Hello! My name is Alu Banidosu and I'm a Support Main who specializes in theory crafting for League of Legends. I'm in the NA Region with the Summoner Name of Alu Vayadur. The idea of this build is to utilize the Meep (P) and Cosmic Binding's (Q) AP scalings. Due to the 65% ratio on Bard's Cosmic Binding (Q), any increase in Ability power will make Bard that much more dangerous to face. This build is less supportive of the ADC, shifting the focus from protecting your partner to harassing the opposing team.

Sorcery Tree

Taking Arcane Comet as the Keystone Rune will allow extra poke in lane, without the need to attack three times, as is the case with Electrocute. The Comet can also proc Spellthief's Edge when it hits an enemy champion.
Manaflow Band will increase the level of mana that Bard has during the laning phase, as well as increasing the mana refunded when a chime is collected.
The Transcendence rune matches well with the AP/CDR ideology of this build, granting additional CDR, as well as bonus AP (or AD) for each percentage of CDR over the limit.

Inspiration Tree

Biscuit Delivery enables a higher level of sustain in lane, while also increasing maximum mana. Again, increasing the mana limit increases the amount of mana that is refunded through passive Chime collection.
Cosmic Insight increases the CDR cap, further allowing faster access to abilities, namely Cosmic Binding (Q).

Due to the nature of this build, taking Flash and Heal will provide more utility to your ADC during the laning phase. The lack of good heals on Bard is the biggest reason to use Heal over any other Summoner Spell. As an alternative, Ignite is the spell to be taken when extra lane pressure is needed.

Spellthief's Edge
Taking Spellthief's Edge can sometimes be risky in lane, but with Bard's strong level one and his ability to harass during the laning phase makes this item my choice. In addition, when Bard roams, he will be able to still earn gold without messing up another lane's farming strategy (i.e. if the mid lane is freezing a wave).

Lich Bane
While increasing AP and CDR, Lich Bane has the unique Passive called Spellblade that empowers the next auto attack after each spell cast. This pairs well with Bard's already empowered auto attacks, further increasing his power.

Banshee's Veil
Banshee's Veil is a defensive item which increases AP, CDR, and also provides a spell shield. The shield blocks one enemy spell cast every 40 seconds. This can allow the support to take more hits for the ADC, even if tank items are not being built. This item is replaceable with other items, such as Redemption.

Nashor's Tooth
Similar to the idea behind building Lich Bane, Nashor's Tooth deals bonus magic damage for each auto attack. This item also increases AP, CDR, and Attack Speed.

Twin Shadows
This item increases AP, CDR, and movement speed (which helps with roaming). Twin Shadows can be used to prevent enemies from escaping or to scout out a nearby zone with no vision.

Ionian Boots of Lucidity
These boots are just additional cooldown. Sorcerer's Shoes can also be utilized in place of these boots.

I'll update this later. Check back soon!

This section will eventually give the math on ability cooldowns based on level, as well as damage dealt based on items built and level.

Thanks for reading this guide! This is my own personal build that I use when I'm playing Bard, and maybe this kind of stuff clicks with your playstyle. I just wanted a build that was different than the average Electrocute or Guardian build, and here is what I came up with! Hopefully you like this experiment and will try out this or something similar.

I'll be updating this build as I collect more data, as well as each patch comes out. This is my first published guide, so I will also be updating the visuals throughout this guide!

-Alu Banidosu