Bard How to Play: Tips & Power Spikes

Bard is a lane bully: trade early and often, push the advantage, and turn the gold lead into the first item spike. From this patch's ranked data, Bard wins by playing to these strengths: control vision; start fights with crowd control; play for the late game. Bard's spikes in a typical ranked game: All three basic abilities at level 3; Ultimate rank 1 at level 6; Ultimate rank 2 at level 11; Ultimate rank 3 at level 16; First item at 14.2 min.

When Bard Support gets stronger, in the order it happens in a typical ranked game: ability unlocks from the most common skill order, item spikes at the median minute players finish them, and the game length Bard wins most.

1. Lv 3
   All three basic abilities at level 3

   Bard's full combo is online — the first point where trading all-in is realistic.
2. Lv 6
   Ultimate rank 1 at level 6

   The biggest early spike: look for a kill or a roam as soon as Bard hits it.
3. Lv 11
   Ultimate rank 2 at level 11

   Lower ultimate cooldown means more fights Bard can start or win.
4. Lv 16
   Ultimate rank 3 at level 16

   Lower ultimate cooldown means more fights Bard can start or win.
5. 14.2 min
   First item at 14.2 min

   Dead Man's Plate is done — Bard's first real damage or durability spike.
6. 22.2 min
   Two items at 22.2 min

   ›Dead Man's Plate + Locket of the Iron Solari: the window to group and take objectives.
7. 25 min
   Strongest in games of about 25 minutes

   Bard wins 49.2% of games that end around this point.
8. 28.4 min
   Three-item core at 28.4 min

   ››Dead Man's Plate + Locket of the Iron Solari + Bandlepipes completes Bard's core build.

Item timings are medians: half of players finish later. Fall behind in farm and every item spike moves back with it.

On average Bard Support is 40 gold ahead of the lane opponent at 15 minutes and ahead in 52% of games. A 1,000-gold lead at 15 turns into a 71% win rate; a 1,000-gold deficit leaves 24%. Bard averages 0.05 solo kills by 15 minutes.

Bard win rate by gold at 15

• 1,000+ gold ahead71.4%
• Ahead59.9%
• Behind33.0%
• 1,000+ gold behind24.3%

Lane matchups that decide the plan

Respect these lanes

Senna−482 gold at 15

Vel'Koz−429 gold at 15

Pantheon−348 gold at 15

Press these lanes

Yuumi+511 gold at 15

Braum+405 gold at 15

Soraka+369 gold at 15

What Bard does better or worse than other champions after laning, from this patch's ranked games — percentiles where 100 is the highest of every champion.