How to win lane as Nautilus against Vladimir · 48.81% win rate (1,852 Emerald+ games, lolalytics, sampled July 2026) · Matchup data reviewed on patch 26.15
He’s AP — build MR, Q-hook his early.
Track: Vladimir's W — Sanguine Pool (28–16s cooldown). Dodges your CC. Bait it.
Read from Nautilus's seat: which stage windows this plan plays for against Vladimir.
This is Nautilus's own plan; across 1,852 pooled games the lane is leaning Vladimir.
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Even / skill | Vlad is a weak level-1, but so are you without W or E — deny his Q last-hits and set up your level-2 spike. |
| Level 2 | Nautilus | Your W or E plus passive root wins the short trade before he has Sanguine Pool to escape it. |
| Level 3 | Nautilus | Q-pull into passive root into E slow is a guaranteed chunk and he has no pool yet to dodge the lockdown. |
| Levels 4-5 | Even / skill | You hold a slight zoning edge with E and W shield, but his pool is starting to bail him out of your all-ins. |
| Level 6 | Nautilus | Depth Charge plus E slow locks an out-of-pool Vlad for the kill — your last clean window before his items. |
| First item | Vladimir | His first AP item turns his Q sustain and E poke into a heal engine that out-trades your flat tank damage. |
| Two+ items | Vladimir | Full-AP Vlad pools your Q and R, kites your no-dash body, and bursts your tank build — play safe and let your team handle him. |
Vlad is one of the weakest level-1s, but so are you without W or E — last-hit at range and don't throw Q into nothing. Your real window opens at 2-3: he has no Sanguine Pool yet, so a clean Q pull procs your passive root, and you chain E slow into W-charged auto burn before he can react. Punish every one of his Q last-hits in this no-pool window because once W is up he gets a get-out-of-jail button you cannot answer.
Pooled Emerald+ win rates from Nautilus's side, sampled July 2026.
The full Nautilus 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 — Nautilus wins 48.81% of 1,852 games; winnable with the right plan.
Mostly — Vladimir has a small statistical edge (51.19% win rate), but execution decides this lane far more than the pick does.
No — if anything Vladimir has the slight edge (Nautilus wins 48.81%), though it stays close.
Nautilus takes Grasp of the Undying on the Resolve tree with Demolish, Second Wind and Overgrowth, and Precision secondary (Triumph and Legend: Haste) vs Vladimir.
Start Doran's Shield + Health Potion and back for Executioner's Calling (≈800g) — cuts his healing. Build Iceborn Gauntlet (perma-slow chains) first, then Sunfire Aegis, with Mercury's Treads.
Playing the other side? Vladimir vs Nautilus guide →
All Nautilus top lane matchups →
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