Who is Vladimir and why should I play him?

Vladimir was once an over-powered champion. He owned the middle lane, could towerdive anytime and was almost unkillabe for the most of the game. Later on, Vlad has experienced constant nerfs leading to his weakening. Having said that, Vladimir is still a decent champion able to largely contribite to the team's victory.

There are two sensible ways to build Vladimir: The Ability Power Nuker and The Uber Tank. This guide describes the latter. With this build you will be able to tank most of the damage coming your way and still have a considerably powerful damage output.

This is what you may achieve by using The Uber Tank:

What are the good sides and the drawbacks of Vladimir?

Pros:
- can withstand much damage
- has a substantially good damage output
- has na escape mechanism
- does Area of Effect damage
- can lane for a long time
- can sololane
- can midlane

Cons:
- is weak in the early part of the game
- is not a good initiator

Why should I use these items?
The main purpose of buying this item is getting more health-drain while using Transfusion and Sanguine Pool. Another useful aspect of Spirit Visage is the cooldown reductiion.
You buy this mainly for the time reduction of crowd-control abilities.
A tank needs health. This item also gives you AP due to your passive ability.
Health + AP + the ability to slow = exactly what Vlad needs.
A tank also needs armor. The slow is also a nice feature.
One of the best items in the game. It provides you with not only a great passive but also tank attributes.

Notice that this build does not contain any magic-resist-only items. Still, you get enough MR by combining some of the items mentioned above.

How do I actually use Vladimir's abilities?

To play Vlad effectively just use his abilities in the following pattern:->->->->->Addto finish off wounded targets or decrease their healing.
Useis order to escape or chase down opponents.