Hi guys, I'm Massive Nuts, plat in EUW, and I am proposing you today a Bardo jungle guide that can help you out, which i called Bargle. I'm a very experienced Bargle and would like you guys to share this amazing meta. If you came here because you want to try new-meta that actually work, you'll be served. Let the light guide you throughout this complete in-depth guide. Bard-jungle is the most OP late-game-jungler, a jungle equivalent of Nasus, but without effort, and still being with the team. He also has an amazing ganking power even if his clear is pretty slow in early. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to comment, I'll be happy to answer. This is the new meta guys, get ready for it.

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Guide update Pre-Season S9 (Big update):

Guide update 8-17 (Also a big update):

Guide update 8-14:

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Oh btw, quick point, why is Bard AP better than Bard AD/crit?

-First, you get a lot more slow on your autoattacks (your meep-bonuses have an AP ratio)
-The damage is way more important on AD tbh, but not enough to carry a team alone.
-AP build is less expensive and you can be full build at 40 minutes when you need at least 50-55 minutes to be full build with crit build.
-Your heals are 10 times more efficient when building AP, so you can help yourself/ your teammates in difficulty.
-AD/crit is a lot more risky because you only do damage and if you're having a bad game, you'll be just a feeder all game. If you're building AP, you can always comeback by fighting with your teammates and getting assists.


So that everybody understands what I will be talking about in this guide, here's a little refresh for you guys who aren't english.

• Bard originally means a poet, traditionally one reciting epics and associated with a particular oral tradition. But it is also associated with the latin word Bart meaning stretcher that would carry dead bodies during the roman empire. Carry your teammates!
  
• Chimes will appear by pair following this pattern: (time in second)
  35 -> 80 -> 135 -> 180 -> 235 -> 280 -> 335, etc
  
  
• They don't appear randomly but spread more to your side (blue or red) and relatively close to you. Do the test: in a custom game, stand at base and don't move for approximately 7 minutes: all the chimes will be in your botside jungle.
  
  
• An additionnal 15 damage is added to your meeps every 5 chimes collected. Aswell as that, until you reach 100 chimes another bonus is given. There are 4 types of bonus: slow-downs, new-meep, cooldown and extra-range. The three first bonus follow a cycle and appear in that order. There are two extra-range bonuses that sneak into the cycle: penetration of the attacks appears for 15 chimes collected and the size of the cone increases after 35.
  
  
• If you don't pick the chimes up, it is possible that only one chime appears instead of two.
  
  
• You can only accumulate 9 meeps at the maximum, reached at 100 chimes collected.
  
  
• You would need 918 meeps at level 1 to go directly to level 18. (Yes that is absolutely useless but it's amazing)

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Electrocute is still one of the strongest key runes in the game. The burst it provides always surprises enemies even at level 1. The usage of Electrocute on Bard is also pretty easy, as you have a fast way to proc it with this build: AA, protobelt, Q, in whatever order. It's highly effective in early on your ganks, so abuse it while you can.

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Sudden Impact is a really good rune for your first impact. After using protobelt or Magical Journey it will grant a burst bonus which will proc with a low cooldown of 4 second, so you could even use it twice in a fight. This is more effective than the two other runes.

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Eyeball Collection is a another stacking rune. Collect them by assisting or killing ennemy champions and wards. Once fully stacked in mid-game, you'll get 30 AP which is just a bit less than a Blasting Wand. I prefer this to the wards items because considering your speed and mobility in your jungle, you will probably get to kill as much wards as a normal jungler.

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Ingenious Hunter is pretty ridiculous in S8. At full stack, your wards and items have a 40% CDR, which means instead of having Protobelt every 40 seconds, you will have it every 26 seconds. This gives you a lot more fighting opportunities and suits with your regenerating meeps.

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Gathering Storm is the most impressive stacking rune. After 50minutes, (normally the time a game should last) you win the equivalent in AP of a Rabadon's Deathcap. As we are aiming late-game with Bard, this rune fits perfectly with the gameplay and will destroy your opponents.

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Absolute Focus is a very useful rune for junglers especially burst junglers. It will give your ganks a lot more damage on-impact and give you this sort of pressure. Because your have Caretaker's Shrine and Hunter's Potion, you should always be full-hp while out of combat.

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This jungler item is really important. Aswell as applying 62-160 damage (based on level) instantly, it will increase your damage against your target for 4 seconds and reduce the damage he does to you. You need the AP jungler item to apply the echo effect on your first autoattack with your meeps. Also, the extra-MS is really useful when farming chimes.

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Hunter's Potion is really important for your sustain in the jungle as it refills one potion everytime you kill a monster. You will have trouble finishing all the jungle in early-game without this core item on Bard. Aswell as giving you mana (which Health Potion don't give you) it reduces the cost of it in total. (if we imagine you buy 8 Health Potion at least, in the whole game).

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Lich Bane should be your first item on Bard jungle. The mana it gives you is necessary for early-game, but also the AP which sets an important damage difference. The 7% extra-MS can be really important in some situations especially in mid-game. Also, you get 10% CDR which will allow you to use your abilities more often. Adding to all of this, the passive makes your ganks and jungling much easier having a 1,5 seconds cooldown.

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Nashor's Tooth is an offensive item I build every game. I didn't want to put it as a core item to leave you guys the choice but it almost is. Giving you 20% CDR, it will also highly increase the damage of your autoattacks and your attack speed to apply the meeps faster. Making you have a 40% CDR will make your healings and stunns available almost every 3 seconds. Also, your R will have a 48 second cooldown, which is actually pretty insane when you know how to use it.

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Sorcerer's Shoes has a very big burst bonus damage and it really makes a change in-game. I know I use "burst" a lot in this guide but it's truly important. Building shoes pretty early in the game will make you mobile and faster to gank and catch/ escape enemies

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Liandry's Torment is a pretty new item to build on Bargle. It provides a burn which will give Bard extra-damage. And as a general thing, it works really well with Dark Harvest'proc. This also gives some tankiness and a lot of AP. Overall a great item.

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Twin Shadows is for late-game and it can be really useful and can save you multiple times. The cooldown on it is pretty decent, and it will protect you from facechecking bushes or securing objectives to lock enemy positions. Great last-item.

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Void Staff is a last-offensive item I build to sit my power on enemies. The more penetration you have, the scarier you will be and this pressure will make you a very decisive champ in your team. This 40% magic pen gives a very strong late-game burst and it's not a very big buy. 2650 gold for such a strong impact is really worth

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Zhonya's Hourglass is a defensive item I quite like because it has multiple uses. First, it can help you against an instant-impact-damage champs like Zed or Rengar. It also has an amazing synergy with your Tempered Fate. If in big trouble, throw your R and press Zhonya's Hourglass before it so you will get out slightly before everyone else and can get the advantage.(Check the video in the gameplay section)

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Play Video

The main flaw of playing Bard jungle is you are quite slow to clear your camps in early and it's actually worthier to skip some and just do the main ones/ the easiest. The fact is, you don't need as much farm as the other junglers because your chimes will give you enough experience to catch up. As a checkpoint, aim having 50 chimes at 25minutes. To start the game, look at this small video and watch carefully at where I put my heals, it's quite important.
Play Video
Bard's ganks are the most savage and "uncounterable" ganks. If you're ganking toplane or botlane, put a Magical Journey through the walls to land straight behind them, and if you're ganking midlane, go directly in a bush and Magical Journey the wall to be a bit behind. Then autoattack to slow them down and apply your Lich Bane, and finally place your Cosmic Binding which will be really useful so that your team follows your gank. Putting it correctly is essential so practice and concentrate. There is one key rule about your Cosmic Binding:

• You cannot stunn if the wall is before the ennemy, but if the wall is after the ennemy or if it is a minion, your target will be stunned.

- Vi is pretty annoying with her Cease and Desist and Vault Breaker. Try avoiding bard jungle if you see her in champ select.

- Singed is hard to catch even with all your slows becuse he is so fast has a bigger regen than your damage. Don't fight him alone, although you can still pick bard jungle it should be ok with your team.

- Rengar has such a strong impact damage i advice you to stay behind your team when he ults and prepare to R yourself.
Play Video /league-of-legends/champion/thresh-110