Hello my fellow supports! Vladimir the Russian, AKA, Deathmoretis, is here to show you how to play Bard as an actual support and not this "killing mage" support that everyone plays him as. We will be looking into what his Build is, Runes, Masteries, Skill Order, Pros and Cons, and other various information on how to play the Wandering Caretaker. Don't worry, I am a Champion Mastery level seven with Bard.

Starting Off

First thing is first, the build. Do NOT build Frost Queen's Claim on Bard. We are trying to make him into a support like intended, not a mage sent bot. Start out with an Ancient Coin, Vision Ward, Health Pot or Biscuit, and a Warding Totem. Now, some of you might ask, "Why are we getting a Vision Ward so early? Why not get two more extra Pots?" well I answer you by saying that it is better for the team. A support is supposed to be supporting his team, by getting early vision, it will give you an edge over the enemy and more map control. Now look at if you took three Pots instead of one. It's greedy, you don't need it because of your Caretaker's Shrine, and you won't have any gold left. Buying a Vision Ward will leave you with some gold left, which is great because you need it for the rest of your build.

Early Game

For the early game, you will need Boots, a Sightstone, Forbidden Idol, Nomad's Medallion, and an Aegis of the Legion. The Aegis will come in handy later and the boots will give you that speed you need to be a Wandering Caretaker. "A Forbidden Idol? Why that?" Well getting a Forbidden Idol is relatively decent now, especially for healing supports. CDR, Mana Regeneration, Healing and Shield strength, what else is there to get so early in the game?

Mid Game

The mid game is when you start to become a nuisance to the enemy and a gift to your team. Grabbing an Eye of the Oasis, Boots of Mobility, Ardent Censer, Banner of Command, and an Oracle Alteration will give you the power to carry the team silently from the back-lines. Eye of the Oasis is a great combination item for healing supports so they do not have to fill their inventory up with both a Talisman of Ascension and Sightstone. (You won't need the active of Talisman anyway). Boots of Mobility will help you fly across the map quickly, collecting chimes as you go. Ardent Censer gives you that extra healing power and empowers allied auto-attacks. Banner of Command not only increases tankiness from mages, but also gives you lane pressure and pushing power. Lastly, an Oracle Alteration is just there to sniff-out wards. (Farsight Alteration is acceptable too).

Late Game

Late game is all about that extra power to win. Finishing your build with Mikael's Crucible and Zz'Rot Portal, this will make you the ultimate support that you'll ever be. Mikael's Crucible is fantastic with its ability to remove any CC, heal, and give even more healing power. Coupled that with Ardent Censer and you'll be healing just as much as a Soraka. Zz'Rot Portal, like Banner of Command, will give you lane pressure and pushing power. You will also be able to hold lanes when teamfighting.

Extras

Extra items are just there encase you need them. Health Pots, Vision Wards, Elixir of Sorcery, and the different type of wards for different occasions. It's there for convenience.

Core Items

Core items include Boots of Mobility, Eye of the Oasis, Ardent Censer, Banner of Command, Mikael's Crucible, Zz'Rot Portal, and an Oracle Alteration. (Although you can have any ward).

Spells To Take

The spells to take are Flash and Exhaust. Flash so you can escape or engage instantly and Exhaust so you can also escape or help your team out. I wouldn't take Ignite since its use dwindles over time and isn't valuable late game like Exhaust.

Skills To Max

The skill sequence in which to max them goes as follows:

Max Caretaker's Shrine first.
Max Cosmic Binding second.
Max Tempered Fate third.
Max Magical Journey fourth

You will need to max Caretaker's Shrine first for the healing, then Cosmic Binding second for the CC, Tempered Fate for more CC and to save or catch people out, then lastly max Magical Journey last because it wont really matter how fast you go through the portal early-mid game.

Masteries To Take

The masteries you'll be running are 6/18/6. For FEROCITY, put your points into Sorcery for the AP boost and then Expose Weakness so you can give your allies more kill potential. Next, for CUNNING, put your points into Wanderer for more mobility, Secret Stash so you can heal more from Pots, Meditation as you will be using a lot of mana for your Caretaker's Shrines, Bandit for early game so you can get gold to buy your items, Intelligence to spam your abilities and have an early game advantage, and lastly Windspeaker's Blessing for the healing you will be doing. Lastly, in the RESOLVE mastery tree, put points into Recovery so you can sustain a little more without using your shrines and Explorer for more mobility.

Runes To Take

Now, I know some of you don't have the IP to buy all level three runes, but you can still buy the level two equivalent, it will work just as fine. Take Greater Quintessences of Ability Power, Greater Marks of Magic Penetration, Greater Seals of Magic Resist, and Greater Glyphs of Ability Power.

Pros VS. Cons

Pros:

Team healer.
Lane Pressure.
Map Control.
Team Utility.

Cons:

Regarded as "Troll" or "Noob".
Less kill potential.
Less Damage and Tankiness.

The Conclusion

In conclusion, this build is great for those who don't want the other Bard builds that offer little to no team support and utility. Things starting off, yes, your team might be angry at you for "trolling", but once it gets to late game, even mid game, they will realize that you're just as good, if not better, than the other Bards that build to kill. I have even gotten told by someone who doesn't even play Bard that my build is wrong and so are my Masteries and Summoner Spells, so I won't doubt that you will get some ugly looks too. Anyway, keep supporting comrades. Don't let anyone bring you down for the way you build or play a champion, especially if it works.

(Thinking on making either a Cassiopeia support or Malzahar support guide).