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By GamGem ResearchLast updated 18 Oct 2026

Vladimir Build, Runes and Counters — Mid, Top and Bot · Patch 26.20

the Crimson Reaper

Patch 26.20 · Stats from the 26.18 Master+ sample (4,044 games).

Vladimir, the Crimson Reaper, converts bonus health into ability power and back again through Crimson Pact, and Hemoplague bursts every enemy it infects. Master+ played him in three lanes — Mid, Top, bot — mostly on Stormraider's Surge, with Stormsurge first in both leading paths. Galio, Qiyana and Nasus beat him most often. Fizz, Ahri and Viktor he did better against. Yone and Yasuo were about even.

MageFighter

Patch 26.18 · Mid · Ranked Solo/Duo · Master+ · EUW · KR · NA · 4,044 games · Preview sample

Role snapshot (Mid)

ATier
Win Rate
50.8%
Pick Rate
6.2%
Ban Rate
4.0%

4,044

Games

Very High

Confidence

Win rate by lane

  • Mid51.2% · 1,997 games
  • Top49.8% · 1,321 games
  • Bot51.6% · 719 games · small sample

Most common path

197 games

57.9%Win Rate

Start
FlashGhost

Highest win rate path

73 games

80.8%Win Rate

Start
FlashGhost

Other first item

101 games

61.4%Win Rate

Start
FlashIgnite

Runes

Patch 26.18

This exact page: taken in 15.4% of games·51.9% win rate over 622 games.

Primary

Sorcery

Stormraider's Surge

Dealing 25% of a champion's maximum health grants a burst of MS and Slow Resist.

Nimbus Cloak

After casting a Summoner Spell, gain a short Move Speed increase that allows you to pass through units.

Transcendence

Gain bonuses upon reaching the following levels:Level 5: +5 Ability Haste Level 8: +5 Ability Haste Level 11: On Champion takedown, reduce the remaining cooldown of basic abilities by 20%.

Gathering Storm

Gain increasing amounts of AD or AP, adaptive over the course of the game.

Secondary

Precision

Legend: Haste

Takedowns on enemies grant permanent Basic Ability Haste.

Cut Down

Deal more damage to high health enemy champions.

Shards

  • Ability Haste
  • Adaptive Force
  • Health Scaling

Other keystones taken

  • Deathfire Touch18.2% taken · 51.3% win737 games
  • Summon Aery13.0% taken · 50.0% win526 games
  • Conqueror5.0% taken · 46.6% win204 games

Tree pairs

  • Sorcery + Precision87.0% taken · 51.2% win3,517 games
  • Precision + Sorcery4.9% taken · 48.0% win198 games
  • Sorcery + Resolve4.1% taken · 50.0% win166 games

Skill Order

Which ability to max first, and the level each point goes in — Vladimir's most common path.

Q

Transfusion

Vladimir steals life from the target enemy.

Cooldown 9/7.9/6.8/5.7/4.6s · No cost
W

Sanguine Pool

Vladimir sinks into a pool of blood, becoming untargetable for 2 seconds.

Cooldown 28/25/22/19/16s · No cost
E

Tides of Blood

Vladimir pays his own health to charge up a reservoir of blood which, when released, deals damage in the area around him but can be blocked by enemy units.

Cooldown 13/11/9/7/5s · No cost
R

Hemoplague

Vladimir infects an area with a virulent plague.

Cooldown 120s · No cost

Max Order

QEW

Max Q first, then E, then W. Take R whenever available (6 / 13 / 16).

Level-up Order

  • Q
  • W
  • E
  • R
Ability123456789101112131415161718
QTransfusionQQQQQ
WSanguine PoolWWWWW
ETides of BloodEEEEE
RHemoplagueRRR

Matchup map (Mid)

How Vladimir performs against enemy mid laners

Levels 1 – 18 · Master+40%60%Vladimir's win rate
≥ 60%Very favorable
55 – 60%Favorable
50 – 55%Even
45 – 50%Unfavorable
40 – 45%Hard
< 40%Very hard

Conditional build matrix

Recommended items by enemy team composition

Master+ · Patch 26.18
Mythic / CoreFirst major item
Core 2Second item
Core 3Third item
BootsBoot slot
SituationalPick as needed

Scaling — minute 10–30

VladimirMid average

Gold

102030

Damage to champions

102030

CS

102030

Counter plan — how to beat Vladimir

  • Dodge the primary — its rotation is one skillshot; sidestep it and the rest is chip

  • Avoid extended fights — its sustain grows with every trade it survives

  • Punish the cooldown — Vladimir is exposed while its rotation is down

  • Ward the flank — vision is what turns its best opening into a worse one

  • Respect the spike — Riot rates the kit 7/10, so a practised player gets more out of it than the average

Ability details

  • P

    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).

    Passive — never cast

  • Q

    Transfusion

    Vladimir steals life from the target enemy. When Vladimir's resource is full, Transfusion will benefit from massively increased damage and healing for a brief time.

    No costCooldown 9/7.9/6.8/5.7/4.6sRange 600

  • W

    Sanguine Pool

    Vladimir sinks into a pool of blood, becoming untargetable for 2 seconds. Additionally, enemies on the pool are slowed and Vladimir siphons life from them.

    No costCooldown 28/25/22/19/16sRange 350

  • E

    Tides of Blood

    Vladimir pays his own health to charge up a reservoir of blood which, when released, deals damage in the area around him but can be blocked by enemy units.

    No costCooldown 13/11/9/7/5sRange 600

  • R

    Hemoplague

    Vladimir infects an area with a virulent plague. Affected enemies take increased damage for the duration. After a few seconds, Hemoplague deals magic damage to infected enemies and heals Vladimir for each enemy Champion hit.

    No costCooldown 120sRange 625

Vladimir balance history

Riot's notes from patch 25.S1.1 to 26.20 change Vladimir in 1 patch. The latest is patch 25.23, published 2025-11-18.

  1. Patch 25.232025-11-18

    Base Stats

    • Base Health607to600
    • Base Armor27to24
    Why, in Riot's words

    We're continuing to identify ranged top laners who undeservedly gained laning dominance from our recent lane sustain changes, and Vladimir is next on that list of overperforming ranged tops. We're looking to make his matchups more interactive by giving more room for typically-physical melee champions to strike back during Vlad's moments of downtime. Also, the number 607 makes it uncomfortably easy to type 6-7 and we just can't have that.

Vladimir skins (15)

Riot's data lists 15 looks for Vladimir with their own art, the base skin included and 43 chroma variants.

ARAM performance

EstimateA
Win Rate
51.6%
▲ 0.8%
Pick Rate
7.7%
▲ 1.5%
Ban Rate
4.3%
▼ 0.3%
Damage dealt
91.5%
Damage taken
93.0%
Healing
97.0%
Shielding
93.2%
Ability Haste
+25

Best ARAM build

Patch timeline

Riot’s notes

This champion’s win rate on each patch the preview sample spans, over its own games there. What actually changed each patch is in Riot’s own notes.

  1. 26.1951.8% over 1,205 games+0.6
  2. 26.1850.4% over 2,164 games0.0
  3. 26.1750.4% over 657 games · small sample—

Vladimir's base stats against all 173 champions

StatVladimirRankMedian
Base health600=116th620
Health per level110=25th104
Base armor24=130th30
Armor per level4.5=92nd4.6
Base magic resist30=110th32
Magic resist per level1.3=93rd1.55
Base attack damage55=120th59
Base attack speed0.658=54th0.656
Attack speed per level2%=119th2.5%
Move speed330=117th335
Attack range450=75th175

Vladimir at level 1 and level 18

  • Vladimir reaches 2470 health at level 18 — 600 at level 1 plus 17 × 110, the 48th-highest of 173 champions on patch 26.20, shared with 1.
  • Vladimir reaches 100.5 armor at level 18 — 24 at level 1 plus 17 × 4.5, the 48th-lowest of 173 champions on patch 26.20, shared with 2.
  • Vladimir reaches 52.1 magic resist at level 18 — 30 at level 1 plus 17 × 1.3, the 34th-lowest of 173 champions on patch 26.20, shared with 43.
StatLevel 1Per levelLevel 18Rank at 18
Health600+1102470=48th of 173
Armor24+4.5100.5=124th of 173
Magic resist30+1.352.1=97th of 173

Riot Data Dragon 16.20.1. Growth curve: League of Legends Wiki — Champion statistic.

Riot's tips for Vladimir

Playing Vladimir

  • Transfusion instantly deals damage to the enemy before healing Vladimir, making it one of the best last hitting tools in the game.
  • Cast Hemoplague where it will afflict the most units.
  • Sanguine Pool pops incoming missiles, so it can be used to dodge disables.

Playing against Vladimir

  • Try to take Vladimir down before Hemoplague detonates, as it will heal him for each afflicted enemy Champion.
  • Making Vladimir use Sanguine Pool at the start of a fight will maximize the Health cost of the ability to him.
  • Items that counter Health stacking, such as Liandry's Torment and Blade of the Ruined King, are very effective against Vladimir.

Quick answers about Vladimir

How does Vladimir do against Galio?
Vladimir won 43.8% of 48 counted Master+ games against Galio. Galio is one of the opponents that beat Vladimir. A small sample — read it as a lean, not a rule.
How does Vladimir do against Qiyana?
Vladimir won 41.5% of 41 counted Master+ games against Qiyana. Qiyana is one of the opponents that beat Vladimir. A small sample — read it as a lean, not a rule.
How does Vladimir do against Nasus?
Vladimir won 45.9% of 37 counted Master+ games against Nasus. Nasus is one of the opponents that beat Vladimir. A small sample — read it as a lean, not a rule.
How does Vladimir do against Malzahar?
Vladimir won 45.0% of 40 counted Master+ games against Malzahar. Malzahar is one of the opponents that beat Vladimir. A small sample — read it as a lean, not a rule.
How does Vladimir do against Fizz?
Vladimir won 71.2% of 52 counted Master+ games against Fizz. It is a matchup Vladimir wins more often than not. A small sample — read it as a lean, not a rule.
How does Vladimir do against Ahri?
Vladimir won 56.2% of 73 counted Master+ games against Ahri. It is a matchup Vladimir wins more often than not. A small sample — read it as a lean, not a rule.
How does Vladimir do against Viktor?
Vladimir won 54.6% of 108 counted Master+ games against Viktor. It is a matchup Vladimir wins more often than not.
How does Vladimir do against Yone?
Vladimir won 51.6% of 95 counted Master+ games against Yone. It is close to even. A small sample — read it as a lean, not a rule.
What class is Vladimir?
Riot classes Vladimir as Mage and Fighter. This site files the champion under Mid.
How hard is Vladimir to play?
Riot rates Vladimir's difficulty 7 out of 10.
What resource does Vladimir use?
Vladimir's abilities cost nothing to cast. Riot's data names Vladimir's bar Crimson Rush, but no ability spends it.
What is Vladimir's attack range?
450 units — the 75th-highest of 173 champions on patch 26.20 (shared with 3 others).
What are Vladimir's abilities?
Passive — Crimson Pact, Q — Transfusion, W — Sanguine Pool, E — Tides of Blood and R — Hemoplague.
How many skins does Vladimir have?
Riot's data lists 15 skins with their own art, the base look included, plus 43 chroma variants.
How much health does Vladimir have at level 18?
2470 — 600 at level 1 plus 17 × 110 per level, Riot's own values, before items and runes.
What is Vladimir's ultimate cooldown?
Hemoplague (R): 120 seconds by rank, before ability haste, in Riot's Data Dragon 16.20.1.
When did Riot last change Vladimir?
Patch 25.23, published 18 November 2025 — the latest of 1 patch that change Vladimir in Riot's notes from 25.S1.1 to 26.20.

Vladimir at a glance

Vladimir, the Crimson Reaper, is a Mage and Fighter champion in League of Legends. Riot rates the kit 7/10 for difficulty, 2/10 for attack, 6/10 for defense and 8/10 for magic. Vladimir casts every ability without a cost and has 15 skins with their own art.

Attack2/10
Defense6/10
Magic8/10
Difficulty7/10

Vladimir's story

A fiend with a thirst for mortal blood, Vladimir has influenced the affairs of Noxus since the empire's earliest days. In addition to unnaturally extending his life, his mastery of hemomancy allows him to control the minds and bodies of others as easily as his own. In the flamboyant salons of the Noxian aristocracy, this has enabled him to build a fanatical cult of personality around himself—while in the lowest back alleys, it allows him to bleed his enemies dry.
— Riot Games, Data Dragon 16.20.1. League of Legends Universe

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Methodology

Data window
Preview sample — a one-time snapshot of 65,406 ranked games (Master+, EUW/KR/NA, patch 26.18), counted by GamGem while our Riot production key is under review. Figures will update daily once it is approved. Counted 26–27 Sept 2026; patches 26.18 (35,477) · 26.19 (18,580) · 26.17 (11,048) · 26.16 (293) · 26.15 (8); by server EUW 22,382 · KR 21,922 · NA 21,065 · EUNE 20 · TR 17. 642 games without a result — remakes ended by vote in their first minutes, and games recorded with no winner — were not counted.
Rank aggregation
Master, Grandmaster and Challenger, pooled — the three ladders the count read its players from. Splitting further leaves samples too small to separate a real effect from noise.
Role assignment
A champion is filed under every lane that holds at least a tenth of its counted games — the position the match itself reports, not the champion’s class. Its headline win rate is across all of them; each lane’s own win rate and games are counted too, and a lane’s tier list ranks by them.
Counters
The two champions in the same position on opposite teams, over that pairing’s own counted games — ranked on the edge pulled toward zero by its sample size, printed raw.
Minimum sample
None — no figure is hidden for being thin. Every rate prints its games, and the confidence band is its 95% margin: Very High within ±1.5 points, High ±2.5, Moderate ±3.1 (1,000 games), Low wider.
Why a build is not a cause
An item is counted when the match ENDS with it, so late items show long games and an item bought when already ahead shows games that were being won. Correlation is what a rate can show; it is not evidence that buying the item caused the win.
Where the numbers come from
Names, classes, abilities, items and runes are Riot Data Dragon. Win, pick and ban rates, builds, keystones, spells and matchups are counted by GamGem from Riot's ranked match records. An estimate, not a count: this panel is not in the preview sample, and is labelled so.

Vladimir on video

Published by League of Legends on YouTube, 27 July 2010.

16 years old. League of Legends has been patched since, so watch it for how the kit plays, not for numbers — the rest of this page is written for the current patch.

It plays in YouTube’s own player once you press play. Nothing is downloaded or re-hosted here, and nothing loads from YouTube until then.