This is my first guide but I have been playing vlad for over a year now and I have boiled down the best way to build him to get the most out of his passive to make him tanky while being able to ap carry. This build works solo top and mid.
There are champs that can counter vlad very easily just like any other champ a few of those are talon, malz, kass and cait (most ranged ad champs can push vlad hard untill you get will of the ancients)
I hope you enjoy my guide

Pros:
- This vlad build is very sterdy and cand dish out a load of dmg mid and late game
- vlad is one of the strongest mids in LoL and is hard to be countered
- is extreamly useful during team fights to deal damage
Cons
- is a little squishy untill you get Hextech revolver
- he loses most of his tankyness in team fights if you get focused simpy because it comes from his spell vamp

Yes this may look like a very odd build for a ap champ, but thnx to his passive it actualy makes vlad quite tanky while giveing him a decent ap boost early game and giveing him a massive amout of health late game due to the Greater Quintessence of Endurance plus the MR for mid come in very handy.

I built mostly offincive items because vlad is extreamly tanky when he has 4 stacks of tides of blood up

Transfusion- vlad's main sorce of damage and healing this is one of the things that makes vlad tanky

Sanguine Pool- Vlad's utilaty spell makeing him untragetable. this spell is very useful when entering team fights most people say this is a bad idea but from my xp with playing vlad if you play him right you WILL be focused, useing this when engageing will encurage the other team to atack other champs and usaly they are so busy trying to focus you when they go into a team fight they all lose focus and your team ends up dealing massive damage with your team takes spread out damage. note this skill can avoid alot of ults such as Ashe's ult, Ezreal's ult and most inportant of all Cait's op ult and forceing her to wait the full cd to use it again

Tides of Blood- after you get Hextech revolver you should try to keep up all 4 stacks at all times this makes his Transfusion heal for alot more makeing him more sustanable.

Hemoplague- should be used for a last hit early game if possible simply because most people have a tendencey of runing from vlad. note that you should also try and use this before you use sanguine pool if the entire enemy team is grouped togeather tightly enough to hit them all

spell rotation

when in lane - use e then q that way you get the maximum amount of healing out of your rotation

Teamfight- W, E, Q

note:( you should always use your E before you use your Q unless you can get a kill with your Q that you cant get with your E then an enamy was runing)

Remember that Vlad is squishy untill he gets spell vamp
use e before q
try to open team fights with W so you arnt focused