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Bard Build Guide by Whobick

[8.6] Whobick's Detailed Bard Support Guide!

[8.6] Whobick's Detailed Bard Support Guide!

Updated on April 11, 2018
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League of Legends Build Guide Author Whobick Build Guide By Whobick 59,324 Views 6 Comments
59,324 Views 6 Comments League of Legends Build Guide Author Whobick Bard Build Guide By Whobick Updated on April 11, 2018
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TABLE OF CONTENTS




Information about me and my gameplay!

Lore along with the champion spotlight!

A list of things good and bad about the champion!

Information about summoner spells!

Information about the items bought in this guide!

Information on all abilities and reasoning behind the leveling order!

Information on supporting, along with techniques!

Tips and tricks that you can use while playing!

An explanation of your job during a team-fight!


Where credit needs to be given!









Hey! I'm Whobick - Old In-Game (New In-Game is MuLTiKaiSeR). I currently have Mastery 7 for Bard. I know how to play Bard extremely well, in many different positions. I focus on support Bard! In my opinion, Bard is the best support in the game due to his strong kit and insane amount of outplay and juke abilities! I make banners and signatures for others for free, so If you like my guide art, please contact me and I can make you some too!

Other champions I play support: Blitzcrank, Veigar, Cassiopeia, Kayle, Soraka, Lulu, Morgana, Zilean, and Draven (LOL yes I know).

If you really want to get good with Bard, check out my sponsor! I got to Plat 1 in Season 5 using Summoner School's guide so I asked them to sponsor me and they did! I recommended!!!





Currently I have the top Olaf Guide on MobaFire!



Currently I have the top Evelynn Guide on MobaFire!



Check out my website! Click the picture below!





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Lore


Bard travels through realms beyond the imagination of mortal beings. Some of Valoran's greatest scholars have spent their lives trying to understand the mysteries he embodies. This enigmatic spirit has been given many names throughout the history of Valoran, but titles such as Cosmic Vagabond and Great Caretaker only capture a fleeting aspect of his true purpose. When the unknowable structure of the universe is threatened, Bard steers all existence away from utter annihilation.







Champion Spotlight





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Pros:


-Broken Cosmic Binding (Q) and Magical Journey (E) cooldown! You can juke for days!

-Heals that speed up, Autos that slow, Cosmic Bindings (Q) that slow and stun, Magical Journeys (E) that allow you to fly through terrain, and Tempered Fate (R) that allows you to be invincible!

-Does a broken amount of damage early, and if played correctly can get your lane ahead and won by even 5 minutes. You can troll the jungler too with your roaming capabilities!

-Can roam so easily and ganks are a breeze with Magical Journey (E). You can also use Tempered Fate (R) on turrets for insane outplays.





Cons:


-Has no quick escape except when near walls.

-Cosmic Binding (Q) can be hard to hit if you are inexperienced and Tempered Fate (R) as well.

-Tempered Fate (R) makes everyone invincible so you can win and lose fights if you use it wrong.

-Caretaker’s Shrine (W) does very little healing compared to some other champions.


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Flash

I use Flash to either catch enemies, commit to a fight, or run. This can be used to catch someone by flashing towards them, then using Cosmic Binding (Q) to stun against minions or a wall or even to slow, Caretaker's Shrine (W) to speed up allies or heal, and then Magical Journey (E) to run out of that fight real quick. I use Flash while ganking a lane to quickly stun or slow someone. If the team is losing a fight, or I am being chased, Flash can be a terrible tool against enemies (in a good way). Just use Tempered Fate (R) and BAM!, Flash out of the range while they are all stunned! You can also juke by using Magical Journey (E) and then flashing back once they enter.







Ignite

Ignite is a given for me. Although many would argue that Exhaust is better, I tend to disagree with bard because you are so powerful with Cosmic Binding (Q). Ignite is unexpected in bot lane, so it makes for some great surprises during an early game fight. You can usually pick up a kill in the ADC can’t, and it is also OP when fighting against Swain and other champions that have insane amount of healing.


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Eye of the Watchers


Eye of the Watchers is a great item on Bard. The health that it gives you as well as the combination of 2 items leaving you an extra spot is awesome. You don’t really need the slow if you are good enough with Bard because you can guess Cosmic Binding (Q) and Tempered Fate (R). This item is great because you can just fly through the jungle collecting meeps and dropping wards. The states help overall, such as the 10% CDR and mana regen, so I prefer this item over Frost Queen's Claim.






Redemption


Redemption is PERFECT on Bard! This item comes in handy during so many situations. You can use it right after Tempered Fate (R) to heal allies the millisecond there are unfrozen, and injure enemies at the same time. It can also heal up your whole team after a team fight so you can fight Baron Nashor or push a lane. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve used Redemption to last hit fleeing enemies, heal my team during a team fight, and damage enemies being released from Tempered Fate (R). This item is just great because it gives Bard great stats and has a huge range and comes in handy.






Banshee's Veil


Banshee's Veil is an overall great item to give you some magic resist which makes you relatively tanky, especially after some AP buffs. This item also it great because of the passive. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been saved when someone dives on me with a leading stun. It is extremely effective and overall helps Bard get some tanky stats for fights, especially for those fed AP champions.






Frozen Heart


The CDR that this gives Bard along with the 400 mana allows you to spam Cosmic Binding's (Q) and Caretaker's Shrine (W). The 90 armor it gives you also helps you stay alive longer when you poke and troll with the enemy team. This item is great too because of the passive, which slows the attack speed of surrounding enemies. This is overall a great item on Bard and I try to get it most games even if they have mostly AP.






The rest of your build should depend on what the other team consists of. Many builds tell you exactly what to build, and most people follow that to a "T". This is why so many people don't do well with certain builds. You should build according to what the other team consists of to be successful. Building magic resist against AP champions and health and armor against AD champions can win you games. Be smart and don't be afraid to buy an item you think may or may not work just to try it!



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Ability Sequence
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18



I start with Cosmic Binding every game. This allows you to stun Red or Blue buff for the jungler as well as giving you some crazy damage and a possibility of stunning the enemies early for some poke. Try and max Cosmic Binding (Q) because the CDR that we build and the cooldown is BROKEN. You can spam this sucker all day. By the time they are un-stunned, you can use it again 1 second later. Caretaker's Shrine (W) is more used for the speed boost or a quick heal than a major heal. These babies don't do a lot so we max it last because we use it more for speeding others up or a quick heal early game. Magical Journey (E) is what we max 2nd because it speeds allies up in the portal and slows enemies down. This comes in handy when trying to escape, gank, or anything else you might use the portal for. The cooldown is EXTREMELY short so you can easily juke and outplay enemies by using Magical Journey (E) and then as they come through, turn around and use Cosmic Binding (Q). Upgrade Tempered Fate (R) whenever possible as the range increases and is just my favorite ult in the game.





Traveler’s Call (Passive)

Bard's presence causes magical chimes to appear, which grant Bard experience, mana, and a burst of speed. Additionally, lesser spirits follow Bard and aid in his attacks - collecting chimes causes these meeps to gain power over the course of the game.








Cosmic Binding (Q)
COST: 60 Mana RANGE: 25000

Bard fires a missile which will slow the first enemy struck, and continue onward. If it strikes a wall, it will stun the initial target; if it strikes another enemy, it will stun them both.

Bard fires an energy bolt, dealing 80/125/170/215/260 (+65% Ability Power) magic damage to one or two enemies. The first target hit will be slowed by 60% for 1/1.2/1.4/1.6/1.8 second(s).If the bolt hits another enemy or a wall, any enemies hit are stunned for 1/1.2/1.4/1.6/1.8 second(s).

CHIME BONUSES










Caretaker’s Shrine (W)
COST: 90 Mana RANGE: 800

Reveals a healing shrine which powers up over a short time, disappearing after healing the first ally that touches it.

Bard raises a health shrine that immediately offers 30/60/90/120/150 (+30% Ability Power) health, but restores up to 70/110/150/190/230 (+60% Ability Power) health as it gathers power for 10 seconds. The shrine's effect also grants 50% decaying movement speed for 1.5 seconds. Bard can have up to 3 shrines active at once, which remain until visited by an ally champion or crushed by an enemy champion.








Magical Journey (E)
COST: 30 Mana RANGE: 900

Bard opens a portal in nearby terrain. Allies and enemies alike can take a one-way trip through that terrain by moving into the portal.

Bard opens a one-way corridor through nearby terrain. Both allies and enemies can use the corridor by right-clicking on any part of it while near its entrance, with allies travelling 10/20/30/40/50% faster than enemies. The corridor disappears after 10 seconds.








Tempered Fate (R)
COST: 100 Mana RANGE: 3400

Bard sends spirit energy arcing to a location, putting all champions, minions, monsters, and turrets hit into stasis for a brief time.

Bard sends magical energy arcing to a target location. On impact, all champions, minions, monsters, and turrets in the target area are put in stasis, becoming invincible, untargetable, and unable to act for 2.5 seconds. Epic monsters are also put into stasis, despite normally being immune to disables.






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Bard's goal as a support is to troll the enemy team as much as possible. Bard does a huge amount of damage early game thanks to his meeps, so you can outplay your enemies or even roam into the enemy jungle and possible pick up red or blue buff as well as a kill. When starting the game, immediately try and get your 3 chimes. As you walk into lane, wait for the enemy ADC and then quickly run up and auto them. This first auto is empowered and also gives you some gold thanks to our runes and masteries. This does a large amount of damage and sets them a bit behind to start. Your goal bot lane is to set up ganks and stuns for your ADC so they can poke them down. Whenever you think you can hit a champion to stun, go for it and try. Cosmic Binding (Q) is bugged out, so you can hit some CRAZY stuns that might result in kills. You also wanna make sure to have 3 heals down. Try and spread said heals throughout the lane and not just behind turret. Many people just place the heals behind turret, which is extremely counter intuitive. Spread your heals in a line throughout the lane, so in the case that you get ganked, you or your ADC can run through the heals for a quick speed boost and heal. This can be a game changer for you, so make sure you spread those heals!




As well as placing heals for your ADC, and hitting stuns, you need to set up some ganks for them. Since we take Ignite, we usually can trade some crazy damage and win a 2v2. Try to get a wave built up and then Magical Journey (E) behind the enemies and throw a Cosmic Binding (Q) in hopes of hitting the stun. You can then place a heal for your carry so they can catch up and you can secure an easy kill.

Don't waste your ult! Use it wisely!!! YOU won't be good at using Tempered Fate (R) at first, but as you become more familiar with Bard, it was become a breeze to hit. There are so many uses for Tempered Fate (R)! You can ult your allies to save them from an ultimate or ignite. You can ult enemies to stop ults, or catch them in their tracks. You can use Magical Journey (E) and then use it right after so enemies that come through are stunned. This ult is amazing because it allows you to re-position yourself to hit Cosmic Binding (Q), allowing for an even longer stun. My favorite use for this is ulting a turret but not players under the turret. You can put the end of the ult on the turret and then place a Magical Journey (E) creating a clear path for your allies to kill enemies under the turret. This ult works perfectly with the items that we buy too because Redemption has a large range, so we can ult our team and the enemies, but use the item before we are stunned and then once we are released the enemies are damaged and we are healed (much like Kindred's ult). Bard's kit is AMAZING.




Last thing! USE YOUR MEEPS AND CHIMES EFFECTIVELY! Try and collect as many chimes as possible because it powers up your meeps, but don't just leave your ADC! Bard is a roaming support! Leave some of your chimes in the river or jungle so you can speed up and escape if you need! YOUR CHIMES GIVE YOU MANA! ABUSE THIS! So many Bard players don't take advantage of the fact that chimes give you mana. Place some heals down before you go out looking for chimes, as you will easily replenish the mana! Make sure to ping your ADC if you leave and make sure you don't leave when you are under tower. Leave when your lane is pushed or you are head. Try to get as many chimes as possible, and poke whenever a meep is up! It does a great amount of damage and you can easily push an enemy ADC out of lane with 2 or 3 hits with meeps.


These are suggested areas to ward when in bot lane!



These are suggested areas to ward when roaming and during mid/late game!


IMPORTANT TRICK!

Use walls on the map to your advantage! There are 2 walls you can use to gank in bot lane and they are extremely effective, especially when it looks like you just went to grab some chimes. Instead, you can walk behind the wall with your jungler and use Magical Journey to position yourself behind the enemy. This is extremely effective and almost always results in a kill, even if their summoner spells are wasted!





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Bard has a perfect kit in my opinion. He has so many outplays capabilities and can also change a game outcome with Tempered Fate (R). Bard is practically un-killable mid-late game because he can juke, stun, and heal to his heart's content. Below are some tips and tricks that I have learned while playing bard!




Coming Soon!

CHIME BONUSES





Coming Soon!

Cosmic Binding Examples!




Coming Soon!

Caretaker's Shrine Examples!





Coming Soon!

Magical Journey Examples!





Coming Soon!

Tempered Fate Examples!



If you really want to get good with Bard, check out my sponsor! I got to Plat 1 in Season 5 using Summoner School's guide so I asked them to sponsor me and they did! I recommended!!!






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Coming Soon!


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Thank you for reading my guide! I hope you enjoyed it! I also hope it helps you play Bard as a better champion. In my opinion Bard can be one of the best champions in League of Legends. After reading this guide, hopefully you can master him too! Feel free to add me on League of Legends: MuLTiKaiSeR (NA)

Special Thanks To:
Mobafire
and YOU FOR READING MY GUIDE!
IF YOU LIKED MY GUIDE, PLEASE UPVOTE IT!





CHECK OUT MY PANTHEON GUIDE!


[8.6] Pantheon Top [IN DEPTH]

CHECK OUT MY EVELYNN GUIDE!


It's #1 on MobaFire for Evelynn!
[8.6] AD and AP Evelynn Jungle Guide! #1 AD Guide!

CHECK OUT MY OLAF GUIDE!


Its #1 on MobaFire for Olaf!!!
[8.6] Live the Life of a Viking! - Olaf Top/Jungle


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