How to win lane as Karma against Vladimir · 48.19% win rate (4,262 Emerald+ games, lolalytics, sampled July 2026) · Matchup data reviewed on patch 26.15
You own the first ten minutes against scalers — RQ the lane into submission before his items vote.
Track: Vladimir's W — Sanguine Pool (28–16s cooldown). Untargetable dodge — bait it before you spend your kill window.
Read from Karma's seat: which stage windows this plan plays for against Vladimir.
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Karma | Karma's poke and shield dominate lane while Vladimir has no early combo threat |
| Level 2 | Karma | Same dynamic continues as Vladimir is still farming for scaling, not fighting |
| Level 3 | Karma | Karma's poke and shield still win exchanges through this window |
| Levels 4-5 | Even / skill | Karma's completed item spike lets poke output outpace Vladimir's HP-cost scaling |
| Level 6 | Vladimir | Vladimir's Hemoplague and Pool combo create a real all-in threat that favors him at 6 |
| First item | Vladimir | Vladimir's first item and Crimson Pact turn your poke into health he out-sustains |
| Two+ items | Vladimir | A scaled Vladimir's Hemoplague reset damage in teamfights outweighs Karma's shield mitigation |
Vladimir is a farming champion before his combo comes online — his healing sustain is passive-based and doesn't offset your consistent poke, so Inner Flame and Inspire let you win the exchanges and zone him off CS through level 5. Track Vladimir Sanguine Pool: 28s at rank 1, 16s maxed, 2 seconds untargetable — bait it, then spend your kill window. Vladimir has no burst before Crimson Pact scales and Sanguine Pool is 28 seconds at rank 1, so Inner Flame at 950 and the Inspire shield let you outtrade him and deny him safe farm.
Pooled Emerald+ win rates from Karma's side, sampled July 2026.
The full Karma vs Vladimir report continues with the mid-game plan, the late-game and teamfight plan, every power spike to play around, and the win conditions for both sides — plus cooldown tracking and the live enemy-jungle tracker inside the app.
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Vladimir, slightly — Karma wins 48.19% of 4,262 games; winnable with the right plan.
Mostly — Vladimir has a small statistical edge (51.81% win rate), but execution decides this lane far more than the pick does.
No — if anything Vladimir has the slight edge (Karma wins 48.19%), though it stays close.
Karma takes Arcane Comet on the Sorcery tree with Manaflow Band, Transcendence and Scorch, and Inspiration secondary (Biscuit Delivery and Cosmic Insight) vs Vladimir.
Start Doran's Ring + 2 Health Potions and back for Oblivion Orb (≈800g) — cuts his sustain. Build Blackfire Torch first, then Shadowflame, with Sorcerer's Shoes / Mercury's Treads.
Playing the other side? Vladimir vs Karma guide →
All Karma mid lane matchups →
More Karma mid lane matchups: vs Veigar · vs Vex · vs Viktor · vs Xerath · vs Yasuo · vs Yone
Also played in: Top Lane