speed allows better poke and runs.

Now that your understand some of the mechanics of Vladimir, I can now explain to you how to fully use him to your success.

OFFENSIVE
At the start you grab your items and get to the farther bush on bot lane as fast as you can. Ask your jungler to start at the buff away from you. As soon as you see the enemy hit them with a transfusion and run back into your bush. Your bush is going to be your very very best friend.
You will be repeating this over and over again. You do not have to stay in the bushes all the time but use them to your advantage. To make sure that these bushes are useful, remember your sweeping lens. If the bush is not working well for you, use your minoins as shields and keep up the poke and runs.

When going for kills warn your adc so that they can burst when your ult goes.

DEFENSIVE
Make sure to only use your relic shield/Targons Brace/Face of the mountain/ when your adc has taken damage. Dont do it when your adc is at full health even at the beginning because you wont know when they might take some big damage. When being chased you have two choices. You can either use your self as a shield for your adc by running behind. The second choice is to pool and slow them down. This is situational on what you want.

You will want and adc who has a moderate amount of burst.
The best champ i can think of is vayne. Her ult plus yours is extreme.
Ezreal and Lucian would be good due to passive.
Lucians ult synchronizes very well with your ult.
Champs like Ashe and Caitlyn and not prefered. There damage does not all come out at once.

Thank you for looking at my guide. Coment on whats good, whats bad, any constructive criticism is very welcome!