How to win lane as Mel against Vladimir · 45.45% win rate over 11 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Even / skill | Vlad is one of the weakest level-1s, but so are you with one ability — deny his Q last-hits and set up your level-2 power spike. |
| Level 2 | Mel | Solar Snare's root plus Radiant Volley lets you land a guaranteed punish on a Vlad who steps up, before his W pool is ranked to save him. |
| Level 3 | Mel | With Q, E and W online you out-poke and out-trade a pre-item Vlad — root, chunk, and bait his pool so its long cooldown is up when you commit. |
| Levels 4-5 | Even / skill | It's a coin-flip stretch: you still out-poke him, but his Q drain and passive heal claw back your chip if you can't land a clean E-Q. |
| Level 6 | Mel | Golden Eclipse detonates your stacked Overwhelm for real burst — bait Sanguine Pool first, then ult, because the pool dodges the execute outright. |
| First item | Even / skill | Your mana-and-AP first-item spike lets you chain pokes and detonations freely while he's still one item from his own power tier — force it now. |
| Two+ items | Vladimir | He out-scales hard: two-item Vlad out-sustains your poke, pools every targeted spell, and bursts your fragile body — play safe and let your team deal with him. |
Vlad is one of the weakest level-1s in the game, but my early presence is real and I can punish him. Levels 2-3 are my window: once Solar Snare (E) is up I root him the second he steps into the wave to last-hit, then Radiant Volley (Q) chunks him and stacks Overwhelm while his Sanguine Pool (W) is still too low-rank and high-cooldown to save him every time. Watch his mana — a pooling Vlad has to commit to it, so bait the pool with a fake step-up, then land the real E-Q. Don't dump everything into a Vlad who's already pooled; the untargetable window eats my root and my stacks for free.
The full Mel 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.
Become a Founding Member — $1.99/month →🔒 Secure checkout · 💰 7-day money-back guarantee · ✋ Cancel anytime
Early Access price — $3.99/month for new members after launch.
Playing the other side? Vladimir vs Mel guide →
All Mel top lane matchups →
Also played in: Mid Lane