How to win lane as Graves against Vladimir · 35.71% win rate over 42 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Even / skill | Vlad is a bottom-tier level-1 with only Transfusion, but so are you with one ability and no E dash charges, 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, blind a key Transfusion-recovery auto with Smoke Screen, and detonate End of the Line before Sanguine Pool is reliably up — Graves's peak. |
| Levels 4-5 | Even / skill | True Grit and E charges still beat a pre-Rylai Vlad if you pin him, but his Transfusion heal is scaling and he respects your dash now — a skill window, not a free 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 E charges 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's cone on him. His E poke (Tides of Blood) is item-less AP right now and can't out-DPS your sustained short-range burst, so this 2-3 window is where you build your lead before Sanguine Pool is ever a factor.
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.
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Playing the other side? Vladimir vs Graves guide →
All Graves top lane matchups →