Bard First Impressions

[quote=MungoGeri][URL=http://na.leagueoflegends.com/en/champion-reveal/bard-wandering-caretaker]Bard, the newest support,[/URL] was released on the PBE. These are my very preliminary first impressions based on a couple of test games and one actual game with Bard played as support. [h2]As Support[/h2] [list] [*] Chimes (the little things that Bard is supposed to pick up) start appearing before minions even spawn, so you can pick up at least a couple before the game really starts. [*] I suggest starting with Caretaker Shrine (W) so that you can throw down a Caretaker Shrine near where the jungler is going to start. [*] In lane, his Caretaker Shrines (W) work pretty well to provide sustain for both Bard and his ADC. I usually threw them down next to our turret for use whenever we needed them. However, especially in the beginning, they do eat up a lot of your mana if you put three down right away. [*] It takes some practice to line up your Q shots well so that you get the stun on the enemy rather than just the slow. However, minions count as an enemy for the purposes of Q, so it's often easy to get the stun if the enemy is next to or in the middle of some minions. [*] Bard's best harassment skill in lane is not his Q (which will eat up his mana) but the "meeps" who appear for Bard every 12 seconds at the start. When he has a meep, he can hit an enemy with a basic attack and the meep will shoot out at the target for some extra damage (and after more chimes are picked up, a slow). [*] Yes, one of Bard's weaknesses is that he every once in a while needs to go chime hunting. However, the chimes seem to appear at a constant rate whether one picks them up or not, so it doesn't seem like he loses much if he stays in lane a while and then goes on a Chime hunting binge later. [*] Also, the speed boost when he goes over a chime is large. It lasts around 8 seconds and is comparable to using a [[ghost]] summoner spell. That definitely helps make the chime hunting go more quickly. [*] A lot of Bard's power both damage-wise and cc-wise comes from collecting chimes and powering up his meeps. Every 5 chimes collected causes the meeps to have an additional effect. It might be added damage, additional slow, making the meeps attack in a cone of damage, or increasing the distance of the attack cone. [*] By the end of my game as support Bard (and keep in mind that this was my first time playing him, so I was hardly efficient with my chime collecting), I had collected 70 chimes, which made meeps deal 245 (+30% AP) magic damage, attack in a cone, apply a 45% slow to all enemies hit for 1 second, have meeps appear every 11 seconds and store up to 3 meep "charges." I can imagine that if someone were efficiently collecting chimes that one could get 100+ chimes and get the meeps to be very powerful. [*] I understand why Riot's "recommended items" list includes a [[rod of ages]]. Again, a lot of Bard's power comes from his meep enhanced basic attacks, so that means he can't stand too far away from the action. I would definitely try to build Bard mildly tanky -- e.g. [[rod of ages]], [[zhonya's hourglass]], [[banner of command]], [[rylai's crystal scepter]]. Or, get some tanky support aura items like [[locket of the iron solari]] and [[frozen heart]]. [*] Bard's Magical Journey (E) is fun with the ability to create temporary tunnels through walls that allow both friends and enemies to go through. However, the game I was in was not a very team oriented match, so I didn't get a chance to use it to its full potential. I can see how it could be useful to tunnel through a back wall to have your team steal the dragon or baron, though. [*] Bard's ultimate, Tempered Fate, basically acts like an AOE [[Zhonya's Hourglass]] effect that can work on friends, foes, or neutral monsters. It has a lot of potential. In my game, the best use I made of it was in team fights, where I would freeze a group of 3-4 enemies in the back and let my team kill the one or two enemies who had charged into our lines. It was also helpful for some escapes. [*] Bard's weakness, though, was that he didn't have a lot of ways to peal for or save his adc when he or she got jumped on. I imagine with practice, one could more reliably aim one's Q to try to get the stun, but you really have to have a good wall or group of minions nearby to do that. Bard's ultimate doesn't help too much in this case, either, since it would freeze both the attacking assassin and the adc at the same time. One can cast a Caretaker Shrine on top of the adc mid-fight to heal them, but it will only heal at half-strength if it doesn't get a chance to charge up. In fact, that's another weakness of Bard. His Caretaker Shrines are less helpful in the chaos and movement in a team fight than it is in lane. [*] That said, I imagine that with a lot of chimes collected, Bard could help his adc by slowing and damaging the enemy assassin pretty well.[/list] [h2]As Jungle[/h2] I'm hardly the first person to try Bard jungle -- and reports from the PBE chat rooms are that people are having a lot of problems jungling Bard. However, most of the people I talked to just face-tanked the monsters and foolishly started the blue side instead of the red side, so I decided to try it out myself. Here's what I found: [h3]Pros:[/h3] [list] [*] Jungling Bard allows him to efficiently gather chimes without worrying that he's endangering his adc teammate. The chimes also give a really good speed boost, making travel through the jungle efficient. [*] He clears camps decently well if one understands how to play a ranged jungler. Using the same techniques described in my Lulu jungling guide (linked in my signature), including starting on the Red side of the map and leashing the camps to avoid taking excessive damage, I was able to clear 8 jungle camps without going back to base and ended up with full health by using Caretaker Shrines along the way. [*] There's always a wall or another monster in the camps, so Q stuns are a reliable way to not take as much damage during clears. [*] I can see building a kind of ADC jungle Bard where one takes advantage of powered up meeps to really deal some crushing damage and slows late game. [/list] [h3]Cons[/h3] [list] [*] I would need to experiment more, but I think he would be even more vulnerable to counter jungling than [[lulu]] is. He can escape reasonably well with his Q slow/stun and his E tunnels, but he seems very weak early on. I doubt he could hold his own in a fight until later in the game after a lot of chimes have been collected. [*] I haven't had the opportunity to try out ganking with Bard, but I doubt that he would be very good. Mind you, there could be some opportunities that could come from the speed boosts from chimes (if one happens to be near a ganking lane) and from E tunneling. However, his early cc isn't great (basically just his Q) and his meeps aren't strong in the beginning. [/list][/quote]

[quote=MungoGeri]I've played three more games as support Bard and learned a few more things: [list] [*] The chimes start appearing at the 1 minute mark and seem to spawn at a constant rate throughout the game. The chimes seem to stay up for about ten minutes. When a chime is in danger of disappearing soon, it will turn orange on the mini-map to let you know. The fact that chimes stay up so long and that their spawn rate isn't dependent on how many charms you've collected means that Bard can stay in lane a lot longer than people think. He can then go on a chime hunting binge every 5 mins or so to collect all the ones he can get (while also probably warding). [*] I can definitely see some potential for using items that power up one's basic attacks. Specifically, I'm thinking that [[nashor's tooth]] and [[lich bane]] combined with some strong Bard meeps could hurt like heck over time. [*] You get a small amount of mana restored by collecting chimes (8% of missing mana + 15). So, if you're running low on mana in lane, which can happen a lot, quickly grabbing a few nearby chimes can be very helpful. [*] The biggest flaw in Bard's design imho is that he doesn't have an effective way to deal with "all in" situations and/or situations where an adc needs an effective peel. Especially in the early laning phase, he just has his Q attack, which might or might not stun for 1 second, and his W, which will act at half strength if tossed directly on a friendly champion. His E (the tunnels) is basically worthless in this situation. So, he has like one and a half spells in this situation compared to 3 spells for most other supports. This makes he and his adc partner very vulnerable. [/list][/quote]

[quote=MungoGeri]I've played about a dozen games as Bard now and have a few last observations: [h2]Additional Observations[/h2] [list] [*] Bard works well in lane when paired with [[Jinx]]. He can ultimate the enemies, [[jinx]] can cast her chompers at their feet while they're frozen, and she and Bard can annihilate one of the squishies before he or she can get out of her chompers. I imagine that this trick would work with [[caitlyn]], too. [*] Two chimes appear at 50 seconds, a single chime appears at 1:40, and another chime appears at 2:30. I suspect that the chimes are set to appear every 50 seconds but more than one can appear at any given time. I typically got about 100 chimes by about the 40 minute mark. [/list] [h2]Final Thoughts[/h2] Riot beautifully established Bard's unique wandering nature with the chime mechanic and his tunneling E. However, they haven't established his role in team fights well. It seems like every role he can try to play gets superseded by other supports. Is he supposed to be a cc/protection/disengage support that protects his carry? Janna, Nami, and Lulu easily beats him in that role. Is he supposed to be a fierce damage dealer, becoming a monster late in the game once he builds up his chime collection? Zyra and Morgana completely dominates him in that regard in both cc and burst damage. (And I'm saying this is true even after I've collected 100+ chimes with Bard and have fully maxed out his items). Is he supposed to be some kind of bruiser-like character who can both take a hit and dish out some damage? He doesn't have the natural tankiness to fulfill this role, and Blitzcrank and Thresh easily dominates him in this area. And, unfortunately, all of those supports can do their jobs better than Bard without having to leave their adc's in lane or take the risk of running through the enemy's jungle. Bard (and his meeps) needs to find a niche where he fits in with a team, and his overall strength needs to be tuned higher in order to compensate for the extra risks he and his teammates take because of his wandering. Bard's cc and damage (and healing?) abilities need to get a lot stronger as he starts collecting a large number of chimes and Riot needs to rethink his skills and abilities in order to give Bard a good role to play with his team.[/quote]

[quote=MungoGeri][h2]Postscript[/h2] I'm feeling a bit better about Bard now, even though I still don't think he'll be effective at a competitive level unless he gets something more added to his toolkit. However, there are a few more positive observations I've seen as I've become more comfortable with his gameplay: [list] [*] The mana you get back from the Chimes can be pretty significant -- and you get more benefit from them if your own mana pool is low. Because of this, I start the game with the Healing Shrine ability and put two or three out and then grab the three chimes that appear before the minions get to the lane. That way, I'm near full on mana and still have a shrine or two up already (I give at least one shrine to my jungler). [*] You can also grab chimes near the lane to refill your mana bar without having to recall to base. I was actually surprised how long I was able to sustain myself this way before having to finally recall. [*] Riot decreased the cooldown on Q so that with 40% CDR at maximum rank, you can cast it every just over 4 seconds. If you're positioned right, that means you could potentially cast a 1.8 second stun every 4 seconds. However, the "if you're positioned right" part of the sentence is important. Still, in a team fight, if the enemies are grouped tightly, you can potentially stun two enemies at once, which can be devastating. [*] As I got more comfortable with Bard, I found myself better able to support my teammate in lane. Some well placed stuns, slows from my meeps, and the occasional [[exhaust]] and ultimate did a pretty good job of hurting and backing enemies off. Also, I got better about placing my shrines closer to my adc. Originally, I would place all the shrines next to our turret, where we could defend them. However placing a shrine behind the adc in lane let the adc get a quick heal during an exchange and gave the adc a small speed boost to run back toward the tower, if he or she needed to run. [*] So far, I have found Bard to be better on offense rather than defense. The slows from his meeps and Q along with the E tunnels makes it very hard for any enemy to get away. Bard's ability to defend, though, is really dependent on whether he can get that Q stun off or not. The meep slows aren't especially helpful on defense, because Bard has to get into basic attack range to use them and characters have so many gap closers, hooks, stuns, etc. [*] Going through a tunnel and then turning around to shoot a Q at a chasing enemy just coming out of a tunnel is effective, though. [/list][/quote]

[quote=MungoGeri]Here's a table showing how the power and effects of meeps change as Bard collects chimes. The approximate game time shown in the last column is for Summoner's Rift. I noticed that on Twisted Treeline, the chimes dropped a little bit faster, but the chimes affected the meeps in the same way. [table] [tr] [th padding=5 bgcolor=333 colspan=1]#Chimes[/th] [th padding=5 bgcolor=333 colspan=1]Change[/th] [th padding=5 bgcolor=333 colspan=1]Base Damage (+30% AP)[/th] [th padding=5 bgcolor=333 colspan=1]Slow[/th] [th padding=5 bgcolor=333 colspan=1]#Meeps[/th] [th padding=5 bgcolor=333 colspan=1]Meeps/sec[/th] [th padding=5 bgcolor=333 colspan=1]Effect[/th] [th padding=5 bgcolor=333 colspan=1]Game Time[/th] [/tr] [tr] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1]0[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1]30[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1]0%[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1]1[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1]12[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1]0[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1]5[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1]slow[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1]25%[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [/tr] [tr] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1]10[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1]25 damage[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1]55[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [/tr] [tr] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1]15[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1]#meeps[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1]2[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [/tr] [tr] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1]20[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1]25 damage[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1]80[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [/tr] [tr] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1]25[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1]effect[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1]small cone[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [/tr] [tr] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1]30[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1]30 damage[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1]110[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [/tr] [tr] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1]35[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1]meeps/sec[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1]11[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [/tr] [tr] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1]40[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1]30 damage[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1]140[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1]~18 mins[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1]45[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1]slow[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1]45%[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [/tr] [tr] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1]50[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1]35 damage[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1]175[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [/tr] [tr] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1]55[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1]#meeps[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1]3[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [/tr] [tr] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1]60[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1]35 damage[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1]210[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [/tr] [tr] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1]65[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1]effect[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1]large cone[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1]~30 mins[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1]70[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1]35 damage[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1]245[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [/tr] [tr] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1]75[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1]meeps/sec[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1]10[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [/tr] [tr] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1]80[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1]35 damage[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1]280[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [/tr] [tr] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1]85[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1]slow[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1]60%[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1]~37 mins[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1]90[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1]30 damage[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1]310[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [/tr] [tr] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1]95[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1]#meeps[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1]4[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [/tr] [tr] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1]100[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1]30 damage[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1]340[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1]42:40[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1]105[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1]meeps/sec[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1]9[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [/tr] [tr] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1]110[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1]30 damage[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1]370[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [/tr] [tr] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1]115[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1]slow[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1]70%[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [/tr] [tr] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1]120[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1]25 damage[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1]395[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [/tr] [tr] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1]125[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1]meeps/sec[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1]8[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [/tr] [tr] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1]130[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1]25 damage[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1]420[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [/tr] [tr] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1]135[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1]slow[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1]75%[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [/tr] [tr] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1]140[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1]20 damage[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1]440[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [/tr] [tr] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1]145[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1]slow[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1]80%[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=2651b2 colspan=1]61:50[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1]150[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1]20 damage[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1]460[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [/tr] [tr] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1]155[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1]20 damage[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1]480[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [/tr] [tr] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1]160[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1]20 damage[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1]500[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [/tr] [tr] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1]...[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1]...[/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [td padding=5 bgcolor=555 colspan=1][/td] [/tr] [/table][/quote]

[quote=MungoGeri]I don't want to break the fourth and fifth [url=http://www.mobafire.com/league-of-legends/build/ten-commandments-of-writing-a-guide-286932]Commandments of Writing a Guide[/url], so I'm just going to briefly summarize here a build that I found useful with Bard so that if you want to try him out when he's released, you might have a leg up. Bard's general strength comes from his meeps, which power up his basic attacks, and his Q, which if aimed well can stun. Think of Bard as a basic attack - Q - basic attack burst damage dealer who takes advantage of the Q stun and his speed to back off and wait for things to come off cooldown. So, this build is all based around powering up the burst damage of those basic attacks. [[frost queen's claim]] [[boots of mobility - alacrity]] [[ruby sightstone]] [[lich bane]] [[Luden's Echo]] [[rabadon's deathcap]] Start with [[spellthief's edge]] instead of [[ancient coin]]. Not only will you make more money with this line, but when you basic attack someone, [[spellthief's edge]]'s passive will proc twice -- once for the basic attack and once for the meep. So right off the bat, you're adding 20 damage to your harassment basic attacks and collecting some good cash. When it's upgraded, you'll deal 30 extra damage from the passive. [[boots of mobility - alacrity]] -- This one's kind of obvious as you'll be running around the jungle a lot. Also, when you collect chimes, you'll get a speed boost, which will multiply the effect of the [[boots of mobility]]. I recommend getting the alacrity enchantment fairly early -- before starting to build your [[lich bane]]. Speed is so important for Bard and you still want to be able to move well in combat. [[sightstone]] - Self explanatory. When you upgrade to a [[ruby sightstone]] is up to you. [[lich bane]] - Incredibly important. Gives you that good burst damage with your basic attacks. Plus, the 5% movement speed bonus is very nice. [[Luden's Echo]] - The 120 AP and 7% movement speed are great. In addition, it comes with a [[statikk shiv]]-like passive that lets you deal a burst of damage with your first spell. Again, this let's you deal a sudden burst of damage and then back off to recharge. [[rabadon's deathcap]] - Obvious AP increase Other useful items: [[nashor's tooth]] - Again, this upgrades your basic attacks and gives some cooldown reduction. If you go this route, you can change your runes to have less CDR. The reason I stopped getting it, though, is because it's more about sustained damage than burst damage. [runes=http://www.mobafire.com/league-of-legends/rune-page-planner#&rune=351:9-280:6-297:3-283:6-267:3-321:3] 21 Utility, 9 Offense [masteries=http://www.mobafire.com/league-of-legends/mastery-tree-planner#&tree1=0-0-4-0-1-0-3-0-0-0-1-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0&tree2=0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0&tree3=0-3-3-0-3-0-1-3-0-0-1-1-1-0-0-1-3-1&v=2][/quote]

[quote=Thalia Kael]Nice work[/quote]

[quote=utopus]+rep for your hard work - not even sure if what you're doing is right, but you've worked hard enough to at least earn my +rep xD I'm a little skeptical about the runes tbh. I'm not too fond of scaling CDR. I'd prefer just flat CDR in most cases. Games have usually been decided by the time scaling CDR starts to beat out flat CDR runes[/quote]

[quote=Toshabi]I hate people that play supports in the jungle (other than my sun babe). If I could, I'd rub butter all over your body and throw you into a room with a starved Rosie O' Donnel. You have recieved a Toshabi -rep™[/quote]

[quote=MungoGeri][quote=Toshabi]I hate people that play supports in the jungle (other than my sun babe). If I could, I'd rub butter all over your body and throw you into a room with a starved Rosie O' Donnel. You have recieved a Toshabi -rep™[/quote] I know you're joking, but I just want to make it clear that I don't think Bard is very good in the jungle, because his clear time is awful. [[lulu]] can kind of do it because her Pix shots occur on every basic attack, so she has more sustained damage during the first few clears. Bard, though, gets a single meep every 12 seconds at the start and otherwise just does very low basic attack damage. I think his kit could make him a good jungler if Riot chose to give him a damage boost against neutral monsters, but you won't be seeing me make a jungle Bard guide any time soon.[/quote]