Welcome to Vladimir the AP OP guide.

Please read the whole guide, test this build and dont just down vote it.
If you are experiencing problems, please write a comment.

I've been playing Vladimir since his release. It's been one of my first champions I bought and I feel very fine with him.
Vladimir is the ultimate mid gamer, nearly no one can beat him if you are doing well.

If you wanna learn now how to play him, go on reading!

Note: The shown ability power and health points on this site are incorrect. Vladimirs passive isn't included as well as Rabadons Deathcaps passive.

This guide shows you, how to get fast AP and make Vladimir OP without getting stacks you could lose. Therefore this guide contains a completely different item build, which is way more awesome than many others.

We're skippingon purpose, to get a build which is not dependent on stacks you could lose. Mejais costs of 1235 can be used to get Rabadons Deathcap earlier, providing you more AP than Mejais would give you with full stacks.

Pros

• Best mid and solo gamer.
• Much damage with your attack combo
• Great support with the effect of your ultimate
• Can hold a line 1 v 3 with ease.
• Just more OP after recent patch

Cons

• Easy to kill before level 9
• Long cooldown on escape mechanism sanguine pool before level 13
• Pretty useless if focused 1 v 5
• Strength relies on early farming

I picked Magic Penetration marks, Magic Penetration quintessences, Hp/5 seals and Cooldown-reduction glyphs.

The extra magic penetration is just awesome. Many guides tell you: Buy a Haunting Guise for the magic penetration. With this runes, simply skip it. You are already doing well with the Boots.

Many other guides also include the new Boots of Ionia and getting instead AP glyphs.
I don't recommend doing this.
What does AP help without parallel stacking magic penetration. - Nothing


Hp/5 seals saved my *** many times and are very useful. You regenerate even faster Hp you lost before and a champion without health points cant go into a fight.


The glyphs should be cooldown reduction runes.
You ask why?!
Although he has very short cooldowns on 3 spells, your main damage will come from 2 abilities, Transfusion and Tides of Blood. With extra cooldown reduction you can cast Transfusion every 1.8 seconds (40% cdr needed). Pretty awesome, 500+ damage every 1.8 seconds and 200+ heal.


Alternatively you could start with extra Ability power runes.
Marks = magic penetration
seals, glyphs, quintessences = ability power.

I suggest you to use 9 / 0 / 21 masteries.
This gives you the extra 15% magic penetration in offense and a bit more AP at level 18 combined with the cooldown reduction of the utility tree.

We are starting with a Dorans Ring WTF?!
- But that doesn't fit, Vladimir hasn't mana!?

Actually you are right, he has no mana, but which options as starting item do we really have?
We could start with:
Dorans Shield:
8 Armor
8 HP / 5
120 Health

This gives us due to Vladimirs passive 5 AP. Health points are very important at the beginning so why not!

Then we could start with:
Amplifying Tome:
20 AP


Yeah AP, thats what we want and 20 more AP right at the beginning awesome.

Now comes the reason for taking Dorans Ring:
Dorans Ring:
15 AP
100 HP
4 MP / 5

This item combines both, giving us 15 AP helping us to have more power and 100 HP.
And now don't forget Vladimirs passive. RIGHT!
You get 20 AP <- The same amount amplifying tome gives you and 100 extra HP.
This item is way more awesome for the beginning.



You should go on with sorcerers shoes that give you 20 more magic penetration, to hit even harder.
After that we only have to rush for AP.
The next time we go back we should have at least 1.6k to buy a needlessly large rod.
Most times I have 2.5k. So buy both items for the recipe of Rabadons deathcap.

We already have an awesome amount of AP and can kill everyone with ease.
Go on and buy a Zhonya's Hourglass giving you even more AP and Armor.


Zhonya's Hourglass + Rabadons Deathcap, buying both and you get the amount of AP of 3 Zhonyas rings. If you play well, you'll truly need the passive of Zhonyas Hourglass, allowing a combo of:

Pool -> Zhonyas -> Pool

to take no damage in this time.


With 120 Armor every DPS carry can hit you now as hard as they want. One Transfusion should regenerate your health from the less damage you have taken.


Our fourth item is Rylais Crystal Scepter.
HP + AP plus the slow, the item you want now.

Finish your deadly amount of AP with void staff.
Magic penetration is very important to hit hard enough and + 40% are just right now.


Core Build:


Feel free to choose your sixth item and sell your Dorans Ring now.
Grab Abysals scepter for more magic penetration and magic resistance against casters
Grab Lich Bane for the extra damage.
Grab any other tank item, to be even more viable.



WHY I don't suggest you to buy Warmogs
Well, Warmogs gives you:



VLAD BONUSES with Warmogs: Adds 36.8 AP (up to a bonus of 54.8 AP at max). Adds 139.5 Bonus Damage to Sanguine Pool damage (up to a bonus of 205.5). Allows for constant stacks of Tides of Blood which increased Health Regen and Healing.


Cons:
Tides of Blood will deal more damage the more AP you have.
AP is converted into health points better than HP is converted into AP.
=> Sanguine pool benefits of the new gained bonus health.
You have just 6 item slots, 5 are already used with items you'll need.


Well I said feel free to chose you sixth item, so go and build what you want.
Having those 5 core items in you build makes many following items an option.

You should start maxing Transfusion (Q) first as it's your main damage and heal provider.
Following with Sanguine Pool your great escape mechanism.
Level up your ultimate every time you can and finish skilling Tides of Blood.

Many people are skilling Tides of Blood secondly, but I strongly disagree. Your pool is just way to awesome and has a to long cooldown (20seconds) if not maxed out secondly.


The deal with the lesser damage:
Although you deal now less damage than with a maxed out Tides of Blood, Sanguine pool will save you many many times. In combination with Ghost you can escape most ganks and play finish most games with 0-3 deaths.

Transfusion:
This is your bread and butter skill. It is dealing much damage in short times.
Harassing should only be done with this ability. Never use Sanguine Pool or Tides of Blood to harass your opponents. Use it every time it comes of cooldown. Within short time you should have regenerated all your lost HP

Sanguine Pool:
This is your most powerful escape mechanism. Escape from ganks, turrets, stuns and even team fights to not get damaged. It's something like Zhonyas Hourglass, but still dealing damage. Due to his high costs ( 20% HP ) never use it to harass opponents. Farming minions shouldn't be done that much.


Tides of Blood:
Many people are doing the mistake to skill this ability on level 2. Instead they are skilling sanguine pool one time on level 4.
-> Fail
We need this ability in the early game just to farm a bit better. Last hitting with Vladimir is pretty easy, ensuring you 190+ minions slain every game (My record in a game is 399 minions slain with Vladimir, 60 min game). This ability becomes interesting again after our Transfusion and Sanguine Pool are maxed out. Then it's dealing nearly the same damage as one of our Transfusions.
Secondly: Using this ability too much in early game = Suicide.


Hemoplague:
This is your most powerful AoE spell. It deals a decent amount of damage after 5 seconds and has a much wider range than displayed. You have to hit at least 3+ opponents with this ability. They will take 14%+ damage and after 5 seconds 500+ damage again. This ability is the reason for having so many assists (beside your kills).

Ignite:
This is just awesome.
You get many early kills with Ignite helping you to get fed and getting an advantage of Level. Typically you are at least 3 Levels higher than anyone else (except opponent mid gamer).
Ghost:
As you are the carry you shouldn't die. Only Ghost allows you to escape successful.
Flash is an alternative but combined with your sanguine pool ghost is much better.
Ghost gives you and increased movement speed (around 488 then) + you get movement speed by sanguine pool. Flash only allows you to "Flash" one time. And then? You are a pretty easy target. Your pool is on cooldown, you are to slow, so opponents catch you and you are dead.
Flash:
If you really want to use flash, do it. I simply don't prefer it, but make sure you have an ignite with you.

Early game (Lvl 1-8):
At this time you are very easy to kill. Your regeneration is not being fast enough (Cooldown Transfusion ca. 5 seconds) and you cant even harass that good. Anyways, don't play to aggressive at this time. Being pushed back to a tower is just fine.

Mid game (Lvl 9-18):
Even if you encountered heavy problems with your opponents, they are now gone. Start by filling up your health points by casting Transfusion every 1.8 - 2.55 seconds. Then start the first time to harass your opponent. With a nice amount of damage, this should be easy.
If you have opponents like Kassadin that perma-silence you: Try to dodge these silences, slows and stuns just by using sanguine pool.
Go ganking when possible now and get your first kill.

End game (5 items built):
Vladimirs strength consists out of the huge level difference to your opponents. This level difference is being lost in the end game and if your team isn't that good you'll lose many times in the end game. You can have 21 / 0 / X or something like that. If your team fails, you fail now!
I have around 5 items after 30-35 minutes. Most times I'm missing the sixth item which should be completed in the next 5 minutes


First kill:
Your attack combo is the following:

Start harassing with:


If they are low on health, finish them with:

If your opponents are still alive, keep going on with:

Vladimir farms very well.
Scores of 200+ slain minions are pretty common.

Before level 9:
Farming should be very easy, try to get last hits with basic attacks and Transfusion.
Don't harass your opponents to much. Even if they can farm freely, you'll farm ways better.
Get the kill if you can but it's no problem if you don't get it.

After level 9:
Farming is now mainly completed.
Go on start harassing your opponent as hard as you can with Transfusion and get now a kill with Ultimate and Ignite or go ganking.
You are now in the midgame, ganking bot or top should always result in a double kill.

Finally we can say:

• Stay safe and don't play to risky before you are level 9 and have a maxed out Transfusion.
• You aren't an initiator, always the tank first! Never initiate with your pool.
• Use Transfusion as much as possible (every time it comes of cd)

If you've read the whole guide now, Have Fun Playing!
Please leave your comments, explaining what you would change and please rate fair!