Akali vs Vladimir — Top Lane Matchup Guide

How to win lane as Akali against Vladimir · 51.47% win rate over 1,061 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27

Verdict: Akali is favoured — Akali owns 3 of the 7 game windows to Vladimir's 1. Akali wins 51.47% of games vs Vladimir in top lane (1,061 Emerald+ games analysed).

Favour timeline — who owns each window

StageFavouredWhy
Level 1Even / skillVlad is one of the weakest early laners, but so are you with only Q and no Shroud yet — deny his Transfusion last-hits and set up the lane instead of fighting.
Level 2Even / skillHe still has no dash and you have no Shroud, so trade carefully with Q range and sidestep his E poke as it charges — it's genuinely even at 2.
Level 3AkaliWith Q, E and your Assassin's Mark passive you out-burst a poolless Vlad — E-in for the empowered auto, then back off before his Q heal stacks.
Levels 4-5Even / skillShroud lets you reset trades and dodge his E poke, but a Transfusion-healing Vlad out-sustains your energy-gated rotation — it's genuinely even here.
Level 6AkaliR is a gap-closer plus a missing-HP execute — bait the pool with Shroud, then commit cast one and re-dash cast two before he can go untargetable.
First itemAkaliYour Rocketbelt/Lich Bane spike drops a Rylai-less Vlad in one rotation before his Q and W heals stabilize him — close the lane now.
Two+ itemsVladimirHe hard-outscales you — a Rylai's + Liandry's Vlad heals through your burst and pools your R untargetable, so play safe and let your team handle him.

Early game (levels 1–5)

Both of you are weak at level 1 — Vlad has one of the worst early laning phases in the game, but you only have Q (Five Point Strike) with no Shroud or sustain yet, so don't force a fight. Deny his Transfusion (Q) last-hits with your kunai range and sidestep his E (Tides of Blood) — that ground poke charges up before it detonates, so walk out of the wind-up instead of eating it. He has no dash escape and his Sanguine Pool (W) is on a long early cooldown, so once you hit 3 with your Assassin's Mark passive running you can punish a greedy E with a quick E-in trade.

Read the rest of this matchup

The full Akali 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.

Become a Founding Member — $1.99/month →

🔒 Secure checkout · 💰 7-day money-back guarantee · ✋ Cancel anytime
Early Access price — $3.99/month for new members after launch.

Related guides

Playing the other side? Vladimir vs Akali guide →
All Akali top lane matchups →

Also played in: Mid Lane