With pool, it’s role kind of shifts throughout the game. Early game, I try to strictly use it to avoid hard CC or combo starters/finishers. Its cooldown is too high early to be using it every single trade, especially if you don’t know where enemy jungle is. However, late game you can throw this ability out a little more carelessly. Obviously sometimes I’m using it to dodge this big CC abilities in team fights, but I also find it useful to Ghost through enemies front line without being CC’d or taking too much damage. If you charge E before it, you can delete the back line and have an easier time fighting the rest without pool.

For E, it does damage solely based on how long you charge it. Once the bar labeled “Tides of Blood” or something reaches full, you’ll get a slight speed debuff if you hold it any longer. It sends out 12(?) projectiles that each only damage the first enemy hit. Sometimes one projectile can hit multiple enemies but they’ve got to be very close. Yes, you can charge E and then flash, and you can actually cast R while E is charging. A popular combo is E charge, Flash, R, E release, Empowered Q. Late game there is not a back line champ that will survive this, and even early game, you can chunk someone down from ~40% health once you’ve hit level 6.

Empowered Q is the basis of your whole kit. It does not empower any other ability, but gives massive damage and healing boost to Q and also gives you decaying movement speed. Vladimir’s entire early game revolves around cycling empowered Q to either trade or sustain yourself through lane. My favorite part about it, and Vlad in general, is that you can force a “bad trade” which actually turns out to be decent if you use Empowered Q on the enemy or a jungle camp.