Some words can describe Vladimir:
1- Health points
2- Damage
3- Survivability
4- "Oh Vladimir can't kill me with all this health, OMG RUN RUN, WTF DAMAGE??"
5- Hey little friend, do you have mana? I don't (:
6- Team worker

1. He have a lot of health comming from his passive. With a good build he migh survive all the team fights. What do you think about almost 700 ap, good defense and almost 3.5k life? Ho Ho Ho

2. Damage is a crutial point in this champion. He have low cooldown with a combo that keep growing with the Tides Of Blood stacks, it won't last too much, but till the end of the fight.

3. Gosh he can't die! No words can describe how much enemies hate his pool+ghost.

4. Yea it's unbelievable, yea I already said it, but I need to do it again :D

5. Good point. No mana, half problems ended.

6. Co-op is all. Vladimir have three area attacks. Two of it can be used a lot, and it will help.


Even is not clear, here is the Pros and Cons:

Pros:

. Good at team fights
. High survivability
. High health points
. Useful and also a killer
. Area damage (wich makes a good farmer)
. Don't need to be much fed to be good
. Only have to back to buy items.

Cons:

. Hard to learn the timming for fights
. Bad early gamming
. Don't have stuns and slows for the kills (except from the pool)
. Can't 1vs1 with almost all AD champions (with the same gold levels)
. Can't be focused on team fights, even with the high health

This build is for the ones that like to stay alive.

It status:
- More than 5.000 Health points (couting with his passive and warmog's passive)
- 260 Ability Power
- 133 Armor 121 Magic Resist

Good damage with tons of health and defense.
This build is very very good too. I recommend for matches that your tank is not THAT tank.

First Build

- Around 4.000 Health points
- Around 700 Ability Power
- 125 Armor 87 Magic resist

Vladimir, in the early game is not a good laner. Try to get mid for you, then you can farm without someone boring you. Since you are in mid, probably you will get another ap against you. If you do, care, because our hemomancer is not very ranged, so, champions like Brand and Lux can give you hard times. Since you don't have much life in the begginging, (until half build, you still skishy) try not to be much agressive against champions like Akali, Le Blanc, Annie... Because your range is limited, your damage still low and their combos can beat you down.


Since you have the survivability, you can avoid almost all the ganks and stuff. But this doesn't mean that you can be that agressive. For sure Vladimir is an agressive champion, but do that carefully, always expecting the worst. If you are not against hard champions on early, you can harass but never forget to farm the max you can.

Beeing on defensive is much better because it's almost impossible, even if you push the lane, to be ganked by some jungler. The survivability will depend on your Sanguine Pool. Even if they get you slowed before you turn on your pool, just use ghost and you are safe now.

You can start beeing more agressive since you are level 7-9, because your tranfusion cooldown is much lower now. You can attack them, recover your life, they might attack you, in this time, the transfusion is ready again, so you can recover your life again, and do twice the damage. If they get any closer than your range just tides of blood and transfusion again. If you think that you are in danger, just pool down and get out.

Early game, he don't have much to do but his auto attack. Pay atention to it, because you have to be used, it's not a high damage, so you have to deal with a very low health minions.

Pay atention to your enemy, if he is pushing hard, just do your work, auto attacking minions with full health, don't let he keeps you on tower hug. Because it's important that you push it and GANK. Since you watch the MIA from your enemy, just call it and go after kills, even if he b'ed you have time to go, and back to lane, cuz you didn't let minions on turret.

Sometimes jungler is not the best ganker in the world, maybe you have to do his work.

Team fights: it's hard in the beggining, but in general, you have your ToB with the stacks.

Let your team go for the face check, always keep doing damage with ToB and transf in some dps (since you already have Rylai's, it will be VERY good).


Man you NEED to stay alive. True, your team needs you to stay alive. You are the one that keep doing high damage in a low time. IF they focus you (I don't believe in that, since you have a lot of HP) then you just pool and wait them to focus someone else.
Don't try to 1vs1 against some dps, normaly they do more damage, even if you have health, they have more lifesteal then you.

ULT UP, WHAT I DO BRO?

Ult soon as you see at least 3 or 4 all in the area of your hemoplague. Try to get dps and skishy.

No, never focus tankers, even if you have magic pen, is not necessary, focus your transfusion and your ToB area in the other ones. Offtanks, can I focus it? Well since you don't have skishys to focus the transfusion, then take an offtank.

Resume, sir: Go behind your team, ult in 3+, keep transfusing the dps, tides of blood SOON as you can (for stacks and for the high area damage every 2 seconds), if get focused just pool for some side and wait to see what happens.

Transfusion: For sure, transfusion is much better when you get it max. Three reasons: 1. It gets a lot of cooldown reduced by the levels
2. More heal, YEAH!
3. Don't make any sense adding in tides of blood, since it starts with a low cooldown.


Sanguine pool: Also it's more important having the sanguine pool maxed before ToB. Two reasons: once you are running from someone (40% of the cases), you already used the pool, and now you are waiting it's cooldown to give it again and run, if you add on ToB, always will miss 1 second to pool again. It's incredible. Other reason is that normally you use it to slow the enemy and also wait the cooldown of ToB and transf. then when you kill your enemy you have to prepare the pool again, in case of need it to run.

ToB: Then you can max tides of blood. Yea it's a good spell, in the end, you will get almost the same damage as transfusion, and with some stacks(ToB ones), you will be almost immortal :D (you take it level 4, -helps to farm and sometimes to do a extra damage- it can hit invisible enemies HAHA, like akali in her invisible ball).

Hemoplague: His ult, well nothing can describe it. It's important to have it maxed for the damage. Because even if you are following someone and you don't have the range to kill him,
hemoplague have more range than the other attacks, so if you can save your ghost by using your ult to kill it, you have to. Also it have a low damage in level 1, you need to get it level 3, then you can do a significative damage. Since you get it, level 6, you are ready to gank. (but I recommend ganks at 7, already with CDR boots)

Ganking,

you start with transfusion, getting a little closer, then ToB, transfusion again, oh yea they are running. Use ignite then if it needs, tower dive, giving the last transfusion, and your ult, certainly he's dead. Oh tower keeps attacking you? simple, just pool and get out of it's range.


So basically, skill combo will be:

If really needs a extra damage on chase, or just to slow, just insert there, after one transf and ToB

Basically, his passive says: life gives you ability power, ability power gives you life. BUT the ability power gave by the passive, will not give you health, just from itens and runes.

PS:This is very good. But doesn't mean that you have to buy warmog. Don't worth. AP is a way better than health, but you will have both.

Then, runes of life is a good idea. Quintessences could be Ability power or Health ones. I rather having ability power, then you can have Boots Of Speed since the beggining and also have 15 ability power from the runes, what makes your transfusion pretty boring for your enemies. (In case of not taking ghost you could like to have Moviment Speed Quint.)

Seals for cooldown? Not a good idea, is not very effective. The best option for me, health. Since you have more health, your early game could be more easy, farming more.

Glyphs of cooldown per level. Since your transfusion only get a nice cooldown on level 7 and 9, you will only need this runes after that levels. Another possibility is getting AP runes.

Marks of magic pen.. Hmm good choice since you have low cooldowns since level 4, on tides of blood, then you can already get a combo (not much damage, but I'm talking about farming and harass at the same time). Best option in my opinion.

Yea, another time cooldown reduction guys! It's pretty useful. Also is important for ghost, a little magic pen. and other utilities.

Other possibility, that is not a bad idea, you can put your masteries like 9-21-0. This way, you have the bonus 4% defense. Is it important? Maybe, it depends on your team. If they are all skishies, you should do that, because in team fights they might like to focus vlad.

Literally, items will give you time. To run, to cast and to survive.

Just an explanation: boots in the beggining, why? Well two reasons:
1. I like to transfusion and run after it
2. Then you can buy 3 health potions, even if you have your "steal", still needing some pots for agressive stance

Core items:

Rabadon's: it gives you a lot of Ability power. That means HEEEAALTH! Also kills.

Rylai's: Yea, since the last Vladimir update, transfusions is giving slow like 1 target spell. This helps in three ways:
1- When you focus a dps in a fight (probably this dps is focusing another dps, or a skishy) then you will give your team, time to run, also giving a chance to your team focus him without a long chase.
2- Chasing. If you are in a duel, they can't run from you, since your cooldowns is lower than the slow time. Haha you got him bro.
3- Running. Even with the pool, some problems could appear from the brushes, and get you by surprise, since you have Rylai's, it will save your life many times.

The will. Oh I think I'm in love with that item. This will help a lot. Giving you like double heal from transfusion, and also healing you the health loss that you will have with the other spells, also gives your team a useful aura.

Alternative items

HOLY MORDEKAISER, THIS BOOTS SUCKS! It's ok if you think that. Cooldown reduction is very important, and if you want another option you can take:

BUT IF YOU DO IT, in the late game change
< for >




It's good to have Zonya's in your build, because gives you defense and some happy hour when you need to wait pool's cooldown. Then you say "Ah man, I don't know the right time to active it..."
Ok you have two options:
1- Learn.
2- Change for one of these items:

In case of heavy takies.

PS: It's 40% not 40. That's the why it only worth against tanks. But maaaan I like void... Hey shut up! Sometimes, better saying, most of times, abyssal scepter reduces more the magic resist, doing a lot more damage than with void, and also have magic resist.

If you still wanting that defense, and they have a lot of attack damage.

Yep, you don't have mana, but it will help against champs with stuns etc...



Even with defense items remember:

YOU ARE N-O-T A TANK

. You can take some hits, but just that. You are AP Carry, in the second case, offtank.

Nah, ghost and ignite are fine to me.
You have to be used to do the combo run. I mean, when you see harmful enemies trying to stun you, like Udyr in his super speed, chasing you like crazy, or even Yi, your only option is the pool, BUT only the pool will not keep them away, cuz they are running just where you will appear. Then, my suggestion is: let them think they are good enough for vlad, then you use ghost from a save distance, then you pool. When you pool you automatically are prevent from any slow or stun they will try to do (like area stuns or area slows). DON'T ever let to pool after they slow you, because you will still slowed underground. With this facts, ghost is a good spell

If you really don't like ghost. OK take flash.

Ignite? Well well, he always run with 30 HP? Are you mad bro? Yea it's useful since they think "Oh Vladimir can't kill me with all this health, OMG RUN RUN, WTF DAMAGE??", You can do all your combo stuff, even with slow comming from Rylai's you may not get all the kills, also rylai is a mid game item. Vladimir DON'T have stun or slow from his hits, it makes hard to chase. Then Ignite.

Another options:

Flash? like I said, if you like.

Rally? Who knows what this spell do? HELL NO.

CV? Are you a f** support?

Clarity? You want to make me angry?

Fortify? ... No.

Exhaust? Well, you are not a DPSer. It helps you to chase, but for a short time. It will give you the time for MAX: 1 ToB and 2 Transf. (following this CDR build, you will have like 2.8 seconds each spell), that's the why I rather to use Ignite.

Well, let me start with jungle because it's short: Just jungle when lanes are pushed, your jungler is higher than level 13. Just take the blue after everyone are above level 15, and try to get enemy's blue. Don't take red.


Creeping, after Rylai's you can creep like: (Before it, just mid...)



The health costs of your attack will come back, because you have WoTA

Now that you have all the information needed. Play safe as AP, and play for the team. You are good in it.

-Pools, in the first case, are for running, in the second, for fights. It don't give a lot of damage, but helps to wait cooldowns without taking any damage. If you believe that you can kill, go ahead and pool him.

-If you are doing great on game, like early kills, you can change rylai's just after the revolver. It will help to get more and more kills.


Like it? Then +
Don't? Please comment and help me to get it better.

Hope it helps you guys.

10-7

> Following Incendiax advice, I've made some tests and modified the order of the items, with some changes too.

10-7

> Second build added

10-11

> Details about both builds added after introduction, and some creeping tipes

10-31 > Third build, explain of it: risks and advantages.