Aurora vs Vladimir — Top Lane Matchup Guide

How to win lane as Aurora against Vladimir · 40.94% win rate over 127 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27

Verdict: Vladimir is favoured — Vladimir owns 3 of the 7 game windows to Aurora's 2. Play it patient and win your windows. Aurora wins 40.94% of games vs Vladimir in top lane (127 Emerald+ games analysed).

Favour timeline — who owns each window

StageFavouredWhy
Level 1Even / skillVlad has one of the weakest level-1s, but so do you — a single-spell mage with no escape until W, so deny his Q last-hits and set up your level 2 instead of forcing a fight you can't disengage.
Level 2AuroraWith Q curse-recast plus E slow online you out-poke a pre-drain Vlad, and your passive spirits heal the chip he can't yet sustain back.
Level 3AuroraYour Q double-hit and E chip still beat his early Q drain — keep every Q clean so the spirit heal stays ahead of his sustain before it scales.
Levels 4-5Even / skillAt 4-5 your poke and W reset line up, but his Q drain blunts any trade you misfire — it's a coin-flip, not a clear lead.
Level 6VladimirThe instant you commit your R-rift and Q burst, Sanguine Pool makes him untargetable so it all hits nothing and he heals inside the rift — bait the pool first or waste the all-in.
First itemVladimirRiftmaker and Rylai's turn his Q into permanent sustain — your spirit-poke stops netting health and his E slow zones you off the wave.
Two+ itemsVladimirFull-AP Vlad pools your committed burst, Zhonya's eats the follow-up, and his empowered Q out-heals your poke — your single leap is the only escape, so play safe and let your team handle him.

Early game (levels 1–5)

Vlad has one of the weakest level-1s in the game, but you are a single-spell mage with no escape until W comes up, so concede level 1, deny his Q last-hits, and set up your level 2. Your real window opens at 2-3: land Q to curse him, recast to drag it back for the second hit, and weave E for the slow-and-hop chip while your passive spirits heal whatever he trades back. The catch is short — once his Q drain is online it heals most of your poke straight back, so every Q has to land clean and you have to respect that you have no second escape if he steps up.

Read the rest of this matchup

The full Aurora 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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Related guides

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

Also played in: Mid Lane