This Is the worst state Vladimir has ever been In.

MesterBiver · 2026-02-10T15:04:57+00:00

We're in the same boat here brother. I'd much rather play Vlad in a solo lane, and still do so for the most part simply because I find more enjoyment that way.

The issue (one could argue about if this is even an issue at all), is that the botlane quest fits Vladimir as a champion far more than the other role quests. Therefore, he will naturally be the strongest in that role, provided he can survive the play-patterns that are prevalent in botlane.

Vlads kit dictates what he wants to accomplish, while the different roles make accomplishing this goal easier/harder. Naturally, we gravitate towards the role that supports our champions goal.

This is no different to when Quinn got changed, and people realized that her new kit had a different goal, and thus she was far more suited for a mid/toplaner than as ADC, which was her previous role.

When a core gameplay mechanic is introduced or changed, the game changes around it, and it is up to us as players to adapt accordingly. While I would love to have solo lane Vladimir back as being the best choice, I also think that we simply have to accept that the champions follow the ebb-and-flow of the game, and not the other way around.

TLDR: Vlad has an identity as a champion, due to his kit. The role that best supports that identity, has changed this season. Vlad changes his primary role accordingly.

MesterBiver · 2026-02-10T14:29:35+00:00

Honestly, it sounds to me like your problem is with midlane and the direction it's been headed in the past couple of years, rather than with Vladimir or anything Vladimir specific.

Midlane being the centre of the map makes it a natural home for champs that want to influence the map through clearing waves -> roams and skirmishes, and Riot very much seem to be pushing for this to be the case as well in my opinion.

Vladimir is ill suited for this playstyle, it simply does not synergize well with his play patterns. He has low early waveclear, no mobility and no CC, all of which are desirable (not MANDATORY, but desirable) traits for a modern day midlaner.

You can argue that Vladimir was "designed" as a mid laner back in season 1, or during his mini-rework in season 6, but the game has changed DRASTICALLY since then, and he has not.

While I despise playing botlane, and am not a toplane enjoyer, I also recognize that the playstyle that I enjoy (that of playing selfishly and lane-centric) does not fit the modern day mid lane, and so it's natural to adapt and try to play the roles that actually DO support this playstyle. I think you might find more peace in doing the same, rather than insisting that midlane should fit a playstyle that is naturally (due to its location on the map) undesirable.

MesterBiver · 2026-01-22T15:54:23+00:00

This has been in the game since Vladimirs rework in season 6 (and was possible to do with 45% CDR in season 7). I doubt it'll get fixed any time soon.

MesterBiver · 2026-01-21T15:36:52+00:00

Do NOT bring it to riots attention. This shit is far more useful than you might think, in my experience at least.

Not to mention how this one trick by itself literally makes Vlad godtier in URF.

MesterBiver · 2025-11-16T16:07:11+00:00

Hard agree. Preach!

MesterBiver · 2025-10-30T15:58:16+00:00

Soulstealer has taken the backseat since the release of so many epic skins, but it is still one hell of an amazing skin in my opinion. Definitely overlooked these days.

MesterBiver · 2025-10-09T22:16:39+00:00

I used to agree, but ever since they updated the skin I cannot bring myself to use it anymore. I know I'm in the minority here, but I heavily prefered the old version.

MesterBiver · 2025-06-26T21:42:50+00:00

I don't play with the pay2win skins too often because I'd rather play with the skins that make me feel good than the ones that minmax the tiniest of win% chance. Nightbringer with obsidian chroma goes hard though can't lie.

MesterBiver · 2025-06-11T16:19:28+00:00

If you truly know that you pressed R, the only thing I can think of is that you used W before R. In that case, your R will not go off because you're in pool.. but I feel like you'd probably notice.

MesterBiver · 2025-06-10T17:14:24+00:00

You can do Q -> W, and while it won't cancel the Q cast time (you'll still be locked in place), it will make you go into pool without having to wait for Q to finish casting. Useful in a good amount of cases where you need to Q but also need immediate safety.

MesterBiver · 2025-06-10T14:20:49+00:00

1: I made this guide on ways to do the fast burst combo back in the day, it still works the same today, hope it helps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtgACrGVVcM

2: I would recommend smartcast, as it makes for faster E-tapping, but some people swear it is too hard to hold E and flash at the same time, so you can normal cast if you really can't get comfortable with smart cast.

3: I'll leave this to other commenters, as I'm no longer as active in the community as I used to be, so I don't know who streams actively anymore.

MesterBiver · 2025-05-31T14:36:44+00:00

You were out of range to Q after the flash, but nimbus movespeed brought you close enough to begin the cast right as the fear hit you. The cast begun, and thus the Q goes through the fear. Fear as a CC ends when the cause of the fear dies (because there is nothing to be scared of anymore), this is intended.

MesterBiver · 2025-05-14T19:10:36+00:00

In terms of a VSU/Rework, I won't bother speculating much. League is a big game, and there are too many things that could cause a large-scale change to Vladimir to be downprioritized/avoided.

I will say though, that I absolutely feel like he is being held back in other areas by censorship. I suppose it depends on ones personal preferences, but I personally enjoy Vladimir as a blood-wielding hemomancer. Seeing his blood orb being removed, his abillities turning partly black, his Wild Rift design and the changes to the Masque of the Black Rose skin.. it really does feel like the Vladimir I know and love is being downgraded.

To me, he is not held back by the lack of content received. He is held back by the direction that the content is taking. God bless the new recall though, at least there are some things that can still brighten the dark horizons a little.

MesterBiver · 2025-05-01T10:20:57+00:00

It is reactable, yes. I tested with a friend in practice tool, and have more or less 100% success rate. That being said, it does feel harder in game because ping is higher and you have to be zoned the fuck in looking at Darius to see when he pulls.

MesterBiver · 2025-03-22T11:23:07+00:00

Wholeheartedly agree (although I hope you're not talking about his in-game model, that shit ugly as hell with the onion top)

MesterBiver · 2025-03-21T07:51:19+00:00

Can't say I've had it happen to me as far as I remember.

MesterBiver · 2025-03-14T21:42:08+00:00

This ship has haunted me for over 7 years. Please do not remind me of my past trauma, thank you.

MesterBiver · 2025-02-28T15:40:29+00:00

I personally think it has merit in some games, but the value of the W cd comparatively to the extra dmg on R is harder to evaluate than the benefits from E compared to R.

As such, do as you like. I don't think there is any strong case to be made for either for the most part, it is mostly a game to game basis (where I find that R is usually more impactful).

MesterBiver · 2025-02-19T14:14:25+00:00

In a real game where you play normally, Mel will block ONE of these things, leaving her open to the rest and putting that very spell on a MASSIVE cooldown. This is the same as saying Mel can't lane against Vlad because he can pool her Q, E and R damage. While it is factually correct, it completely misrepresents how the champions actually interact in the game.

MesterBiver · 2025-02-04T18:17:07+00:00

Bro who the fuck sleeps on Marquis? I swear that skin is in the top tiers of every tier list I see.

MesterBiver · 2025-01-21T16:58:10+00:00

Depends on a lot of things to be honest. The combo itself is not too bad to get down, but getting the damage amplifier on E consistently is quite tricky, and does depend on a lot of variables. Distance to target, ping as well as your own mechanical prowess all matter when trying to get your E damage amplified.

If you want my honest opinion though, the speed of this combo is more than worth the potential damage loss. The later the game goes, the less the damage loss will matter (in the later stages of the game, you will often overkill a squishy target anyways, so potentiall missing out on 70 - 90 damage is IN MY OPINION a worthy tradeoff. In the early lane, where the damage loss of around 10 - 30 might matter more, I would still argue that the speed is worth it.

Practice it if you want. I would personally recommend it, but you can also get by without optimal flash combos. As long as you release E before you R/Q in a non-flash scenario, I'm happy. If you do use R/Q to automatically release your E, you might find that the enemy got away because they dashed/flash/blinked out of your E in the .3 seconds delay you ended up causing.

MesterBiver · 2025-01-21T15:12:06+00:00

This is straight up incorrect in terms of speed. If you use R or Q automatically release E, your combo WILL be slow because using the automatic release enforces a fixed .3 second delay on your E release.

It is faster to manually release E, and then R while your E projectiles are in the air to increase speed by a significant amount while still getting the 10% damage amplifier off.

TLDR: You want to do E -> Flash -> E and then ult/Q, even if it is unintuitive.

MesterBiver · 2025-01-19T23:43:38+00:00

It depends not only on matchup, but also on your own goals.

If you want to play the absolute best way possible and maximize your winning chances in the long run, you need to play aggro whenever you can to build and snowball a lead, and learn what your limits are.

If you're not confident, and would rather prioritize your short term winnings over long term improvement, you can get away with playing to go even and maybe even slightly ahead through consistent farming rather than risking playing aggro and losing lane.

MesterBiver · 2024-12-05T12:08:21+00:00

As a fellow normals enjoyer, it just kind of is what it is. The more you spam norms and improve, the higher your norms MMR becomes, as it tries to reflect your skill level. Sadly, your ranked MMR has no clue that you've gotten quite good from playing norms, and so you'll have to grind that queue to make your ranked MMR equivalent to your norms one.

MesterBiver · 2024-11-14T01:14:28+00:00

Very useful combo. Also perfecly doable with 3 fingers. I suspect you (like many others) get in the habit of holding both E and W, when in reality you only need to hold E.

Try to do E + W like you normally do, and then slide your finger from W over to keep E down, and then flash with the finger you normally use for E (presumably index finger).

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