How to win lane as Locke against Vladimir · 45.48% win rate (1,117 Emerald+ games, lolalytics, sampled July 2026) · Matchup data reviewed on patch 26.15
A poke war you enter at 125 range — pay the toll early, then one blink turns his kite into a coffin the moment the nails land.
Track: Vladimir's W — Sanguine Pool (28–16s cooldown). Untargetable dodge — bait it before you spend your kill window.
Read from Locke's seat: which stage windows this plan plays for against Vladimir.
| 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 Sanguine Pool erases any mistimed all-in — it is 28 seconds at rank 1, so bait it and the lane is yours for half a minute. Don't let your W self-damage leave you low into his Q harass while he's healthy.
Pooled Emerald+ win rates from Locke's side, sampled July 2026.
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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Vladimir, slightly — Locke wins 45.48% of 1,117 games; winnable with the right plan.
Mostly — Vladimir has a small statistical edge (54.52% win rate), but execution decides this lane far more than the pick does.
No — if anything Vladimir has the slight edge (Locke wins 45.48%), though it stays close.
Locke runs Electrocute · Sudden Impact · Sixth Sense · Ultimate Hunter · Bone Plating · Second Wind vs Vladimir.
Start Doran's Ring + 2 Health Potions and back for Oblivion Orb (≈800g) — sustain drags them back above your floor. Build Lich Bane first, then Shadowflame / Zhonya's (vs dive), with Mercury's Treads.
Playing the other side? Vladimir vs Locke guide →
All Locke top lane matchups →
More Locke top lane matchups: vs Tryndamere · vs Urgot · vs Vayne · vs Volibear · vs Warwick · vs Wukong
Also played in: Mid Lane