Vladimir is not hard to play
Before I go on, I would like to tell you guys I am a noob. I have to play twice as many games to climb than the average person and learned the game very slowly, only by my mistakes.
Putting this aside, people need to stop the misconception that Vladimir is hard to play. He is not, and probably one of the best champions to escape low Elo's with. Even though Annie is everyone's favorite in low silver and bronze.
However, I will admit he is a champion that takes awhile to get used to. He awards players that have patience rather than champions that fit the more aggressive play style, champions like Yasuo.
Timing and coordination are also fundamental to winning. If you can plan your moves accordingly, he can get easy kills with virtually 0 risk unlike high risk and high reward champions like Annie.