Vladimir mains, arise! What are the cores of our Champion?

So the Brand Direction Dev Thread came out a couple of days ago, and it invigorates me to see the Burning Vengeance's fans pitch in and try to recreate their Champion in collaboration with Riot.

I absolutely cannot wait for the Vlad Thread to come out and put my own ideas forth, as well as see what everyone else has in mind for our Crimson Reaper.

However, before that happens I want to try to...pool our efforts, and create a cohesive, as-singular-as-possible definition for where we want Riot to change our Champion, and where we're okay with them experimenting and changing.

So, here I want to brainstorm and store our potential definitions that we collectively put forward. What do we feel is essential in remaining in order to keep Vladimir, Vladimir.

Personally, here's what I think makes up the core of Vlad on a primary level:

• Sustain without mana, or better; Endless Sustain. Without any question, this is what separates Vladimir from other mages that also possess high-level sustain such as and . The way his sustain currently works is that since it's balanced around its rapidly decreasing CD as you level it, it starts shitty and finishes spectacular. This needs to remain, the fact that over a long, drawn out fight he should always prevail by virtue of keeping his health topped up. Note: what I do not want is current-Soraka levels of ludicrous healing or for his sustain to be totally free (it absolutely shouldnt be), what I want is consistent healing that doesnt outperform, but outlasts healing that's reliant on mana.

• Being a Juggernaut-Mage, and the versatility it offers. This train of thought stems entirely from his current passive: Crimson Pact (HP->AP and AP->HP). I understand how Riot might not like his current passive since it's a) free stats and b) requires knowledge that can't be learned in-game to fully understand the mechanic. However, it provides him with tremendous versatility in build paths. Almost every Vladimir accepts that is the core of Vladimir from an itemization standpoint. However, after that, as long as it has AP and/or HP, you can build whatever you want and find success if your Vladimechanics are up to scratch. I've found success with hyper-AP builds, I've found success with WotA-full tank builds, and I've found success with (personally my favourite) a mix of both ( and or ).

These are the two things I really hope Riot maintains in some way or another in Vlad. He isnt just tanky by virtue of his build path, but also because his kit amplifies his tankiness and damage with each other, and because he heals at a rate that almost doubles his effective health bar over long, drawn out fights (hello ).

On a secondary level, these are core aspects of Vladimir that I would like to see remain, but wouldnt be disappointed or crushed if they were removed or heavily tweaked:

• Sanguine Pool, the Puddles will Run Red. This is 90% of where Vladimir's playmaking ability comes from; baiting out abilities, tower diving, dodging or simply soaking up health and providing a not-bad AoE slow for his teammates. Untargetability is a powerful tool in this game; though not as relatively strong as it once may have been due to all the accessible untargetability ( and anti-death ) that has been recently added. I like this ability, I like it very much and I feel that it's the closest thing Vladimir has to significant decisions (since Q and E are on a negligible cooldown once your first couple of items are done). I hope that some iteration of this ability - the ability that some would argue is the most iconic part of Vladimir - remains. On a side note; this is part of his Juggernaut-Mage-y-ness, as he can spam EQ in fights then drop into Pool when it gets hairy for him and slurp up some health back before re-entering the fray. Think of it like a for a Mage, but on an ability.

• Damage Amplification, Noxian %HP True Damage. The sub-title is in reference to the fact that (off the top of my head, if I'm wrong please, please correct me) only Noxian Champions seem to have direct %HP damage amps ( and ) - and I feel it should be a counter to the theme that all %HP true damage in the game is Demacian ( and ). Other than the fact that by design, Vladimir's ultimate would better suit a burst mage with a high-damage basic skill rotation, %HP damage amp would be excellent on sustained damage Champions. Remember that Deathfire Grasp was originally conceived to help kill tanks with the %damage amp (then it was abused to burst squishies even harder), and the implementation of a damage amp on Swain (a decidedly sustained damage Champion) is both well done, and the only non-Ravenous Flock part of him that I want to remain in his update. Again, I want this to stay, but wouldnt be crushed if it were to go.

So, there it is, my personal feelings on the matter. I will attempt to compile the other cores of Vladimir that you all put forth below, along with my own:

• Endless Sustain (beatable in burst, unbeatable in drawn-out battles)
• Juggernaut-Mage/Mage-Tank
• Sanguine Pool
• %Damage Amplification
• AoE Damage - thanks Voluug13
• Health as a Resource - thanks TheSlogs (at the moment, his health costs are ignorable once you get Spell Vamp, this should change, especially in the early game)
• An idea suggested by Narasimha; Vlad's damage and stats scale with his current health, with more making him stronger and less making him weaker.
• PickleBabah - Make his laning less dull ("dead farm lanes") and more interactive.
• Fateborn's Blood Sphere - a -esque shield that grants Vladimir up to 1000 hp if he keeps it topped up, replacing the free stats of Crimson Pact with battle-earned ones.
• Targeted Abilities/Reliability in the Skillshot/Bullet-Hell of Midlane - thanks VaynexVlad OTP!
• Retain Mechanical Simplicity and ultimate lategame power, paid for by an absolutely awful earlygame - thanks BiscuitWitch

I look forward to your contributions , and let the rivers run red.