Space-compressing scaling mage build: Vladimir wins when he reaches a breakpoint where the center of the fight becomes too dangerous for enemy carries. The build must therefore connect his early-game patience to that mid-late swing without buying him an artificial early game.
Three builds, one right answer per draft. The advisor reads the five enemies (and your allies) and names who triggers what — the same rule as the Draft MVP sheet and Ask Nexus.
Best Vladimir build (Mid Lane): Riftmaker › Rabadon's Deathcap › Void Staff › Cosmic Drive › Zhonya's Hourglass, boots Ionian Boots of Lucidity, keystone Phase Rush. Three variants and when to pick each are below.
Standard build maximizing damage output. Use on neutral matchups or when ahead.
15,800 total cost
Nothing dominates on the other side: the standard build maximizes your damage.
Open this draft in the tool →Magic penetration build targeting enemy resistances. Pick this if the enemy stacks magic resist.
15,800 total costDefensive build adding survivability. Pick this against high enemy damage or when behind.
15,800 total cost
Scores out of 10: where this champion sits against the whole roster, phase by phase. The strip shows its own power ramp level by level — it does not compare across champions.
Your hardest matchups in this role, and the item from your situational list that answers each one.
Yone
Rylai's Crystal Scepter
Highly mobile
Irelia
Morellonomicon
Recurring healing
Varus
Banshee's Veil
Physical damage
Galio
Liandry's Torment
Very durable
Best Vladimir build (Baron Lane): Rabadon's Deathcap › Riftmaker › Liandry's Torment › Void Staff › Cosmic Drive, boots Boots of Mana, keystone Phase Rush. Three variants and when to pick each are below.
Standard build maximizing damage output. Use on neutral matchups or when ahead.
15,500 total costNothing dominates on the other side: the standard build maximizes your damage.
Open this draft in the tool →Magic penetration build targeting enemy resistances. Pick this if the enemy stacks magic resist.
15,800 total cost +300gDefensive build adding survivability. Pick this against high enemy damage or when behind.
15,800 total cost +300g
Scores out of 10: where this champion sits against the whole roster, phase by phase. The strip shows its own power ramp level by level — it does not compare across champions.
Your hardest matchups in this role, and the item from your situational list that answers each one.
Yone
Rylai's Crystal Scepter
Highly mobile
Aatrox
Morellonomicon
Recurring healing
Fiora
Morellonomicon
Recurring healing
Irelia
Morellonomicon
Recurring healing
Same advisor in the Draft (the MVP sheet applies it to your real draft) and in Ask Nexus, which explains the choice. On counters pages: the variant to take against each counter-pick.
Foundational item core, without recent situational additions — kept as a base for understanding the kit. For the up-to-date build, see the section above.
Vladimir wins through repetition, not burst. His build maximizes the number of cycles before dying.
Amplifying Tome
penetration + execute after burst E-R combo AoE
CDR ultimate R Hemoplague for burst AoE more often
AP max for burst R-E-Q combo devastating
Sorcerer's Shoes
Protobelt
›
›
the Q+E+W in bursts active Phase Rush to close the gap or escape after his combos of drain.
Free gold on rotations while you scale — your protobelt and Rabadon spikes come sooner.
Reduces the cooldowns of Q Transfusion and R Hemoplague for more frequent combos.
The burn rides every drain Q — your costless poke wears opponents down endlessly.
Blunts short trades in your weak early game — after that, pool does the work.
Riftmaker
Oceanid's Trident
Riftmaker
Oceanid's Trident
Gathering Storm
Bone Plating
Coup De Grace
Giant Slayer
Level 5 gives Vladimir his first real team threat. Hemoplague is not only used to finish a target: it forces opponents to respect mid-river clustering and turns an average skirmish into a delayed burst window.
Once Vladimir starts gaining enough AP, his trades are no longer purely defensive. Empowered Q becomes a real tempo threat, and every clean rotation makes opponents more hesitant to contest the wave or river entrance.
