Elite500’s Challenger Vladimir Guide

About the Author

Elite500 is a passionate and dedicated streamer who has been captivating audiences since Season 3 of League of Legends. With extensive experience playing Vladimir since Season 5, reaching a peak rank of Challenger 552 LP in Season 8, Elite500 brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to this comprehensive guide.

Why Choose Vladimir, the Crimson Reaper?

Vladimir, the Crimson Reaper, stands as a formidable force in League of Legends, capable of single-handedly carrying games and decimating opponents. His appeal lies in his unparalleled 1v9 potential, making him a highly effective champion in both low and high elo.

But Vladimir offers more than just raw power. He boasts an impressive array of strengths, including:

Exceptional 1v9 Carry Potential: Turn the tides of battle and seize victory through sheer dominance.
Effectiveness Across Skill Levels: Excel in both low and high elo, adapting to various competitive environments.
Devastating Burst and DPS: Obliterate enemies with a potent combination of burst damage and sustained DPS.
AoE and Single-Target Prowess: Control the battlefield with area-of-effect spells and focused single-target damage.
Team Fight and Dueling Dominance: Lead the charge in team fights while maintaining dominance in 1v1 engagements.
Strong Presence Throughout the Game: Remain a formidable force from early game to late game.
Unique and Adaptable Build Path: Tailor your build to suit your playstyle and counter your opponents.
Resource-Less Champion: Focus on maximizing your damage output without the constraint of managing mana.
High Skill Ceiling and Outplay Potential: Master Vladimir’s intricate mechanics to outmaneuver and overpower your opponents.

Vladimir’s steep mastery curve is a testament to his high skill ceiling. While his win rate starts at 39.9%, it steadily climbs to an impressive 54.7% after 100 games. This guide will equip you with the knowledge and strategies to navigate the early-game challenges and unlock Vladimir’s true potential.

However, even a god has weaknesses:

Vladimir’s overwhelming power is balanced by his limited range, lack of mobility, and vulnerability to ganks. Mastering his positioning and game sense is crucial to mitigating these weaknesses.

Runes: Unleashing Vladimir’s True Potential

Vladimir’s rune setup has evolved significantly, and the current optimal setup maximizes his strengths:

Primary: Sorcery

Phase Rush: This keystone rune is the engine of Vladimir’s mobility. Its synergy with his abilities, particularly his ultimate, allows for rapid repositioning in team fights and swift escapes from ganks.

Transcendence: With 10% CDR at level 10, Transcendence fuels Vladimir’s DPS, sustain, and allows for exceeding the CDR cap.

Nimbus Cloak: Amplify your speed even further with Nimbus Cloak, enhancing Phase Rush procs and enabling aggressive plays.

Gathering Storm: As the game progresses, Gathering Storm provides escalating AP, bolstering Vladimir’s late-game carry potential.

Secondary: Inspiration

Magical Footwear: Free boots at 10 minutes grant valuable early movement speed and a significant power spike.

Cosmic Insight: The 5% CDR across the board is invaluable, reducing the cooldowns of summoner spells, Protobelt, and Zhonya’s Hourglass.

Rune Shards

Scaling CDR: Further enhance your CDR, amplifying your damage output and spell rotation.
Adaptive Force: Bolster your early game with bonus AP, increasing your lane pressure.
Health: Vladimir’s HP-to-AP conversion benefits from additional health, providing both durability and damage.

Summoner Spells: Tools for Domination

Flash

Flash remains an indispensable summoner spell, offering unparalleled kill potential and escape opportunities. Its synergy with Vladimir’s ultimate allows for devastating engages and flawless execution.

Ignite

Ignite complements Vladimir’s aggressive playstyle, providing additional kill pressure, securing early leads, and synergizing with Phase Rush.

Abilities: Mastering the Crimson Arts

Q – Transfusion: The Life Steal

Vladimir’s Q is your primary tool for sustaining in lane and harassing opponents. Utilize its empowered state to zone enemies, secure last hits, and punish aggressive plays.

W – Sanguine Pool: The Untouchable

Sanguine Pool is Vladimir’s trump card for dodging crucial abilities and mitigating damage. Master its timing to avoid ganks, escape unfavorable situations, and create counterplay opportunities.

E – Tides of Blood: The AoE Powerhouse

Tides of Blood is Vladimir’s primary source of AoE damage and wave clear. Use it cautiously in the early game due to its health cost, but unleash its full potential in team fights and skirmishes.

R – Hemoplague: The Game Changer

Hemoplague is a game-changing ultimate that amplifies all damage dealt to affected enemies while healing Vladimir upon detonation. Mastering its placement and timing is crucial for securing kills, turning team fights, and asserting dominance.

Item Build: Forging the Path to Victory

Vladimir’s item build is adaptable, but the following core items provide a strong foundation:

Starting Items

Doran’s Ring: Standard starting item for mana regeneration and ability power.
Health Potion: Sustain through early game trades and harass.

Core Items

Protobelt: A must-have item that grants AP, health, CDR, and a valuable active for mobility and engaging.
Sorcerer’s Shoes: Magic penetration amplifies your damage against squishy targets.
Fiendish Codex: Provides an early CDR spike and builds into more powerful items later.

Situational Items

Mejai’s Soulstealer: High-risk, high-reward item that provides massive AP if stacked successfully.
Rabadon’s Deathcap: The ultimate AP item, significantly increasing your damage output.
Void Staff: Essential against teams with magic resist, allowing you to penetrate through their defenses.
Zhonya’s Hourglass: Provides armor and an active that grants invulnerability, ideal for surviving burst damage.
Morellonomicon: Reduces healing on enemy champions and provides grievous wounds, countering sustain-heavy compositions.
Liandry’s Anguish: Excellent against tanky teams, dealing bonus damage based on the target’s maximum health.

Gameplay: From Lane to Late Game Dominance

Early Game

Play Safe: Vladimir is vulnerable in the early game. Focus on farming, scaling, and avoiding unnecessary trades.
Utilize Q for Sustain: Transfusion’s healing allows you to stay in lane longer and sustain through harass.
Respect Enemy Jungler: Vladimir’s lack of mobility makes him susceptible to ganks. Ward strategically and track the enemy jungler’s movements.

Mid Game

Look for Roaming Opportunities: Once you have Protobelt, you gain increased mobility and kill pressure. Look for opportunities to impact other lanes.
Group for Objectives: Vladimir’s team fight presence becomes more potent in the mid game. Group with your team to secure objectives and control the map.

Late Game

Team Fight Positioning: Position yourself carefully in team fights, aiming to land your ultimate on as many enemies as possible.
Prioritize High-Value Targets: Focus on eliminating or severely damaging the enemy’s carries and high-damage threats.
Utilize Your Full Kit: Master the timing and synergy of your abilities to maximize your damage output and survivability.

General Tips: Refining Your Crimson Skills

You can cast E – Tides of Blood while in W – Sanguine Pool.
Both the initial cast and the damage portion of R – Hemoplague count as procs for Phase Rush.
You can extend the duration of your empowered Q – Transfusion by using W – Sanguine Pool, charging E – Tides of Blood, or activating Zhonya’s Hourglass.
W – Sanguine Pool has a long cooldown. Be mindful of its availability and avoid taking unnecessary risks when it’s down.
Vladimir’s range is limited. Utilize Phase Rush and other movement speed enhancements to close the gap and avoid being kited.

Conclusion

Vladimir, the Crimson Reaper, is a complex and rewarding champion capable of achieving extraordinary feats on the Rift. By mastering his abilities, understanding his strengths and weaknesses, and implementing the strategies outlined in this guide, you’ll be well on your way to dominating your opponents and ascending the ranks.