How to win lane as Locke against Vladimir · 45.48% win rate over 1,117 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Even / skill | Even skill lane: your burst and his Pool cancel out at level 1. |
| Level 2 | Even / skill | Trades stay balanced around Pool and Transfusion cooldowns at 2. |
| Level 3 | Even / skill | Level 3 remains a skill fight over baiting his escapes. |
| Levels 4-5 | Even / skill | Neither pulls clearly ahead through levels 4-5. |
| Level 6 | Even / skill | At 6 his untargetable Pool trades evenly against your execute. |
| First item | Even / skill | First item stays close but his sustain begins clawing back. |
| Two+ items | Vladimir | Late, his drains and Hemoplague amp outscale your burst. |
Early is a genuine skill matchup decided by who respects cooldowns. Your Q-nail poke and W spike can punish Vladimir's flimsy early base stats, but his Sanguine Pool erases any all-in you mistime, so bait it out before you E in. Trade when his Transfusion is on cooldown and his Pool is down. Don't let your W self-damage leave you low into his Q harass while he's healthy.
The full Locke 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 Locke guide →
All Locke top lane matchups →
Also played in: Mid Lane