Lane edge
Win rate vs Rakan
Lane opponent
How to play
Rank
All ranks
Patch 16.16.20–16.21
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How to play Bard
Read the full guide
Open lane trades with meep auto into Q, and leave two charged shrines behind before you leave bot; that little Bard reset makes your roams feel planned instead of like you abandoned lane for chimes
Use Tempered Fate to split one fight into two different games—freeze the tower for dives, ult the enemy jungler or the people zoning pit instead of the objective, or put the first diver/backline in stasis so the rest of the fight starts without them
Bard’s best roams are wave-backed exits into Magical Journey re-entry on wall-heavy skirmishes, where recent data supports that he finds early off-lane kills often without needing to become a pure all-in snowball support
When your ult feels bad, the most common issue is that you are casting at the whole fight instead of the part your team can actually play. Start smaller. If your team is diving, freeze the tower. If a diver is already on your carry, ult that diver or the peel arriving behind them. Around dragon or Baron, hit the enemy jungler or the champions zoning your team off the pit rather than the objective itself. In open fights, pick the two people you want arriving late, not the five-man dream. A useful check is simple: before you cast, know exactly who your team is hitting while stasis is active.
Meeps: Bard attracts lesser spirits that assist with his basic attacks to deal extra magic damage. When Bard has collected enough Chimes, his meeps will also deal damage in an area and slow enemies hit.Chimes: Ancient chimes randomly appear for Bard to collect. These grant experience, restore mana, and provide out of combat Move Speed.
Bard fires a missile which will slow the first enemy struck, and continue onward. If it strikes a wall, it will stun the initial target; if it strikes another enemy, it will stun them both.
Reveals a Health shrine which powers up over a short time, disappearing after healing and speeding up the first ally that touches it.
Bard opens a portal in nearby terrain. Allies and enemies alike can take a one-way trip through that terrain by moving into the portal.
Bard sends spirit energy arcing to a location, putting all champions, minions, monsters, and turrets hit into stasis for a brief time.
