Summary
Itemization
Since Bard is a support entirely oriented towards roaming and moving around the map, we opt for items that increase movement speed and improve the efficiency of ganks such as Twin Shadows. Redemption greatly increases your efficiency in teamfights and synergizes quite perfectly with your ultimate.
Redemption vs Twin Shadows
Are team fights a problem? Take Redemption to increase your team's skirmishing effectiveness.
Take Twin Shadows if you would rather continue to roam around the map and increase the efficiency of your ganks in the other lanes.
How to Play Bard
At the beginning of the game, Bard is a great threat to his opponents thanks to Q - Cosmic Binding and his basic attacks accompanied by Meeps. These three things together can activate the Electrocute rune with disconcerting ease and inflict very heavy damage on fragile targets.
- Level 1: Use Q - Cosmic Binding the moment the opponent ADC last hits a minion in order to touch him and thus stun him. If you hit your target and the opponent is under control, take the opportunity to land a basic attack and apply Electrocute.
- Level 2: Feel free to set up W - Caretaker's Shrine around your turret. They remain indefinitely, but you can only have 3 down at once. Having one or two sanctuaries at all times can be very useful in your trades with opponents.
Mid-Game
Bard's real strength lies in his ability to roam (move between lanes). This is all the truer because the runes and objects we recommend amplify the impact of roaming.
Wait for the right time to gank the enemy mid laner. Don't forget to use pings to communicate with your ADC that you are roaming, so they play more defensively in your absence!
Mid-to-Late Game
Playing Bard can be particularly difficult in the late game, especially because you have full responsibility for the engagement and outcome of team fights.
For a team fight to be successful, you must use all of your tools to engage your opponents. With R - Tempered Fate, E - Magical Journey to quickly pass through walls and the active ability of Shurelya's Reverie , you have all the tools in hand for your team to land on each of member of the enemy team before they can return to their original positions.
Match-Ups
Tips & Tricks
- E - Magical Journey can allow you to open a path through very large or long walls, allowing you to reconsider travel options and possibly navigate between Control Wards to take the enemy team by surprise.
- Be sure that Q - Cosmic Binding hits a second enemy or a wall to stun instead of just slowing.
- Place W - Caretaker's Shrine slightly back so that no enemy can destroy it by walking on it. In addition, it is a spell that gives your allies a slight bonus in movement speed, enough to make it easier for your jungler to gank.
- Magical Chimes remain for 10 minutes before disappearing and give Bard a significant experience advantage at the beginning of the game. In addition, they restore part of your mana, proportional to the amount you are missing, and offer you a 7-second out-of-combat movement speed bonus. This can be stacked 5 times.
- Each time you recover five chimes, a Meep will come to assist Bard by significantly increasing the damage of his next attack.
- Remember that Redemption can be used even if you are dead. Feel free to use it with your ultimate so that the two can follow each other effectively.
