By GamGem ResearchLast updated 18 Oct 2026
the Wandering Caretaker
Patch 26.20 · Stats from the 26.18 Master+ sample (5,844 games).
Bard, the Wandering Caretaker, roams through the portals of Magical Journey and freezes everyone in an area, friend or foe, with Tempered Fate. Nearly every counted Master+ Bard is a support, Electrocute was the keystone in almost all of them, and Dead Man's Plate came first in his usual path.
SupportMage
Patch 26.18 · Support · Ranked Solo/Duo · Master+ · EUW · KR · NA · 5,844 games · Preview sample
5,844
Games
Very High
Confidence
60.3%Win Rate
Flash
Heal70.2%Win Rate
FlashHeal
This exact page: taken in 17.7% of games·50.6% win rate over 1,035 games.
Hitting a champion with 3 separate attacks or abilities in 3s deals bonus adaptive damage.
Deal bonus true damage to enemy champions with impaired movement or actions.
Your wards in the enemy jungle are Deep, gaining Health and Duration. Level 9: Wards in the river are also Deep.
Unique takedowns grant permanent out of combat MS.
You get free boots at 12 min but you cannot buy boots before then. Each takedown you get makes your boots come 45s sooner.
+18 Summoner Spell Haste+10 Item Haste
Guardian3.1% taken · 53.0% win183 games
Unsealed Spellbook1.0% taken · 55.0% win60 games
Deathfire Touch0.5% taken · 36.7% win30 gamesDomination + Inspiration67.8% taken · 49.0% win3,965 games
Domination + Resolve14.4% taken · 51.0% win839 games
Domination + Sorcery12.5% taken · 48.8% win729 gamesWhich ability to max first, and the level each point goes in — Bard's most common path.
QBard fires a missile which will slow the first enemy struck, and continue onward.
Cooldown 11/10/9/8/7s · 60 Mana
WReveals a Health shrine which powers up over a short time, disappearing after healing and speeding up the first ally that touches it.
Cooldown 0s · 70 Mana
EBard opens a portal in nearby terrain.
Cooldown 22/20.5/19/17.5/16s · 30 Mana
RBard sends spirit energy arcing to a location, putting all champions, minions, monsters, and turrets hit into stasis for a brief time.
Cooldown 110/95/80s · 100 ManaMax Q first, then W, then E. Take R whenever available (6 / 11 / 16).
| Ability | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QCosmic Binding | Q | Q | Q | Q | Q | |||||||||||||
| WCaretaker's Shrine | W | W | W | W | W | |||||||||||||
| EMagical Journey | E | E | E | E | E | |||||||||||||
| RTempered Fate | R | R | R |
How Bard performs against enemy support laners
Recommended items by enemy team composition
BardSupport average
102030
102030
102030
Track the roam — it is strongest where the enemy jungler already is
Dodge the primary — its rotation is one skillshot; sidestep it and the rest is chip
Punish the cooldown — Bard is exposed while its rotation is down
Ward the flank — vision is what turns its best opening into a worse one
Respect the spike — Riot rates the kit 9/10, so a practised player gets more out of it than the average
PTraveler's Call
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.
Passive — never cast
QCosmic Binding
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.
Cost 60 ManaCooldown 11/10/9/8/7sRange 25000
WCaretaker's Shrine
Reveals a Health shrine which powers up over a short time, disappearing after healing and speeding up the first ally that touches it.
Cost 70 ManaCooldown 0sRange 800
EMagical Journey
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.
Cost 30 ManaCooldown 22/20.5/19/17.5/16sRange 900
RTempered Fate
Bard sends spirit energy arcing to a location, putting all champions, minions, monsters, and turrets hit into stasis for a brief time.
Cost 100 ManaCooldown 110/95/80sRange 3400
Riot's notes from patch 25.S1.1 to 26.20 change Bard in 4 patches. The latest is patch 26.18, published 2026-09-09.
Base Stats
Bard has been a meta staple for much of the year. Earlier we toned his damage down to what we think are reasonable levels, so this time we are going to target his durability which has also stood out as high given his mobility and long range ultimate utility.
PTraveler's Call
Bard has been a tanky roaming meta staple for much of the season, so we're trimming his damage so tank Bard doesn't get to hit nearly as hard without investing in AP.
WCaretaker's Shrine
We're pretty happy with Bard's current balance state but would like to open up some more options for him, namely in building AP items like Shurelya's, making him better at supporting his team when playing AP-heavy.
Base Stats
Bard is just on the cusp of being viable in higher levels of play, so we’re giving him more movement speed to help him stand out a bit more as the omnipresent, roaming support that he is.
Riot's data lists 9 looks for Bard with their own art, the base skin included and 37 chroma variants.
Best ARAM build
This champion’s win rate on each patch the preview sample spans, over its own games there. What actually changed each patch is in Riot’s own notes.
| Stat | Bard | Rank | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base health | 630 | =61st | 620 |
| Health per level | 103 | =102nd | 104 |
| Base armor | 32 | =65th | 30 |
| Armor per level | 4.7 | =42nd | 4.6 |
| Base magic resist | 30 | =110th | 32 |
| Magic resist per level | 1.3 | =93rd | 1.55 |
| Base attack damage | 52 | =150th | 59 |
| Base attack speed | 0.658 | =54th | 0.656 |
| Attack speed per level | 2% | =119th | 2.5% |
| Move speed | 335 | =74th | 335 |
| Attack range | 500 | =64th | 175 |
| Stat | Level 1 | Per level | Level 18 | Rank at 18 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health | 630 | +103 | 2381 | 96th of 173 |
| Mana | 350 | +50 | 1200 | =40th of 145 |
| Armor | 32 | +4.7 | 111.9 | =54th of 173 |
| Magic resist | 30 | +1.3 | 52.1 | =97th of 173 |
Riot Data Dragon 16.20.1. Growth curve: League of Legends Wiki — Champion statistic.
Bard, the Wandering Caretaker, is a Support and Mage champion in League of Legends. Riot rates the kit 9/10 for difficulty, 4/10 for attack, 4/10 for defense and 5/10 for magic. Bard spends Mana and has 9 skins with their own art.
A traveler from beyond the stars, Bard is an agent of serendipity who fights to maintain a balance where life can endure the indifference of chaos. Many Runeterrans sing songs that ponder his extraordinary nature, yet they all agree that the cosmic vagabond is drawn to artifacts of great magical power. Surrounded by a jubilant choir of helpful spirit meeps, it is impossible to mistake his actions as malevolent, as Bard always serves the greater good... in his own odd way.
