Try and play as passive as possible her charm can be devistating for you and believe me getting behind as Vladimir sucks, so stick to farming. In lane persist with poking with Q and try to use your minion's to protect yourself, this will block Ahri's charm from devastating you and dealing her burst combo which you can't pool or counter unless anticipating it.
Annie
This lane is scary, if you step out of line when her stun is up that is a big a NO. Her stun is all Annie has against you so you should be able to poke with Q's until it's up. Try and dodge her Ult in teamfights with your Sanguine Pool if you can (some Annie's make it obvious). Use your burst damage to shut her out of team fights.
Anivia
The amount of times I tower dive this champion and her passive saves her... This matchup can be very difficult for Vladimir, her damage is ridiculous and her stun can be very devastating especially when being ganked. Focus on farm and don't feel forced to use the all in combo when her passive is up. With Vlad's high cooldowns early game you can't follow up with anything but Auto Attacks, so play your best to scale.
Brand
Hate this champion with my entire soul oh my lord. Your main priority is to avoid his combo at all costs this means his BS Aoe attack and his stun. I suggest playing passive against him and all-ining this piece of crap when you get a gank or if you get level 6 before him. You can do what i do sometimes and just play like a wuss till late game and destroy him either works
Ekko
Ekko is very annoying, however he is a melee champion so poke him as much as possible with your Q's and Auto Attacks. His E (dash) is concerning and allows him to pull off a Passive combo allowing him to deal damage and escape. His Ultimate at level 6 is huge for him, believe me you won't be able to kill him when it's up. Try poking him and bating out his ultimate so you can take advantage of him while it's down.
Aurelion Sol
Easy to verse in lane in my opinion, Stay inside Aurelion Sol's orbs as this is his main source of damage in lane. Make sure to play aggressive in lane let him know who's the king. In teamfights avoid his Stun and you should take him out.
Azir
Azir's early game damage and range can be very hard to matchup against in lane however this is fine let him push the wave if he wants too. If he is pressuring you under tower your Jungler should give you a gank and easy early game kill. Your main concern is avoiding his soldier's damage early game and focusing at farm at the same time.
Cassiopeia
Try and dodge Cassiopeia's Q as this is what influence's her damage. If you can out kite her and avoid her Q's then her damage will be nullified and should help you win fights in lane. Poke her to death as much as you can until she get's sick of it. Try and all in her at 6 as she would have built mana items over damage or resistance so it is the perfect time to pounce on the viper.
Heimerdinger
Don't underestimate Bill Nye as he is a genius after all. Avoid his turret's damage and all-ining him at 6 should be very simple for you as he is very-VERY squishy. Build resistance if you can't bare his turret damage but if you position yourself properly you should have the upper hand throughout all portions of the game.
Fizz
Feels great when you destroy a Fizz as any champ and Vladimir should be great against him. Pool his Ult to deny his all in and poke fizz with Qs early to pressure him and deny him farm. Try all ining at 6 however i reccomend you get fizz to a lower health than most other champions or bait out his E, as this will prevent him from denying your damage. Build the usual protobelt, and buy sorcerer's to poke him even more for the squirt he is.
Gangplank
Gangplank may play very passive, If he thinks he's Tobias Fate and plays super aggressive punish him and poke him to death! His Oranges do not take off Vladimir's ult damage so all in him at 6 and destroy his vulnerable old man body.
Galio
Gosh Galio is annoying, a lot of CC in his kit and damage output can mean bye bye to Vladimir, however he is a melee champion so poke with Q as much as possible in lane and if he doesn't build any kind of magic resist early PUNISH HIM. Build Protobelt and get a magic penetration item like Void Staff or Liandry's to burst through this man. See how the lane play's out experience with a few Q's and E's to see if you can all in him later.
Zed
Zed all in all isn't that hard to play against, however I can't express this enough make sure you let your team know when he's missing from lane, Zed will get very frustrated by not being able to kill you and will roam to other lanes for kills. Zed's roaming potential and damage is his greatest strength's so respect these and your team will thank you. Get zhonya's early if you are scared other wise take protobelt if your confident. Pool when he's ulting you as this will deny damage and should help you survive his devastating all in.
Akali
Can have some incredible poke on you, position yourself so your out of harms way and always farm and poke with Q as she is a melee champion. Her invisibility can be quite a shock so play passively while it's out unless you are CERTAIN you will be fine and can beat her.
Diana
Can counter you very hard as Vladimir, have had lot's of trouble against this matchup as she has the CC that can kill you before you do anything to Diana. Farm and play smartly, you should be fine at 6 with an all in however be cautious at all times. Rush spirit visage if you aren't confident and farm with increased heal until you are stronger.
Corki
Corki is strong throughout all sections of the game. Luckily for you, you shouldn't have to worry early just don't be over excited cause you will get poked, the plan of action to somehow kill him early is to let him waste his mana. He wastes mana at a high rate trying to poke you so be good at dodging I guess :)
Orianna
Can spell real trouble with you if you aren't careful enough. Orianna has ridiculous poke early game and she out ranges you too by far. farm play passive and all in her like most at 6 if you can and are confident.
Yasuo
His early game threat is his mobility advantage in you, this is the time where you need to play sensible. With no mana costs and spamable abilities, he has the upper-hand so respect him. He is very prone to jungler ganks so it may be best to wait for one, otherwise test him out with some pokes and get a feel for what you can get away with in this match-up.
Kennen
Kennen has great poke so position yourself wisely so you can farm from harms reach. When you try to go for a level 6 all in make sure you either have ult advantage or are confident that his ult won't stun and punish you.
Karthus
Hate him, ideally wait for ganks and all in him then. Otherwise experiment with the Karthus with a few Qs when you play against him. If you get a feel for how much damage you can do and how much you can take you will know when to kill him. Build Spirit Visage if scared and behind otherwise go normal build with Abyssal Scepter for more poke and damage.
Ryze
Don't under estimate his early game damage, He relies on mana so make him waste it early if he has to, just stay alive, punish him when he moves close and all in him at 6 as his ult means nothing against yours in fights. Build as much damage as you can early and beat him across the game.
Vladimir
Skill Matchup (duh) all comes down to pressure and who gets the first kill. But you read this guide so you're obviously the better Vlad player. Also remember just like yourself that Vlad will get strong late game so try and pressure him to make sure he is behind in farm as much as possible.
Viktor
Viktor has low mobility which helps Vladimir stick to him and deal damage. However be careful of his damage output otherwise you can say goodbye to getting ahead early. All of laning phase like most other champs is not feeding your laner but in this instance it will be hard to recover if he gets the upperhand.
Jayce
Being a Jayce player myself Vladimir can be a real steamroll for Jayce. Don't allow him to get the upper hand early game and out scale him late game. His all in's do ridiculous amounts of damage so don't stand too close until your 6 as Jayce doesn't get an ultimate at this level and you can punish him for it
LeBlanc
Annoying. Lots of mobility and damage, avoid Leblanc's stun at all costs as this will be her ignition for her combo. This is a lane where you must respect her, I'm not to familiar with how Leblanc works...however like I said be respectful and you will know when the time is right to all-in/trade with her.
Kassadin
Silence really bugs me and his ult can prevent your all in's only trade when he is in an awful position. Early game try to make him use his mana against you and heal back up. This will prevent him from teleporting away with his ult in all in's and gives you the upper hand from you when you want to fight. Poke and farm throughout the early game and get your items so you can punish him with more poke or by killing him.
Morgana
Morgana's only advantage is her stun. If she hits you with it you are screwed when getting ganked and you will take lots of damage on her own from it. If you avoid it then by all means punish her for missing the skill shot. Build MR second and you should win with ease.
Malzahar
Space AIDS can be annoying but it comes down to your dodging ability. If you are able to dodge his abilities you will make Malzahar run out of mana and give you the upper hand in lane pressure. Try and get the experience advantage and shut him down with 6 advanatage. Don't push up in lane too farm after he gets 6 as he will bait you into his teammate and his ult will allow them to do the rest to you.
Pantheon
Don't let Pantheon get the upper hand on you. Your Q should out damage even his broken Q damage. His Combo's may do more damage within a shorter period of time but Pantheon won't get to his biggest strength being executing enemies at low health. As Vladimir you shouldn't get to low health unless you are playing like an Ape and as always let your team know when Pantheon has his Ult so they are prepared to back off when he's looking to roam.
Katarina
Very easy late game of course but early game don't stand near the daggers and when she E's out of position punish her for it. Her all in isn't as strong as yours. If either of you decide to all in then dodge Kat's ult with your Pool and Kat will die spinning and doing nothing.
Swain
Can be annoying, take care. Swain will look to all in you if he lands his stun so if you are confident that he will land it don't hesitate to pool out of it, but don't use your pool for anything other than if it saves your life against him or negates his damage.
Syndra
Dodge everything! Or your screwed. Build boots first or if you're confident build dark seal for sustain + Spirit Visage if you are unconfident which I don't blame ya. Poke her with Q's as this will signal her to use her abilities. What I tend to do is pressure with poke and dodge her AOE Attacks to make Syndra use mana. If she has no mana, it means no damage. Simples!
Vel'Koz
Dodge dodge and dodge. This lane is a mini game for Vladimir if he wins by dodging Velkoz's abilities then you should beat him. Be as aggresive as you can when he wastes his abilities. Vladimir is a champion all about timing, waiting for the enemy for their cooldowns is key to winning this lane.
Lux
Her range and CC is very annoying in the early levels however Lux's high mana costs can be beneficial for you. Let her use her abilities and dodge her stun. Your minions will be your best friend in this scenario as this will block her stun from hitting you. All in at 6 and always be aware of Lux's barrier as she will usually take this sum. She can stop death itself with it so be aware.
Veigar
Poke this squirt with Q's until the bitter end. Remember that if you are stuck inside his stun then pool out of danger. The secret to beating Veigar is to Pool his Ult and his stun. Master these and you will beat him and all in's will be simple.
Aatrox
Aatrox is a melee version of Vladimir however he sustains better in lane and can out trade you in lane. Save pool in lane and you won't die and feed him. Try and get items before attempting to kill him as it's not worth all inning him with his high damaging kit.
Camille
Stun and gap closing can be very lethal against Vladimir. However Camille is a very squishy top laner, so poke as much as you can. You can win this lane if you position yourself correctly and know when to play aggressive and passive. Don't be too aggresive when Camille has Ult though because it is the most BS ultimate in the game and will mean death for you.
Darius
It is possible to win early game and I really mean possible. If he builds Magic Resist early then try not and trade him and wait for a gank from your jungler. If he builds phage you must be very careful as his mobility will be superior to you and get him into his E range which begins his all-in combo. Either pool his E to escape or use Tides of Blood and Sanguine Pool when he's charging Q to do a nice amount of damage to him.
Garen
Very easy to verse in lane if you are aware and careful of his damage. Play back when Q is on cooldown and play more aggressive when it is up. Late game his Silence will ruin you and therefore ruin your teams late game damage. Freeze lane as he has no range abilities other than ult and so He can't poke you near tower.
Fiora
If you push up when she has 6 she will ult and kill you. However you are spared as Vlad, as Fiora lacks hard CC which can save you in lane so many times. Her Q REDUCES IN COOLDOWN when it lands on something, so with no CC you need to be careful. Always try and cover your vitals and when it is in a bad spot walk out of sight and back again into lane.
Dr. Mundo
Both champions heal so once he builds Spirit Visage there's no point fighting him. It's a farming lane and teach him a lesson late game. TIP: Stay behind minions so he can't catch up to you with his Q's ridiculous slow.
Illaoi
Dodge her E at all costs, It is Illaoii's main source of damage against you. Illaoi is the Queen of 1v2's make sure to ping your jungle to space himself carefully when ganking as her ult will heal her and deal heaps of damage to you and your jungler. Do not commit to a fight under her ult.
Kled
Your poke is better as a ranged champion early game, your main priority is to farm and lower Kled's health bar so he loses his pet Skaarl. focus on poking him out of lane and getting rid of his Skaarl.
Jarvan IV
A big threat in he jungle and possibly if laning against him, can output a lot of damage with his q and his E+Q combo gives him a knockup and also and insane amount of escape and gap-closing ability. Play cautiously if he builds high damage or lethality other wise if he builds tank, don'r focus him in teamfights.
Malphite
You can farm and there's not much Maplhite can do easy win. Poke him till the bitter end.
Maokai
You can farm and there's not much Maokai can do easy win. Poke him till the bitter end
Olaf
Careful of Olaf's early game damage and an early game cheese, his axes have a significant effect on Vladimir so try and dodge them. If he keeps landing his axes it can screw you over and make it very easy for his jungler to kill you.
Jax
Can 1v1 you at all points of the game has great CC. can dodge your abilities and it's silly for a champion to have.Its is very possible to trade him early with a rotation of E and Q. Try to deny him as much as possible and assert your dominance. Dodge his E stun with your pool or he will poke you to critical health or possibly death. Play it safe.
Irelia
Irelia can be very, very troublesome, your goal is to not let her get ahead, even if that means you both go equally in farm in lane. If Irelia gains the advantage in lane it's hard for you to stop her. With no crowd control and little movement speed in Vladimir, you are going to have a tough time escaping her and she will dominate. So farm poke when if you are comfortable you won't get punished and as always look to all in if she is low and you have your combo (Ultimate) ready.
Singed
Singed will have a hard time trying to beat you, i reassure you he can't out-trade you, all about positioning. If he proxy farms behind your tower let him as you can't catch up to him or out damage him early. DON'T CHASE SINGED.
Tryndamere
Poke him through out level 1-5 and try and get an early kill on him. In this lane push as fast as you can to get level 2 first. Tryndamere can cheese kill you by gaining level 2 first so don't let it happen! At 6 he'll become annoying to play against but he is not invincible just be cautious when tower diving him after 6. Also late game don't fight him alone as you have no CC and his ult will allow him to out damage you.
Renekton
Ridiculous damage and has sustain too, Poke him with Q's for the majority of early game and be cautious for his double dashes. Rush Seeker's Armguard if you are threatened and this will screw Renekton over.
Nasus
Once he builds MR you can't stop him from stacking so try and bully him and kill him while you can. He is a ridiculously good champion in my opinion and near impossible to beat late. His lifesteal passive is a pain to deal with early, your best hope is to waste his mana (somehow)...
Wukong
Ridiculous damage output and can escape with his decoy. Very annoying to verse but your all in at level 6 is much better in my opinion than Wukong's.
Mordekaiser
Mordekaiser is near impossbile to kill, with a great shield, great poke at no cost a decent pull and a ALMOST CERTAIN kill with his ultimate, Morde is a high threat to Vladimir. The plan is to poke with empowered Q and try to dodge his Qs. When he's 6 and ults up you must be cautious at all costs.
Nautilus
Poke with Q's and farm. This is an easy lane to get to your late game potential. Care for ganks as Nautilus will let his jungler do all the work in terms of shutting you down.
Poppy
Poppy was the only reason people picked Vladimir top lane at one point because he can farm without being pressured and get to late game with complete ease. Take advantage of your ranged abilities and bully her out lane.
Rumble
Lots of damage and poke is annoying however it is very easy to gank rumble so freeze wave and let you and your jungler work together to kill him. All in him at level 6 as behind his metal suit is a very squishy Yordle.
Riven
Poke with Q's and Auto Attack's but don't step up to far as you will be jumped on and punished by her damage. Especially if Riven takes Thunderlord's she will out burst you in the early levels and CC you for an eternity. Our biggest issue is her mobility however so when she has cooldowns up that's when you respect her, but when she doesn't get as much poke and damage on her as you can.
Quinn
Play with care, basically an ADC top laner so play passive in the early levels and all in her once you have level 6.
Sion
His early game can really get on your nerves because of his base damage, You need to dodge his Q at all costs especially if it's charged. Save sanguine pool if you look to not escape it when pushed up in lane, can possibly lead to a jungle gank and kill.
Trundle
Poke Poke Poke but don't stand out of line as he will sprint at you with his superior mobility and beat you with his club.
Yorick
Don't get trapped! farm and don't let him get ahead on you in kill's or CS. If you get trapped first priority is to auto attack the walls surrounding you then focus on either escaping or retaliating. This is a lane where you can't roam too freely if Yorick is in lane as he was born to splitpush and he does it very well.
Twisted Fate
Twisted Fate can be a weak laner so be sure to let him know who's boss in the laning phase. When he pulls out the gold card his jungler should be near by and both are looking to kill you. Let your team know when Twisted Fate is level 6 because he will look to roam with his stun card up and make a play.
Talon
Care Talon's early game damage as soon he gets 2 stacks on you he will want to all in you. Play passive throughout laning phase. Most importantly let your team know when he's not in your lane, as Talon's mobility will give him the option to gank other lanes effectively.
Taliyah
Care Taliyah's Q's early game damage otherwise play as you would normally by poking and playing passive.
Teemo
Poke him with Q when it's up and the rest of the time stay back to avoid his poison damage. All in Teemo at 6 and send him back to hell.
Lissandra
Can be a tough matchup, try and dodge her poke as that's what she excels at in the laning phase and be more cautious when all inning her, as her ult will save her 90% of the time especially when diving under tower.
Master Yi
Can't beat him if he picks Botrk early and can out trade you in all parts of the game. Can dodge abilities with his Alpha Strike. Play very carefully against Yi throughout the entirety of the game.
Rengar
STAY ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF LANE WHEN PLAYING TOP so you can stop him from jumping on you, make sure to position yourself correctly to stop him from damaging you. Make sure to ward up frequently. Otherwise poke as usual as Rengar is very squishy. All in at level 6 and tame the beast.
Kayle
Has very annoying poke with her E, additionally those who choose Kleptomancy can stack this on you in order to gain her items earlier and gain her power spikes. Once she hits level 6 it's going to be difficult to kill her, it's best looking for a kill sooner or later. Like usual poke when you can and farm better than her with your early game presence.
Cho'Gath
Dodge his knockups and try and stand behind your minions. In trades you should win but don't fight when your too low as he will ult and gobble you to bits. Careful of his silence late game as it will allow the enemy to shred you in teamfights.
Gnar
Gnar's gap closing will ruin you if you aren't careful. Avoid taking Gnar's passive 3 stack damage as this is all Gnar can do when he is in little form. When he ult's don't fight and run down his red bar. Try and all in him at 6 IF HIS YELLOW BAR IS LOW. Then you can be sure he won't kill you.
Gragas
His all-ining potential is huge. If you lane against him be very cautious at level 6 as his ult will send you flying into him and his jungler for an easy kill on you. Poke as usual and if you know where the enemy jungler is try and kill him with the all-in combo.
Lee Sin
Easy to lane against. If he dashes to a minion with his Q, punish him. However his early game damage is what makes him a superior jungler, so don't be ludicrous in lane against him. If he is the jungler it is very bad for you. His gap closing and mobility will ruin Vladimir along with Lee's Top or Mid laner. If Lee get's behind you try and flash behind Lee Sin so he kicks you to safety. Lee's kick has a small warmup so it isn't instant.
Shen
This is a farming lane, except you have the upper hand. He does AP percent damage and not AD So don't rush armour like seeker's against him. Poke standardly and pool his dash if you are in danger.
Xin Zhao
He out sustains you, he out damages you. He has CC, and he will jump on you and win almost every trade if he chooses too. If he doesn't choose to kill you then set something up with your jungler. Pool as soon as he dashes so he doesn't get his heals off and passive, then pop back up and hopefully get a Transfusion off. Hopefully you don't have to play against him in lane as he will always look to trade early.
Udyr
No troubles with Udyr, however careful once he roars as he will sprint at you and with Vlad's mobility there isn't much you can do. Poke early game and be prepared to run for the hills once he charges at you.
Tahm Kench
If he builds resistance don't fight him. Position yourself behind minions to dodge his tongue and so he doesn't stack up his fish thingy. If he doesn't gobble you up in the laning phase, then you will beat him later on easily.
Warwick
Near impossible to kill once he has lifesteal, his crowd control will ruin you in teamfights and if you are laning with him. You best be on your best behaviour. Poke aggressively to begin however once he gets lifesteal sit under tower and farm till your jungler comes.
Kayn
Kayn is much better as a jungler than as a laner. Your laning pahse should work in your favour as Vlad excels in quick bursts of damage so avoid fighting for a long period. In his all in combo late game be sure to save your abilities as his ult will deny anything you can throw at him. Wasting your ult, pool, or e is significant when fighting him so be smart in how you use it.
Urgot
Do not fight him early, his rework has made him a killing machine, If he flips you will take loads of damage or possible die. Urgot excels at 1 on 1 situations so take advantage by waiting for a gank or by using your team to your advantage to take him down.
Zoe
One of the if not most annoying champions in the game (honestly wish she gets removed) you have an advantage that you can sustain from her insane q damage early game. However Riot decided that her E should last for at least 5 decades long so you have to avoid it as much as possible as it will give her free poke. Late game if she doesn't land E's on you, you will always win so stick it out till mid-late game.
Vayne
Firstly people who play an ADC top screw you, Vayne has a great gap closer with Q, has higher mobility than you and she can go invisible with her ultimate so you can't land your point and click Q's. Laning you need to respect her range and damage plus avoiding her W's three hit true damage.
Sylas
Sylas has everything, a great heal, shield, mobility, damage etc. So what you need to do is farm up and hit the mid game power spike, stand behind minions in order to negate the chance of using his chain dash on you.
Qiyana
Qiyana can be very scary, however she is a melee champion so this does make it easier, with great mobility and burst damage she appears to be a threat to Vladimir, we need to farm and poke her like usual, whilst maintaining a safe distance so she doesn't trample all over you.
Xerath
Excellent poke champion, mobility is vital and you need to predict his abilities. His main poke is his Q beam, be sure to change up your movements so you don't become predictable. Eventually he'll use it to push lane. Ping your team when he walks down river as his Ult has a large range.
Yone
Yone has a significant advantage on Vladimir, his E (sould ability) grants him movement speed. Being Vladimir's weakness, early game you need to respect him. However, you should be able to outscale him and become a better asset to your team.
Seraphine
Has annoying Poke, check on her 2nd bar which shows whether she can chuck out a double ability or not. When this bar is full, be cautious with your next move. Her biggest strength is pushing lanes in and roaming, so farm up, use missing pings and outscale
Sett
His kit is designed to run and lock you down. If you deal damage to him, he will retaliate back. The good news is Sett's W which gives him a shield and big explosion of damage is designed to counter burst champions. In lane it's best to farm and try and survive as his early presence is insane.
Aatrox
MUST READ: Vladimir has no Crowd Control so he doesn't have any particular synergies other than with other AOE type champions (as Vladimir is an AOE mage). Any jungler with decent crowd control should be enough reason to pick Vladimir so that when receiving a gank you can catch up with your enemy laner and unleash hell on them. You also want to be picking Vladimir if your team is picking strong early game champions, for example Jayce Top, Lee Sin Jungle, Yasuo Mid. These are all kinds of early game dominating AD champions, the Vladimir pick allows you to sustain the early game farm up and allow you to easily reach the late game through your teams domination early.
SUMMARY: Choose Vladimir If:
1. Team doesn't have a good late game carry
2. If team has decent Crowd Control Options for Team Fights.
3. Team needs Ability Power in their team comp.
Runes: Teamfight/Self Peel
123
Sorcery
Phase Rush
Nimbus Cloak
Transcendence
Gathering Storm
Inspiration
Magical Footwear
Cosmic Insight
Bonus:
++8 ability haste
+9 Adaptive (5.4 AD or 9 AP)
+6 Armor
Sorcery
Phase Rush
Nimbus Cloak
Transcendence
Gathering Storm
Domination
Taste of Blood
Ravenous Hunter
Bonus:
++8 ability haste
+9 Adaptive (5.4 AD or 9 AP)
+6 Armor
Precision
Conqueror
Triumph
Legend: Tenacity
Coup de Grace
Sorcery
Transcendence
Gathering Storm
Bonus:
++8 ability haste
+9 Adaptive (5.4 AD or 9 AP)
+6 Armor
Hello! And welcome to my guide for Vladimir! Whether you are a veteran to the game or just picking it up, this guide is for you and for all things about Vladimir. Firstly if you have any constructive feedback or any questions let me know in the discussion section it is very appreciated for improvement towards this guide.
My in-game name is Dr Eggmund, A Vladimir Main with over 400,000 Mastery Points. I tend to only play normals games with mates, but I fully understand and am thouroughly experienced with this champion. I maintain a Platinum rank, on the Oceania Server. I've made this guide to share my favourite champion in the game with my thoughts, opinions and views on how he is potentially the most devastating champion to play. I have also made this guide because websites like OP.GG and Champion.gg may give you the meta builds and statistics, but they don't give you the tips on how to play the champ. I struggled with learning Vladimir to his fullest when I first started. I feel like Mobafire is the best place to teach people who are new to champions and hopefully I am able to teach some of you experienced Vlad players some new tips I've learnt along the way.
If you would like to join the OCE Vladimir Club, make sure to message me in the comments our groups are 'Vlad' & 'Vlad™'
+ Great Sustain with Transfusion + Top Tier Late Game Carries + Great Escape Tool with Sanguine Pool + Shines In Team Fights + Great Engage in Teamfights + Amazing AoE attack with Tides of Blood + Uses HP instead of Mana + Scales Well with AP items + Everyone you face or on the enemy team hates you
Vladimir's uniqueness is what makes him shine in the spotlight. Having the ability a heal for half your abilities is what makes fighting a Vladimir so frustrating. Playing passive and poking your enemy laner when the time is right is the key to exceeding in the mid to late game as Vladimir.
Cons
- Being a mage is harder to CS (in terms of AD) - Easy kit to learn, difficult to master - Early game can be a struggle for newcomers - Lacks mobility - High ability cooldowns early game. - Has NO crowd control - Can lack early game presence - Horrible Dad Joke Puns - His $20 skin flat out sucks
Vladimir's biggest weaknesses are his high ability cooldowns and his lack of crowd control. This makes Vladimir an easy champion to stick to for the enemy laner. Learning to farm and avoiding poke early whilst providing some yourself is key to winning early as Vladimir.
Vladimir will always be a decent or strong champion for your team in the top lane or mid lane depending on your ability to play him. Vladimir can be your teams AP-Carry in team fights, he can be your Tanky-Mage due to his passive if your team is looking for a brick wall that constantly keeps rejuvenating and finally the mixture of both which is very annoying once late game arrives.
Specifically speaking Vladimir is a great choice when the enemy team chooses a high burst laner against you, this favours Vlad due to his Sanguine Pool being able to negate all quick burst damage combos and all in's by the the enemy laner. Once their combos are all gone you have a free canvas to work with and you can use all your high damaging abilities to your full use.
Whilst Vladimir however is a very flexible carry in your mid/top lane role, like every champion he is far from perfect and there are times where it may be best to go a different champion depending on your team comp. For example if you are laned against a HIGH SCALING CARRY (looking at you Nasus) and you are doubtful in shutting them down early due to your lack of damage. It may be best to put Vladimir aside. Additionally, recognise that your team may need Crowd Control or they might need more AD rather than AP damage and cater for these gaps.
Crimson Pact (Passive): This ability means that the more health that you have the more ability power you have. Whilst visa-versa the more ability power you have the more health you gain, what kind of backwards a*s s**t is this?
This passive is what causes a variety of builds to work on Vladimir, you can build him to be a full AP Mage, a mixture of both AP damage and some defensive items, or a full sustain tank.
Q
Transfusion (Q): Vladimir's bread and butter ability. The ability to heal in lane from minions or champions whilst dealing decent damage is a super reliable ability. Instead of a mana bar, it indicates how many Transfusion stacks you have built up. Once you have two stacks of Transfusion it activates 'Crimson Rush' which increases your movement speed slightly, increases healing from Transfusion and also deals nearly double damage to a regular Q. Maxing this ability first assures us that we gain more sustain and also good ranged poke to zone enemy champions.
W
Sanguine Pool (W): Sanguine Pool is what makes Vladimir so annoying to the enemy team, it's essentially a free Zhonya's Hourglass which can slow enemies within it and make yourself invulnerable for a few moments! However It has two weaknesses, one, that it uses 20% of your current health which is a lot especially in the early game, and two it has a ridiculously high cooldown early game when used, so you have to be careful and smart about how you use it as it can leave yourself very vulnerable. However if you use it correctly you will dodge lots of damage in a teamfight and the 20% would seem like nothing. We max this ability last as it doesn't provide much damage to Vlad's kit.
E
Tides Of Blood (E): Tides Of Blood is ridiculously good in teamfight situations, with a few items you can devastate enemies teams with it. Tides Of Blood is an Area of Effect ability which deals damage to all within the circle hitting targets closest to Vladimir (meaning it doesn't pierce through minions). We max this ability second as it provides great damage like Transfusion but doesn't give us any sustain so it is not as effective to max this ability first.
R
Hemoplague (R): Hemoplague just adds to Vladimir's AOE arsenal, along with tides of blood you deal loads of damage when the ultimate procs. It also provides utility for the team as all enemies who are hit with Hemoplague are dealt an extra 10% damage from your teams abilities. This can mean the difference in teamfights. Finally when your ultimate procs you deal damage to all enemies affected after a few seconds and heal depending on how many champions were affected. We max this ability whenever possible (Levels: 6, 11 & 16)
All footage shown in these GIFs belong to SkinSpotlights, for other ability demonstrations, skin spotlights and lots more find them on Youtube here SkinSpotlights' channel
The greatest thing about Vladimir for beginners is that he has barely any combos to learn, simple poking methods in lane then an all in combo is all that you need to do, otherwise it's just using what ability that isn't on cooldown. Save your W Sanguine Pool in case the enemy retaliates before attempting to all-in someone
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Charge E --> Release --> Empowered Q --> Reset
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Q --> Q --> EMPOWERED Q --> Try and pressure your enemy with your empowered Q as much as possible
All In Combo
-->-->-->-->-->
Charge E --> Flash --> R --> Release E --> Empowered Q (Preferably) --> Sanguine Pool (To dodge damage from the enemy) --> Ultimate Procs (Plus Ignite if possible)
This is best all-in combo for Vladimir hand's down and it is a must learn if you want to pull off this champion. The problem with Vladimir is that he lacks mobility. This means Flash is 90% of the time necessary in order to surprise the enemy and land your E, Tides of Blood along with your Ultimate, Hemoplague.
This combo isn't too hard to perform I would recommend practicing the start of the combo which is holding and charging your E, Tides of Blood then using Flash and letting go of E. It's a bit awkward when trying it for the first time, but it's only a small but important step to get over.
Phase Rush is brilliant for Vlad as he lacks mobility and with Ghost being quite a weak summoner in the early game, Phase Rush is useful for Vladimir in the mid/top lane. Very easy to proc with three abilities such as Tides of Blood into Transfusion then auto. In lane this quick combo allows us to keep punishing our opponents and dodge skill-shots with some easy to create movement speed giving Vladimir that gap closer which he needs (excluding Hextech Rocketbelt). Phase Rush also provides a great excape tool against top/mid laners who have excellent slows, running towards your tower whilst poking with a few buttons can proc Phase Rush allowing a quick escape.
Electrocute
Electrocute is super awesome on Vladimir because he can burst his opponents. Like Phase Rush, Electrocute is a keystone that takes three unique attacks in order to activate it's passive ability. When the passive activates you damage your opponent with an extra lightning bolt of damage, however Electrocute can only be activated if you use three unique attacks like mentioned previously. Vladimir can easily proc Electrocute with his basic combo of Tides of Blood, Transfusion, Auto Attack. Simple in lane combos can create some great pressure early game, plus in all in combos it makes killing a lot more smoother.
Predator
Predator is brilliant for Vladimir, Vlad lacks movement speed and roaming potential. With this keystone that is no longer an issue. It also means you don't have to run Ghost and you can take another spell for kill pressure and potential snowballing like Ignite. Plus, Vladimir has a huge a impact in teamfights with multiple AOE damage spells. So with the burst of movement speed, Vlad will become more unpredictable and your engages will be more solid. Try and rush Boots first so you can gain this awesome item active, and you can help your feeding bot and top with some roams with speed!
Throughout this season I've experimented many rune pages and so far these 3 rune pages are my optimal choices as of present, these runes are focused in being the best way to maximise Vladimir's potential. The first being my favourite rune as of now Phase Rush, then second being the burst damage of Electrocute and another for my previous but a favourite still to many Vladimir players Predator.
Starting off with, my preference for Vladimir going down the Sorcery Tree.
Phase Rush Rune Page
Phase Rush: I went into further detail in my "Keystones" section just above, but to summarise this rune allows us to have great potential to not get outkited in team fights, but also provide us with a great gap closer and excape tool throughout the whole game, taking Phase Rush means we can swap out Ghost for more kill potential summoner spells in order to get ahead early.
Nimbus Cloak: Is a must on Vladimir. Taking it means that we can gap close when we pop our ultimate and go in for the kill. Vlad's ult means him and his team deal extra damage whilst it's infecting thee enemy. Using Nimbus Cloak means that we can stay on our enemy and use all of our abilities to kill.
Transcendence: Is Brilliant for this rune set up. Our goal with taking Transcendence is to achieve as much ability haste as quickly as we can. Vlad's Transfusion is super beneficial to him when we can get it as often as possible. A must take.
Gathering Storm: allows for extra late game potential, taking this means the longer the game runs, the more damage Vladimir gets. Whilst Vlad already is a great scaling champion, sometimes it might not be enough to carry. With this extra boost, you will be seeing results.
Magical Footwear: Great to take for a scaling champion. The more kills we get in the early game, the cheaper our boot upgrade becomes. Vladimir is a weaker early, scaling champion. So the free boots an additional movement speed they provide will benefit our mid to late game.
Cosmic Insight: Means our items receive additional haste, allowing Hextech Rocketbelt or Zhonya's Hourglass to be up more often. Our summoner spells also will be up for us more frequently. If you are going down the Inspiration Tree, a must take
Second in line, my preference for Vladimir going down the Domination Tree.
Electrocute Rune Page
Electrocute: I went into further detail in my "Keystones" section just above, but to summarise this rune allows us to burst out mid laners and tear them apart at all stages of the game. Electrocute is super strong on Vladimir as it turns him into not only a late game monster, but an early game abuser with his extra burst from Electrocute.
Taste of Blood: has great use on Vladimir, whilst he has early game sustain from his Q Transfusion other laners who have that better early game presence will be tough if they know the correct timing to poke you. Taste of Blood will give us that extra sustain in lane by hitting the enemy champion with an attack every 20 seconds, helping us stay alive and healthy in lane. With Dark Seal's passive of increased healing from potions and with Transfusion our aim is to farm and stay in lane healthy throughout early game and Taste of Blood helps with it.
Eyeball Collection: Easily summarised this one, Vladimir can heavily snowball games, his mid-late game is so strong that with Eyeball Collection if we get a few takedowns on a few champions, out AP is going to increase and it's game over for the enemy team. So once again, get kills, eyeball collection takes effect, even easier to kill next time. It's an easy but effective cycle.
Ravenous Hunter: Once again in the Domination side we take another sustain rune Ravenous Hunter. Ravenous Hunter gives us a base 2.5% healing on our abilities and further increases it by 2.5% for each time we take down a unique champion. this means we can gain a total of 12.5% increased healing with 5 unique champion kills which will make us all the more annoying. With Vladimir's main focus on high AP builds this means our Transfusion will receive more healing power plus this awesome rune Ravenous Hunter.
Transcendence: Is Brilliant for this rune set up. Our goal with taking Transcendence is to achieve as much ability haste as quickly as we can. Vlad's Transfusion is super beneficial to him when we can get it as often as possible. A must take.
Gathering Storm: allows for extra late game potential, taking this means the longer the game runs, the more damage Vladimir gets. Whilst Vlad already is a great scaling champion, sometimes it might not be enough to carry. With this extra boost, you will be seeing results.
Next up once again in the Domination Tree my 3rd preference is Predator
Predator Rune Page
Predator: I went into further detail in my "Keystones" section just above, but to summarise this rune allows us to Zoom Zoom, back to lane, to teamfights, to roam after pushing mid or top lane. It's just amazing to be able to go fast. Once you get your full tier boots, try and push your wave in as fast as possible (ONCE LEVEL 6) then with predator find a lane where there team is pushed up and look to make a play. Rememeber you are the engager so making plays is a lot easier with this movement speed.
Taste of Blood: has great use on Vladimir, whilst he has early game sustain from his Q Transfusion other laners who have that better early game presence will be tough if they know the correct timing to poke you. Taste of Blood will give us that extra sustain in lane by hitting the enemy champion with an attack every 20 seconds, helping us stay alive and healthy in lane. With Dark Seal's passive of increased healing from potions and with Transfusion our aim is to farm and stay in lane healthy throughout early game and Taste of Blood helps with it.
Eyeball Collection: Easily summarised for this part, Vladimir can heavily snowball games, his mid-late game is so strong that with Eyeball Collection if we get a few takedowns on a few champions, out AP is going to increase and it's game over for the enemy team. So once again, get kills, eyeball collection takes effect, even easier to kill next time. It's an easy but effective cycle.
Ingenious Hunter: We take this as a part of our rune page because with the build I take, you can decrease the cooldown on active items in your build. This includes Hextech Rocketbelt, Zhonya's Hourglass and of course your Predator boots of your choice. So when we get a kill our active items will have a shorter cooldown permanently meaning as Vladimir we can make more plays a lot sooner.
Celerity: Celerity is in my opinion a great option to have on Vladimir as it gives him extra movement speed. He needs this base movement speed to dodge skillshot based champions in the early game. Celerity is great with predator as well as it provides a little more versatility with it to roam to other lanes even quicker.
Scorch: Scorch is really good on any AP champion going into the Sorcery tree as it provides our auto attacks a bit more Umph dealing between 20-60 damage based on level and can be reused again only after 20 seconds. This rune is crucial to Vladimir's early game presence as it's really effective when trying to win dominance over the lane and your opponent. With a little extra damage Vladimir's early game can be given a boost to help carry into the mid-late game.
Flash: Essential for any champion in the game but it is a must have on Vladimir, Vladimir's main combo uses Flash as a surprise element allowing the enemy to have little to no time to react.
Ignite: I always 95% of games take Ignite mid-lane as it gives us that bit of extra kill pressure for Vladimir. If you get ahead as Vlad you are the one of the most threatening figures on the rift mid-late game so take it!
Teleport: Teleport whilst it isn't as great for early game ganks as Vladimir isn't very strong early. Teleport is great for Vlad to soak up Exp and stay strong whilst laning and to keep a strong map presence.
Great Secondary Options
Exhaust: Just an annoying spell in general, really great against assassins so you can nullify their burst combos. Only take in a matchup if not confident. Exhaust is a very, very flexible summoner spell so if you are scared of being killed early take it.
Ghost: Ghost is pretty great and all on Vladimir. I have gone on and on previously about Vlad's lack of mobility and believe me it sucks in general, however Vladimir first priority is to get fed, and Ignite can help this, truly a preference choice.
Hextech Rockebelt: Mythic Passive: All legendary items receive a small amount of Magic Penetration.
Hands down one of my favourite items to build on Vladimir. Been building this item since protobelt days and it's even better now. Provides Health, Ability Power and plenty of Haste. The item active also provides a small gap closer that deals damage and grants movement speed. It's a mythic item that covers all of Vlad's needs. The item active helps with Vlad's lack of wave clear early and can be used to roam to lanes quicker by pushing in waves. This item can be used while in Sanguine Pool too increasing movement speed and gap closing at the same time. The Mythic Passive of magic penetration for each Legendary item can be beneficial towards teams that will look to build defensively against you. An brilliant item in all aspects.
OR
Night Harvester: Mythic Passive: All legendary items receive a small amount of Ability Haste.
Another Mythic Item that has great synergy with Vladimir. It provides the same Health, Ability Power and Haste that Hextech Rocketbelt does, but it's passive allows it to deal an additional amount of free damage to each champion. Even better is that this passive is a certain amount of time per champion, so you can deal this additional damage to a different champion instantly. With an AOE kit like Vlad, his burst is insane with this item. The item passive provides movement speed too but not as great as what Rocketbelt provides, which hurts with staying on targets. The Mythic Passive of haste for each Legendary item is without question brilliant for Vlad, lower ability cooldowns means Vlad will heal more often and deal damage more often. An excellent item for Vlad.
So which Mythic Item is better? It depends on your playstyle. To push quickly, roam for you team and to chase down champions more effectively. Your preffered choice is Hextech Rocketbelt. If you are looking to burst teams quickly, scale hard and sacrifice the better wave clear and movement speed potential. Then Night Harvester is for you. Whichever you prefer, both Mythic Items provide similar outputs but in different methods.
Legendary Core Items
Cosmic Drive: is a brilliant item and it's designed for champions like Vlad. High AP, Health and plenty of haste. To top it off, a few seconds of movement speed and increased haste. Vladimir's major weaknesses as we know are movement speed and high ability cooldowns. This item covers every strength and weakness of Vlad's kit. It's a must have.
Rabadon's Deathcap: is essentially Infinity Edge for an AP champion, increases damage output heaps for any build. With his passive the more AP you build the more HP you gain too! This will benefit both aspects of Vlad significantly. So if you are going to be the late game carry this is a must have!
Zhonya's Hourglass: Has been an essential item for any AP champion for a long time now and that's because it has one of the most B*llSh*t actives in the whole game allowing you to be UNTARGETABLE for a few seconds. Very useful in many situations, especially when you are being focused in a teamfight, use it to lose attention and gain a few seconds off of the cooldowns of you abilities.
Void Staff: Magic penetration is insanely good on many AP champs, especially for Vlad. A passive that increases magic penetration plus some AP is a solid item to slot in towards the end of your build path if you wish.
Spirit Visage: Very good item, and it suits Vladimir's kit. So keep these in mind plus you gain increased healing on your abilities which is a great reason to build this item.
Morellonomicon: This item is the sustain/tank sustain destroyer. If there is a major threat who heals too much, get Oblivion Orb and look to complete this item. You can burst through their magic resist with extra magic penetration and you also inflict grievous wounds by hitting them with a form of magic damage. Very solid team-oriented item with an AOE kit like Vlad's.
Banshee's Veil: Against an Ahri, LeBlanc or especially hook champions like Blitzcrank or Thresh this item can be very beneficial so you don't have to waste Sanguine Pool or even die to their Crowd Control abilities. This item provides an incredible spell shield, some needed AP and magic resist to top it off.
Rylai's Crystal Scepter: If you like to go a hybrid build of AP and tank items, I would buy this item as a last or second last item. Whilst I don't like tank Vladimir it still provides both health and ability power. There are two choices for Vlad in my eyes, you can make youyr enemies slower with items like Rylais, or you can build items to make Vlad faster and chace down enemies. I know that option B is what I'd pick.
IMPORTANT NOTE: In this section we take a look at the synergies with Vladimir and boots. However i 99% of games ALWAYS take Sorcerer's Shoes as Vlad is a Mage. In Mid lane he is a carry, in the top lane he will likely be the pressure with his range so there is no need to choose any other boots. However the only option I would choose at times is Ionian Boots of Lucidity if your build lacks ability haste in it.
Sorcerer's Shoes: These boots are so good for AP Mages allowing you to bypass more of the enemies magic resist (which trust me they'll buy against a Vladimir). With an additional burst of magic penetration Vladimir will have no trouble beating tanks, adcs or anyone on the rift. Love these boots hope Riot never change them.
Ionian Boots Of Lucidity: These boots provides an extra 10% haste importantly on your summoner spells which can have benefits throughout the game. However it's greatest asset is the 15 ability haste on your abilities. If you are looking for more damage through Rabadon's Deathcap, it may be a great decision to not run Transcendence and Phase Rush and swap to an all out damage rune page such as Electrocute. These boots are 2nd preference for most Vladimir players and same goes for me.
Ninja Tabi: Great selection against champions like Yasuo or Tryndamere champions whose kits revolve around auto attacks. Not only can it protect you from their AA's, it can also give you some much needed armour against them to help trade with them or reduce their damage output. It is better to be alive in a fight and do less damage than to do no damage at all.
Mercury's Treads: Never really build this on Vladimir, however if you are up against an Ahri or an Annie this can save your life providing extra Magic Resist and less duration on Annie's stun and Ahri's charms. Tenacity is what you are mainly looking for when building these boots. However with Sanguine Pool and the potential to dodge incoming attacks as well as stuns, I would trust yourself without these boots most the time.
Vladimir's hardest time and most people would agree is his early game. Like many mage champions, Vladimir has low AD or attack damage meaning that farming is a little tough when you are being pressured by another laner at the same time. If you want to make farming easier, go ahead and start off the game with a Doran's Shield or Doran's Ring as they provide extra damage when you auto attack a minion. REMEMBER, farming is probably the most important part of the game and the early game is crucial for Vladimir to get ahead of the pack. So use everything you have to your advantage.
The biggest issue I find with Vladimir's early game is his lack of early game presence. If there is a fight in the river, you will lose most fights if the amount of allies and enemies is even. Vladimir's lack of early game damage is the major cause of this as well as his lack of Crowd Control. Additionally his benefit of using health instead of mana is a sin in the early game as you are dealing damage to yourself with a lack of items to compensate for your low health pool.
Early you want to use Transfusion Vladimir's Q to poke enemies and heal yourself. You can use it as a farming tool to help you achieve that extra CS. Once you get level 6 and gain your ultimate Hemoplague, look to make a play on you opponent if possible. Or if you can't, push the minion wave into their tower and look to help another lane. There is always something you can do around the map, vision, ganks etc.
This is when you start feeling the difference in your gameplay. Your farming issues should have resolved by now and your damage output is climbing as well, you should have some ability haste. along with some damage items as well making you a huge threat to any opponent.
Once you have achieved this power-spike you can likely 1vs1 most enemies if you have gained enough gold from last hitting them creeps without copping too much punishment. Along with a good or even EXP Advantage. Continue to play aggressive when you have vision of other enemy opponents. Make sure you pressure them with your Q's as you would throughout the early game.
Finally once you've pushed your way up look for a roam into a different lane to either feed yourself with a kill and pressure their lane's turret, or help your top or bot laner get ahead. It may be difficult closing onto them without having any sort of Crowd Control. However, I would also recommend having Flash built up just incase. Make sure to have full awareness of the playing field around you, trust me your other lanes will appreciate you for it.
1. Successfully farmed throughout the early and mid game
2. Been pressuring your laner and getting kills
3. Taking objectives and having a presence around the map
Then congratulations if you have ticked a majority of these boxes then you will find the reason I've mained Vladimir for the past 3 years.
Vladimir is a lethal asset for your team late game. As Vlad you are able to produce INSANE amounts of AOE (Area of Effect) damage with your Hemoplague and Tides of Blood. With the sustain from Transfusion and Hemoplague, you also have the ability to go in to the middle of teamfights, reset, then repeat. You become very annoying and yet very threatening.
With ridiculous damage, increased healing and a massive amount of Ability Power with a set of abilities a child could use. You will take down ADC's or even high AD Top Laners such as Irelia, Darius and more with ease. You can take out almost anyone in a 1vs1 if you don't waste your cooldowns and perform the correct combos (stated in the previous 'How to combo' section).
In a teamfight or when you want to force a fight, try to have your Transfusion passive with at least 1 stack so you can activate Crimson Rush sooner in a teamfight. It can be the difference to taking out an ADC losing their high damage source or not dying sooner.
In teamfights you can be the engager and the damage output, if your teams prepared signal to go in with the all-in combo mentioned previously in the combo section. If they focus on you activate Sanguine Pool your W and keep using your Q and E to heal and produce significant damage. You can also add in a Zhonya's Hourglass to repeat a similar process like when using Sanguine Pool to dodge a majority of incoming attacks.
With Vladimir's kit, his late game sustain, his late game damage - the enemy is in deep trouble for allowing you to reach peak male dominance and you need to take full advantage of this if they let you play your game this long
Thank you everyone for over 3 million views on my guide!
I'm glad that my guide has been effecting a lot of people. Hope you enjoyed my guide on Vladimir, I hope it helps you get that little boost of knowledge for the champion I love playing. He's not hard but he is one that's hard to get used to!
Once again if you have any enquiries don't hesitate to ask and please give me your opinion on how i can improve! :)
My Final Thoughts On Vladimir
Vladimir is a champion whose abilities are easy to understand for any player but only turly effective in the right hands. His playstyle is very unique, despite having a basic kit to understand. It can see many new player's (like myself 3 years ago) struggle to understand his early game and get past that stage efficiently. However if this stages is completed well the player is rewarded with a monster of a champion that can destroy enemy teams mid and late game.
Big thanks to jhoijhoi for helping me with the prepartation of this guide, you can check her out here jhoijhoi's profile
ALSO A MASSIVE THANKS TO Rock3tt being a huge inspiration into why I learnt Vladimir, he knows the game well better than me at the very least!
He is a very good teacher his videos are terrific content and enjoyable to watch. They certainly helped me get off the shelves when beginning this champion as well.
You can find the man's youtube channel here Rock3tt's Channel
Finally, a big thanks to Katasandra for assisting in the recreation/new tangent in this guide, their coding and presentation skills is unparamount and it is what allowed for this guide to take a better look (that I hope you guys enjoyed!). Please check their beautiful Lissandra guide here: Katasandra's Lissandra Guide!
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