Poke: In lane you want to poke by looking for opportunities to get off a Q auto combo. Spend your time looking for stuns which give you a safe chance to get a meep empowered auto, which process thunderbirds and benefits oppressor.

Sustain: You should always have a shrine up for your ally. Do not take them yourself unless needed, the biscuits should sustain you well enough.

Chimes: In lane chimes serve 2 purposes.

1: Movement speed allows for easy roams to mid or the jungle. Bard can be anywhere on the map relatively quickly, and his ultimate can stall for time as you and your allies get into position.

2: Free mana. This is what allows you to spam your shrines relatively easily. Do not get chimes on full mana early game. Put down some shrines and roam to refill your mana.

By building AP burst you can pick off runaways and catch people out easily

Q: Alway look for the stun. Bard's damage is incredibly front heavy, and if you don't kill them in your Q auto burst then you should back off or outmaneuver until your cool downs are up. Once you are out of meep autos and your Q is on cool down you will do no damage.

Minions: Shooting at max range and hitting a minion extends the range of the stun through them. With this you can catch people at disgusting range.

W: Early game W is used for sustain. Mid and late game it is a speed boost. It provides an ok heal and helps allies and yourself chase or escape.

E: E is what allows bard to chase caught out enemies and escape from danger. If you use it to go in on an opponent make sure you have an exit strategy because it wont be up for your escape.

Chasing: If your E is on cool down you still have four good options.

1: Stun them into a minion wave. If they are running and a minion wave is coming you can use it for a free stun. Make sure to Q before they get to the minion wave. It will be easier to tether them to a minion behind them than the other way around.

2: Heal faster allies for a speed boost. Don't always give the speed boost from your W to yourself. If allies are closer to your target they have a better chance of catching them.

3: Use ultimate. If no allies are in the way let can easily give your team enough time to reach there target.

4 Flash. If you don't want to waste ultimate and need to catch them you can flash onto them. When using flash always go next to them instead of directly towards them. This allows you to tether them to whatever wall they are running by. You should also keep an eye out for dead and active turrets. Enemies will frequently forget about these as options, and they provide an easy target for Q.

1,2, and 3 apply to running as well.

Bard Excels at the beginning and ending of fights. Before a fight you have two options

Poke: Look for stuns just like in lane. landing a single or double stun is enough to pick off a target or two.

Ultimate: This allows you and your team get into position. when you ult you should always look for a double stun. If you can't get the entire team, or whoever is there, then you can isolate the carries from there peel and burst them down.

Because Bard's damage is front heavy don't waste your time in the fight. Q and get off your meep autos, then position yourself to hunt down the runners. This gives you time to get your cool downs and meeps back.