Bard

Bard early lane is roam-and-pick. Start Spellthief's Edge + Refillable. Q max for poke + setup. Look for level 3 roam mid lane when ADC has wave control.

Ward river + jungle entries. Bard excels at picking off priority targets in fog of war. Force trades at level 2-3 to spike before enemy support.

Mobility Boots + Bloodsong + Moonstone Renewer is the standard spike. Roam to all 3 lanes — your kit creates picks anywhere on the map.

Ward objectives 60s before spawn. Bait enemy approach with vision plays. Roams = ADC solo lane farm = ADC scales harder.

Pick threat + utility. Land 1 CC chain on enemy carry = teamfight won. Bard flanks fights from unexpected angles.

Mikael's Blessing or Locket priority. Build Knight's Vow if ADC fed. R is your match-ender — save it for the pick.

Roam every wave → snowball multiple lanes → flank teamfights. Bard doesn't outscale; you win by playing the map.

Win: 2+ successful roam kills + 5+ wards placed before 15min. Lose to: hard-engage supports who pin you in bot lane.

Level 2 — second ability + roam mobility. Level 3 — full kit + first roam window. Level 6 — R for cross-map play. Mobility Boots (1st item) — roam speed boost. Level 11 — R rank 2 + 3 items. Level 16 — R rank 3 + 5 items.

Combos:

• Wave push under tower -> roam mid via river fog
• Ward enemy jungle entry -> bait approach -> R-pick
• Hit Q from screen edge -> ADC follow-up = guaranteed kill

Anti-tips:

• Don't roam with full enemy bot wave alive — your ADC dies 2v1
• Don't engage solo vs 3+ enemies — pick = 1 target, not teamfight
• Don't waste R on bad pick — save for actual priority target

Pro tricks:

• Track enemy support — if they roam too, race them to mid first
• Bard flanks fights — engage from side, not front, for unexpected CC
• Mobility Boots cooldown drops out of combat — fast unseen roams