vlad is fairly useless until lvl 7. He is a great counter to shen and singed and can push lanes fairly well. all assassins counter him and he can get 100 to 0 easily so u have to pay attention to your build, runs and masteries. he is not a hyper-carry like kogmow, tristana or vayne, but his aoe damage make him very useful in team-fights.

flash: flash ult op op

ghost: get it if u r planning to pressure top and overextend good against shen, singed and malphite.

heal: never used it but i heard it woks well on vlad.

ignite: early line presence and more annoying.

teleport: never used it on vlad but it will be useful if u r lvl 7 and u r feed.

u rush spellvamp item as usaull. don't be afraid to rush spirit visage or seekers armguard depending o your opponent. always get zhonya's before deathcap for more damage and durability in teamfights.

never use q on minions since it has a long cooldown. getting 4 stack on W before lvl 6 or having spell vamp is like giving ur opponent free kill. After lvl 7 w the minions and q the champion. and u should be alright unless u overextend.

9-0-21

works great with movement quints and u will have 10% cdr

21-9-0

stronger ulti, more AP and even HP

9-21-0

easier tower dive, more confidence, taking a bit less damage.

consider:

armor yellow

MR blue

movement speed quints

but the one showing top is my favorite