Bard is a unique playmaking champion who can play in the Duo Lane as a support. He's one of the most versatile and powerful roaming supports. With his pick potential and utility, he has one of the highest carry potential in the game and can make a huge difference in teamfights. However, one misplaced Tempered Fate and you could lose the fight, so timing and aiming your abilities is crucial.
During the game, Chimes will spawn around the map. When Bard collects these chimes, he'll gain bonuses including: out of combat movement speed, experience and restoring some of his mana.
Meeps: Bard summons a meep that follows him every few seconds. Meeps empower Bard's basic attacks and grant additional effects based on the number of Chimes collected, such as slowing enemies and dealing area of effect damage. Collecting Chimes also increases the maximum amount of meeps that follow Bard and increases the slow effect.
Traveler's Call is a core part of Bard's kit; collecting Chimes is crucial to you being able to roam and carry during the game. Missing out on collecting Chimes will mean you miss out on a lot of damage.
Bard fires a straight line skillshot, dealing magic damage to the first enemy hit and slowing them for a second. The bolt then continues onward for a short distance. If it hits a second enemy or a wall, both enemies are stunned. If a second enemy is struck, the bolt also deals the same damage.
Cosmic Binding works on Minions, Monsters and Objectives, so you can use this to your advantage to stun enemy champions throughout the game.
Bard creates a Health Shrine that grows and powers up to max efficiency after 5 seconds, granting Movement Speed and restoring Health based on how long the Shrine has been able to grow.
There are two different ways you can use Caretaker's Shrine. The first is by placing the Health Shrine behind you in a safe position, waiting for it to grow to max efficiency, then collecting for the full heal amount. This is best used during the laning phase to help you and your marksman recover to full health. Or you can place it below you or an ally for movement speed. This is super underrated and can help a lot in teamfights, especially when engaging.
Bard opens a one-way corridor through nearby terrain for a few seconds. Both allied and enemy champions nearby can use the corridor. Allies will travel 50% faster than enemies.
Magical Journey is one of Bard's strongest tools. It can be used to engage and flank enemy champions or used to escape danger. When you travel through the corridor and an enemy follows you, Bard can use Cosmic Binding to stun enemies against that terrain to help when trying to escape.
Bard hurls a huge aoe projectile, placing all units and structures within into stasis for a few seconds. While in stasis, they are invulnerable, untargetable and unable to act. This affects turrets, minions, monsters, champions and even objectives.
This is Bard's make-or-break ability. You use Tempered Fate at the start of a teamfight to try to stun enemy champions. When timed correctly, as soon as enemies come out of stasis, you'll be able to use Cosmic Binding to stun enemies further, making it easier for your team to follow up and kill them. However, when missing this ultimate or using it on an allied champion by accident, you could lose the game.
Liandry's Torment increases Bard's damage from his auto attacks and Cosmic Binding so that you can be more of a carry in teamfights. This is especially good when vs Tanks.
Imperial Mandate synergizes well with Cosmic Binding and your auto attacks once you have collected 3 chimes (which will only take you a few minutes into the game), increasing your overall damage when you slow enemies.
Crown of the Shattered Queen provides a spell shield that will block the next enemy ability. This can be crucial when looking to engage with Tempered Fate and Magical Journey since you'll sometimes be the first champion the enemies will see.
For runes we have the following:
Electrocute has a unique interaction with Bard's Meeps. When auto-attacking, if Bard has a Meep following him, it will count as 2 stacks towards Electrocute, so all you'll need to do is land Cosmic Binding or another auto attack to deal additional damage.
Scorch increases the damage from Cosmic Binding, giving Bard more power throughout the game.
Empowered Attack increases Bard's auto attack damage every few seconds, which will significantly increase your damage output, especially when you can collect some Chimes.
When playing in the Duo Lane, everyone puts wards in the lane or in the river. So you can start with Sweeper and look to clear these wards early on to gain Ability Power. You can also clear wards when you are roaming, collecting your Chimes, and helping other lanes.
Since Bard is a very squishy champion that is at the forefront of engages, the enemy team will look to focus you to try and take you down. With Bone Plating, you'll take less damage to help keep you alive.
Bard is one of the strongest Level 1 champions in the game. With your auto attacks, Electrocute and Cosmic Binding, you can win any trade early on and put enemies to half health before the minions arrive.
After Level 1, you become a lot weaker when enemies have access to other abilities, since outside of Cosmic Binding, your other abilities don't help you a lot when trading early on.
Caretaker's Shrine is best used behind your tower so you or your marksman can get additional healing on top of the fruit. Be sure to roam and collect Chimes in the early game, as the extra experience and mana restore can help you out a lot.
During the Late Game, you should always look to try to engage and pick enemies off with Bard's Tempered Fate. It's one of the strongest teamfight ultimates in the game that can win you a fight and can also be followed up with Tempered Fate to stun enemies, making it easier for your team to deal damage.
It is essential as a support that you stay with your team at all times and help them during teamfights. When you can't look for engages, peeling and keeping your carries alive is the most important task.
Bard is one of the most unique champions in the game. He's not a tank, he's not an enchanter, he's just a playmaking support that can make a huge difference in teamfights. Timing and laning your abilities will be the most important thing to master, and when you do, you'll be able to tell the difference and carry in your games.
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