League of Legends version of count Dracula does not bite but heals through his abilities. Vladimir is a scaling champion that can snowball in a game and win it for his team if not taken care of early.
Vladimir’s Abilities
Vladimir’s kit is based mainly on damage and healing abilities. To better understand how to avoid mistakes when dealing with him, you have to study his abilities closely.
- Passive – Crimson Pact: Every 30 points of bonus Health gives Vladimir 1 Ability Power, and every 1 point of Ability Power gives Vladimir 1.6 bonus Health (does not stack with itself).
- Q – Transfusion: Vladimir drains blood from the target enemy, dealing them magic damage and Heal power icon.png healing himself. Each cast of Transfusion generates a stack of Bloodthirst over its cooldown, which is displayed in his secondary resource bar. At two stacks, Vladimir gains 10% bonus movement speed for 0.5 seconds, and Crimson Rush while the Bloodthirst depletes over 2.5 seconds. The Bloodthirst depletes 75% slower during Tides of Blood, Sanguine Pool stasis.
Crimson Rush: The next cast of Transfusion (Q) deals 85% increased damage and heals for an additional 30 − 200 (based on level), reduced to 35% against minions, consuming all Bloodthirst.
- W – Sanguine Pool: Vladimir sinks into a pool of blood, gaining 37.5% bonus movement speed which decays exponentially over 1 second and becoming untargetable and ghosted for 2 seconds. Enemies inside the pool are slowed by 40% and dealt magic damage every 0.5 seconds over the duration. Vladimir heals himself for 15% of the pre-mitigation damage dealt by Sanguine Pool. Vladimir cannot use basic attacks or abilities during Sanguine Pool but is still able to move. If Tides of Blood is charging at the time of Sanguine Pool’s activation, that ability may still be recast.
- E – Tides of Blood: Vladimir charges for up to 1.5 seconds, slowing himself by 20% if he charges for more than 1 second. Tides of Blood can be recast at any time within its duration. If Vladimir finishes charging or is interrupted, he automatically initiates the recast. Vladimir unleashes a nova of 15 blood bolts, each of which collides with the first enemy they hit, dealing them magic damage that is increased based on how long Tides of Blood was charged, up to the first second. If Tides of Blood was charged for at least 1 second, enemies hit are also slowed for 0.5 seconds. Enemies can intercept multiple bolts but may only be damaged once. If Vladimir is below 12% of his maximum health, Tides of Blood will not cost any health but will still increase damage.
- R – Hemoplague: Vladimir spreads a virulent plague at the target location, infecting all enemies within the area at the time of cast for 4 seconds, which increases the damage they take from all sources by 10% for the duration. After the duration, the infection bursts, dealing magic damage to all infected targets and bringing the blood from all infected enemy champions to Vladimir over 0.4 seconds for him to harvest, healing him, reduced by 50% for each subsequent champion.
Also read: How To Get Better At Farming As An ADC?
Countering Vladimir’s Spells
Vladimir’s spells are about to sustain. That helps us to focus on healing reduction spells or items that will counter Vladimir efficiently. If he uses his Transfusion (Q) to last hit a minion or heal then, that’s a good time to go in on him. In the early game, it’s a very long cooldown, so he’ll have very few ways to fight back. Before you fight Vladimir, make sure he doesn’t have his E passive stacks up to 4 because this gives him powerful trading potential.
Sanguine Pool (W) has a long cooldown and is Vladimir’s only escape ability. It is after the ability is used that he is most vulnerable. Do not stack against Vladimir so that he won’t be able to hit multiple people with his ultimate. It can even be cured by buying a Quicksilver Sash. Saving an Ignite against Vladimir will significantly cripple his ability to sustain himself in a fight.
Most Common Vladimir Combos
One of the most common combos is charged E > Q > AA. Another form of this combo is charged E > Q > W. Poking combo is AA > E > Q. Teamfight oriented combo is charged E > flash > release E > R > Q > W. Be aware of the last combo because it can output devastating AOE damage to your whole team and can be unexpected if Vladimir successfully flanked you.
Also read: Best ADCs To Pair With Zilean
Vladimir’s Weaknesses
1. CC
CC is a great way to deal with Vladimir. Be aware that he can react with his Sanguine Pool (W) to mitigate it.
2. Healing reduction
Since Vladimir is healing a lot, this is an apparent weakness that you can use against him. Champions with build-in healing reduction or items can hinder his ability to heal and thus make him a lesser threat.
3. Mobility
Vladimir does not have enough mobility to escape if he pushes his lane. Try to take advantage of this to gank him but be aware to not waste your CDs on his Sanguine Pool (W). Try to bait his Sanguine Pool (W) and then use your abilities.
4. Vision
Expect Vladimir to flank from the side in team fights. Ward your flanks, so you spot him before he is able to get on top of your team. Spotting him roaming can save your teammates’ lives or yours.
The Best Vladimir Lane Counters in Season 12
1. Anivia
Anivia is hard to learn, does have a lot of skill shots, and has more complicated mechanics. With the gold difference of +330 gold at the 15th-minute mark, Anivia is the champion that is an ideal pick against Vladimir. Anivia has one of the strongest Passives in the game. It can prevent her from dying, which offers her tons of extra protection throughout the game. Thanks to your Wall Crystallize (W), Anivia has a lot of utility that can protect her and her allies. It can also increase her chances of surviving in fights. With your Glacial Storm (R), Anivia’s sieging power is extreme. With lots of mana, you can constantly push the enemy into the enemy’s tower and force them to stay in the lane.
2. Graves
Graves is one of the more accessible champions to play. He has few skill shots that are easy to hit and has straightforward mechanics. With the gold difference of +200 gold at the 15th-minute mark, Graves is the champion that can bully Vladimir throughout the whole game. His End of the Line (Q) can help him deal a lot of burst damage in a concise duration, and combined with his Passive, and he can blow up any squishy target with ease. His Quickdraw (E) allows him to dodge important skillshots and allows him to re-position quickly. The Smoke Screen (W) can blind enemies and make them panic. His Collateral Damage (R) adds another burst to finish off your low-health enemies.
Honorable mention: Qiyana
Qiyana is one of the hardest champions to play. She has a few skill shots that are hard to master and has complicated mechanics. With the gold difference of +150 gold at the 15th-minute mark, Qiyana is a still solid pick against Vladimir if you know how to play her well. Her Supreme Display of Talent (R) is game-changing. If she gets one good Supreme Display of Talent (R) off, it could win her team the game. She has lots of mobility which can allow her to get on to enemies quickly or to escape. Qiyana has a lot of burst damage thanks to her Elemental Wrath / Edge of Ixtal (Q).
Also read: Best Brand Skins
The Best Champions to Counter Vladimir in Season 12
1. Shen
As a top laner, Shen is tanky. He is able to mitigate any form of auto-attack damage with his Spirit’s Refuge (W). He can set all-in opportunities with his Shadow Dash (E). His Ultimate Stand United (R) can allow him to act as a guardian for his teammates. This becomes useful if one of Shen’s teammates is fed and needs to be protected.
2. Fiddlesticks
In the jungle, Fiddlesticks is another excellent pick against Vladimir. His Passive can cause panic when appropriately used in a fight. As a Jungler, he can try to flank from the sidelines, and he is solid when fighting in closed areas. It allows him to deal a lot of AOE damage.
3. Draven
Draven is scaling champion as Vladimir. If Draven gets going in the early game, the enemy team does not have much hope to stop him. Draven is one of the strongest ADC champions around. Use your early game pressure to play aggressively and get kills.
Also read: How Does QSS Work In League Of Legends?
Best Items to Counter Vladimir in Season 12
1. Healing reduction
When playing as an AD champion, try to get an early Executioner’s Calling. As an AP champion, get Oblivion Orb. This will reduce his healing and sustain in the lane.
2. Health and magic resistance items
All that gives some amount of health or magic resistance is good. Vladimir has a weaker early game, so this allows you to become beefier and harder to kill.
3. Quicksilver Sash
Lastly, Vladimir’s ultimate can be cured by using an active that a Quicksilver Sash provides. This is mainly for ADCs but could be a valuable tip to know.
Conclusion
Vladimir is a weak early game champion that is hard to play. That does not mean he is easy to play against, but after reading our guide, we firmly believe that you found a few tips that you can use next time to counter him.
Pick a champion within our recommended counters that you are most familiar with and feel most comfortable playing with. If you did not find any of your favorite champions from our list, try to pick something that has reliable CC, mobility, or healing reduction.
