How to win lane as Akshan against Vladimir · 37.5% win rate over 64 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Even / skill | Vlad has one of the weakest level 1s — but so do you with only Q and a single passive shot, so just deny his Q farm and set up your 2-3 spike. |
| Level 2 | Akshan | At 2 your double-shot passive plus Q boomerang chips a pool-less, item-less Vlad who can't drain it back or punish your range yet. |
| Level 3 | Akshan | At 3 Heroic Swing adds poke and an all-in — burst him before pool, since Sanguine Pool is his only out and it isn't online. |
| Levels 4-5 | Vladimir | Once Sanguine Pool (W) is up, Vlad goes untargetable through your E and R on reaction, then his Q drain heals back everything you chipped. |
| Level 6 | Vladimir | His R Hemoplague plus pool flips your all-in entirely — he phases your committed cooldowns and resurfaces healed and amplified. |
| First item | Vladimir | Even your Youmuu's lethality spike can't land the R execute through Sanguine Pool, and he outsustains your Q poke into his Rylai's timing. |
| Two+ items | Vladimir | Full-AP 2+ item Vlad is unkillable for lethality — he pools your one-shot R, kites your Q with Rylai's, and Hemoplague-bursts your no-defense frame. |
Vlad's level 1 is genuinely weak, and so is yours with just Q and one passive shot — so contest the wave and deny his Q last-hits to set the lane behind. Your real window is 2-3: the double-shot passive plus Q boomerang lets you chip a Vlad who has no pool yet, no AP item, and can't fully drain it back. Land Q on the way out and back, cancel the passive shot for the move speed, and keep him off his E (Tides of Blood) poke — but watch your mana, because once a trade goes long his Q drain heals through all of it.
The full Akshan 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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Playing the other side? Vladimir vs Akshan guide →
All Akshan top lane matchups →
Also played in: Mid Lane