How to win lane as Graves against Vladimir · 49.58% win rate (1,769 Emerald+ games, lolalytics, sampled July 2026) · Matchup data reviewed on patch 26.15
He pokes at range where your pellets scatter — close behind smoke and win the point-blank exchange.
Track: Vladimir's W — Sanguine Pool (28–16s cooldown). Untargetable dodge — bait it before you spend your kill window.
Read from Graves's seat: which stage windows this plan plays for against Vladimir.
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Even / skill | Vlad is a bottom-tier level-1 with only Transfusion, and so are you with one ability and no Quickdraw yet, so neither steps up — pure skill check on denying his last-hits. |
| Level 2 | Graves | Your E and second shell pattern come online and Vlad still has no escape or W point; E in for the point-blank spread and punish the pre-pool window — Graves owns it. |
| Level 3 | Graves | Full Q-E-W lets you E-weave the 4-shell spread, blank his sight with Smoke Screen so he loses you mid-Transfusion, and detonate End of the Line before Sanguine Pool is up — Graves's peak. |
| Levels 4-5 | Even / skill | True Grit and a Quickdraw your autos keep refreshing still beat a pre-Rylai Vlad if you pin him, but Transfusion is scaling and he respects the dash now — a skill window, not a kill. |
| Level 6 | Graves | Collateral Damage can catch him mid-Transfusion before he commits a W point, so the level-6 all-in is genuinely Graves-favoured if you bait the pool first. |
| First item | Vladimir | Once Sanguine Pool and his first AP item are online, the pool makes a whiffed R dead weight and his E poke out-ranges your spread — the lane tips to Vladimir. |
| Two+ items | Vladimir | Full-AP Vlad pools your burst, drains through your magazine, and his health-amplified AP ignores your armor-and-MR stacking — he out-scales you outright into Vladimir's game. |
Vlad is one of the worst level-1s in the game and you're not much better — one ability, no Quickdraw yet — so the lane opens slow; deny his Transfusion last-hits and don't burn your dash chasing a single CS. The real prize is Levels 2-3: he has no escape and likely no W point yet, so E in, dump the point-blank 4-shell spread, and detonate End of the Line on him. Tides of Blood costs him his own health and is item-less AP right now, so this 2-3 window is where you build your lead before Sanguine Pool is ever a factor.
Pooled Emerald+ win rates from Graves's side, sampled July 2026.
The full Graves 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.
Read the full guide — plans from $1.99/month →🔒 Secure checkout · 💰 7-day money-back guarantee on your first payment · ✋ Cancel anytime
Lane Pass $1.99/mo · All Lanes $3.99/mo · Annual $24.99/yr. Renews automatically — cancel anytime.
Nobody on paper — a 49.58% win rate over 1,769 games makes this a coin flip decided by play, not champion select.
Yes — Graves vs Vladimir is a genuine skill matchup: 49.58% win rate, and the favour swings window to window rather than being set at champion select.
No hard counter either way — the Graves vs Vladimir win rate is 49.58%, an even lane decided by execution.
Graves takes Fleet Footwork on the Precision tree with Triumph, Legend: Alacrity and Coup de Grace, and Resolve secondary (Second Wind and Bone Plating) vs Vladimir.
Start Doran's Blade + 1 Health Potion and back for Executioner's Calling (≈800g) — cuts his healing. Build Eclipse / Hubris first, then The Collector, with Mercury's Treads.
Playing the other side? Vladimir vs Graves guide →
All Graves top lane matchups →
More Graves top lane matchups: vs Tryndamere · vs Urgot · vs Vayne · vs Volibear · vs Warwick · vs Wukong