Introduction

Hi there! My name is TheBeardedPickle, and I've been playing League of Legends for 7 years. Previously hitting Plat 1 last season and documenting my journey from Unranked - Diamond this season as I thought this would be a great idea for challenging myself, whilst providing great content! If you have any questions about this guide, or want to catch me in the action feel free to swing by My Stream and Youtube. I try to be as in-depth about my thoughts/decision making during the game as possible.
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Why Bard?

If utilized properly Bard is one of the strongest Supports in the meta.
Becoming proficient with Bard takes time, and you'll be thankful that you invested the time into learning and mastering him. I've found a lot of success myself playing Bard into most match-ups and continue learning how to be the best Bard player I can be.

Ability Tips/Tricks

P - Traveler's Call- Chimes are very important for progressive scaling of Bard's auto attacks. 2 chimes spawn shortly after the game begins; Collect these before leashing your jungler provided he's starting at the respective buff on the bottom side of the map. Collect chimes when you're warding or when your ADC's in the least vulnerable situation ie. lane is frozen, or they've recalled. This is a good time for a mid play, or even a jungle invade provided you have information on mid/bot lane. Collecting chimes allows you to pose a threat when you've returned to lane.

Q - Cosmic Binding- Positioning is key when looking to take advantage of your stun. Play in an optimal position where your Q will travel through your target, and hit another target (minion, wall, or champion). Aside from being a stun, this also works as a slow for engages or disengages on targets. This can be paired with your R if done right. If you've landed an ult, and time it correctly, you can get in position to Q the target once your R is done. If this is an essential kill, you can flash to get the optimal position to land the Q following your R.

W - Caretaker's Shrine- Although Bard's W is one of the smallest heals out of the range of supports, this ability can still be very well utilized. Dropping your W behind your position provides sufficient sustain in lane, and a quick escape as it provides movement speed when used. Don't be afraid to drop a W under a teammate during a skirmish. The small amount of the health given from a W when not fully charged could be the difference between life and death.

E - Magical Journey- E is one of Bard's most important abilties and can be utilized as the perfect engage/disengage tool. However, choose your tunnels wisely, as they could land you in hot water. Denying vision, and exploiting your E will result in a lot more positive ganks/roams. Keep tri bush control warded, and E through the wall to fast track your jungler to lane. You can also use the top-side river wall, and get in behind the enemy bot lane. Careful not to over shoot your E into turret range as this could end up very bad!

R - Temepered Fate- Finally, what you've all been waiting for! The most important utility in Bard's kit! Bard's R can be used to save a teammate, catch an enemy trying to escape, remove a valuable enemy champion from the fight temporarily, and negate turret damage while attempting to dive an enemy.

Knowing when to ult, and who to ult is something that will come with time. Play out a teamfight in your head, based on the state of the game, and think about who you want to remove from the fight when the time comes. If you can get multiple enemies, and give your team the advantage by numbers, this is even better.

Try not to use your R from max range unless your team is chasing. In this case, position your R ahead of them so they either have to flash, turn back towards your team, or get caught in the R.

You can also use your R to avoid rift herald turret damage. Simply use your R on the turret before the rift crashes into the turret, negating all damage.

Conclusion

I hope this guide helps you become a better Bard! If you have questions about the guide, or something I may have missed feel free to drop by twitch.tv/thebeardedpickle where I'm usually live 8-10 hrs a day and can quickly respond to your questions. This is my first of many guides. I'm going to work around to making a guide for all supports and hopefully helping you guys achieve the rank you're looking to get to!

Good luck & stay safe!