You might call this the ultimate offtank vladimir. No matter what ignite, stun or silence they try to knock you out with.

Side note: I started out 0-6-1 one game. With this build I penta-killed that very same round. Not to be boasting too much they where 4 magic dmg dealers so I believe I built a force of nature, mercury threads and skipped Zhonya's for later.

Here's the replay: http://www.leaguereplays.com/replays/match/512344/

Pros:
+ Outstanding survival.
+ Great sustainability due to spellvamp.
+ Great engager.
+ Great chaser/carry.
+ Works great with other AP champs.
+ Great anti-carry.


Cons:
- Weak early game. But that's how the champion is made.
- Weak against Tanks and Offtanks.

The build contains Hourglass and Quicksilver so we want as much damage output as we can muster from masteries unlike most builds that goes defensive masteries.

Max your Q for harass and lane sustainability.

Your W is rarely used twice in a row to save your *** even with full CDR and maxed Ability. And it's damage output benefits HP builds since this build isn't one.

Max E for burst and keep a trained eye on how many stacks you got. It's good to keep an eye on your minimap as well when teamfights are approaching. Basically you want as many stacks as you feel threat is coming. You'll want to have 1 stack at all times. When you sense danger in your destination you start stacking up. I let my stacks represent the amount of threat I feel. Fundamentaly; as you enter enemy territory you should start stacking 2.

BOOTS+POTS
Most of the time you are going mid lane. You'll need all the anti-harass advantages you can get. You'll most likely just need 1 pot to compensate human error but one should never underestimate one's opponent.

HEXTECH REVOLVER
This makes up for the HP-cost of Tides of Blood drains to push lanes and kick *** in team-fights.

BOOTS UPGRADE
This will be your only chance for Cooldown reduction for the duration of the game. And it leaves room still for Deathfire Grasp lategame.

MAGIC RESIST OR ARMOR
You've most likely reached 15min into the game and some kills have been acomplished. So take a look at your biggest threat to decide wether it's magic or physical damage you need to mitigate.

QUICKSILVER SASH
Yes! The item that Cleanse wish it was! Nothing can stop you now. When you've gotten used to the burst you take from enemies you'll need only to use this item rapidly followed by Ghost and W for a safe escape. If it turns into a team-fight. Just wait til your W get's off CD before engaging the Team-fight again.

ZHONYA'S HOURGLASS
Rules of thumb:
1. Never use Zhonya's before your E+Q abilities as their cooldowns are supposed to be finished after the protection has run out.
2. Use it if you're ignited. It takes away aprox half it's damage and duration.
3. After Zhonya's protection start with a Q since it gives you heal instantly rather than E which has a slight delay til it hits it's target and for 1/3 of the spellvamp.

ABYSSAL SCEPTER
For some extra protection against magic while also helping your team to reduce their magic resist.

RABADON'S DEATHCAP
This we get as close to late as possible to muster all the AP we have. Since this only gets better the more AP we have, and this is a rather tanky build, we should buy it last.

WILL OF THE ANCIENTS
Some may upgrade this early but depends on how many ignites and reduce heal abilities you're up against. Else I just think this upgrade is a luxury. You don't need that much more sustain with vladimir.

Level 1-6
Last hit minions with auto attacks and your Q first and foremost. If you know the CDs of your laning opponent you should have no problem harassing in between. And pray that you meet neither Cassiopia or Malzahar.

level 7-11
Start placing wards where you wish to push. If you're mid I'd put 1 ward in 1 of the flanks and stay close to that flank since it'll be safer. Keep an eye out for ss as usual before you cross eneter enemy territory on your lane.

level 12-18
Teamfights! Harass with your Q and keep your E charged at 2 stacks for when the fat lady is about to sing. The jungle is great teamfighting with him since he's got flash and hopefully some wards up and it utilizes his E and Ulti because of the narrow space the enemies are forced to fight in. And for gods sake save your Quicksilver and W for emergencies only! You can occasionally use it to dodge initiation-spells like Ashes arrow or stuns from Sion or Taric. Just remember to wait for W's CD before you even think about engaging a teamfight.

1. The jungle-heal-trick: Can only be done properly on Wolves or Golems. Having boots early helps alot here too. So you got 10% hp, your lane is being pushed by the midlaner and the ganker who tried to get you earlier and you fear they will dive you? No worries! Most likely the wolves are around so this is what you do: you will Q the wolves and run til they reset and repeat the process. Eventually you will see where the "safe zone" is and can heal yourself up faster without taking a single hit from them. This also works wonders on red-buff if you kill the small adds which I'm sure won't bother your jungler.

2. Always buy atleast 1 sightward each base visit. If you're team is slacking on this make sure you got dragon and baron warded atleast.
Sometimes I buy 3 so I can push lanes deeper while avoiding ganks.

3. Ghost when engaging more than 1 enemy beforehand.

4. Team-fights. If your health is dropping expect it to drop 3 times as fast past 50%. You'll need to get used to this. For this is where you do Quicksilver -> (E) -> Hourglass -> E -> W -> Run away -> Wait for W Cooldown -> Engage cautiously or Farm jungle/minions for health before going at it again.

5. Use Ulti on no less than 3 enemies to utilize. No exceptions!

6. Don't commit for a kill early game (pre level 6) unless you have twice the amount of health than your opponent.