Who counters Bard in League of Legends?

Public counter sites agree on Sona, Zyra and Janna against Bard (patch 16.22). Each one is listed on this page with the reason from the two kits. This is community consensus, not a win rate.

How do you play against Bard in League of Legends?

Riot's own tip: Bard's opponents can also travel through his Magical Journey doorways. You can follow him, if you think it's safe. The counter picks on this page add the champions whose abilities answer Bard, each with its reason.

Who is Bard good against in League of Legends?

Read the other way round, the same rules over Riot's ability text find Bard strong into Kassadin, Locke and Katarina. The reason for each is on this page. This is Analysis, not a win rate.

Which lanes does Bard play?

Data Dragon has no lane data. As a Support and Mage champion, Bard typically plays Mid and Support. This is a class-based filter, not a play rate.

How hard is Bard to play?

Riot rates the difficulty of Bard as High (9 out of 10).

Bard Counter LoL: Best Picks & Why

Tactical identity

Bard, Support / Mage

Bard, the Wandering Caretaker, is a Support and Mage champion in League of Legends. Everything below comes from Riot's Data Dragon for patch 16.21.1: ability text, base stats and Riot's tips. Counters and matchups by class are worked out from that text, and each one shows its reason.

Riot's ratings, out of 10

Attack: 4
Defense: 4
Magic: 5
Difficulty: 9

Typical lanes (class-based)Mid, Support

ResourceMana

Playing as Bard

Riot's own tips

It's important to collect chimes to improve your meep's attacks, but don't neglect your lane partner! Try to make a big entrance by bringing an ally into the lane with you with Magical Journey.
Let your Caretaker's Shrines charge up - they heal for a lot more when at full power.
Don't forget that enemies can also use your Magical Journey doorways, and that your ultimate can also hit your allies!

Playing against Bard

Riot's own tips

Bard's opponents can also travel through his Magical Journey doorways. You can follow him, if you think it's safe.
You can crush Bard's healing shrines just by walking over them. Don't let his allies take them without a fight.
Bard's ultimate, Tempered Fate, affects allies, enemies, monsters, and turrets alike. Sometimes it can be to your advantage to jump into it!

What the kit does

Analysis read from Riot's ability text. Each line shows the words it rests on.

Hard crowd control
Cosmic Binding: "it will stun the initial"
Soft crowd control (slow, silence, blind)
Traveler's Call: "area and slow enemies hit"
Untargetable or invulnerable window
Tempered Fate: "hit into stasis for a"
Healing or life steal
Caretaker's Shrine: "disappearing after healing and speeding"
Heals allies
Caretaker's Shrine: "disappearing after healing and speeding up the first ally that touches"
Area damage
Traveler's Call: "deal damage in an area and slow"
Zones with walls, traps or fields
Cosmic Binding: "strikes a wall"

Bard's abilities

Riot's own text and preview clip for each ability, from Riot's Data Dragon, patch 16.21.1. Pick an ability and its clip plays here, muted.

PPassive

Traveler'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.

Effects in the text

Soft crowd control (slow, silence, blind)
Magic damage
Area damage

QQ

Cosmic Binding

Cooldown: 11/10/9/8/7 s
Cost (Mana): 60

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.

Effects in the text

Hard crowd control
Soft crowd control (slow, silence, blind)
Zones with walls, traps or fields
Ranged poke

WW

Caretaker's Shrine

Cost (Mana): 70
Range: 800

Reveals a Health shrine which powers up over a short time, disappearing after healing and speeding up the first ally that touches it.

Effects in the text

Healing or life steal
Heals allies
Protects allies

EE

Magical Journey

Cooldown: 22/20.5/19/17.5/16 s
Cost (Mana): 30
Range: 900

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.

Effects in the text

Zones with walls, traps or fields

RR

Tempered Fate

Cooldown: 110/95/80 s
Cost (Mana): 100
Range: 3400

Bard sends spirit energy arcing to a location, putting all champions, minions, monsters, and turrets hit into stasis for a brief time.

Effects in the text

Untargetable or invulnerable window
Zones with walls, traps or fields
Ranged poke

Build direction, Analysis

Items and runes that fit Bard

Riot publishes no builds and this page invents none. Below: completed items ranked by how many of the stats Bard's kit uses they give (ability power (AP) first), the runes whose official text matches the kit, and picks for each enemy type. A fit, not a strength ranking. No win rates.

Closest stat fit

Editorial estimate

Completed items ranked by how many of the stats Bard's kit uses they give. A fit, not a verdict: Riot publishes no builds and no win rates.

Cryptbloom3,000
- +75 Ability PowerBard scales with it
- +30% Magic Penetrationits damage is magic
- +20 Ability Hastecasts abilities often
Actualizer2,800
- +90 Ability PowerBard scales with it
- +300 Manaits resource is mana
- +10 Ability Hastecasts abilities often
Archangel's Staff2,900
- +70 Ability PowerBard scales with it
- +600 Manaits resource is mana
- +25 Ability Hastecasts abilities often
Blackfire Torch2,800
- +80 Ability PowerBard scales with it
- +600 Manaits resource is mana
- +20 Ability Hastecasts abilities often
Luden's Echo2,750
- +100 Ability PowerBard scales with it
- +600 Manaits resource is mana
- +10 Ability Hastecasts abilities often
Malignance2,700
- +90 Ability PowerBard scales with it
- +600 Manaits resource is mana
- +15 Ability Hastecasts abilities often

Boots

Armored Advance1,200

Chainlaced Crushers1,250

Crimson Lucidity900

Immortal Path1,100

Spellslinger's Shoes1,100

Swiftmarch1,000

Rune fits

Editorial estimate

Runes whose official text matches the most things Bard's kit does. Each line shows the words it rests on.

Stormraider's SurgeSorcery, Keystone · Matches: 2
- It can immobilize, slow or impair enemies: Cosmic Binding: "it will stun the initial"
- It heals or restores health in the kit: Caretaker's Shrine: "disappearing after healing and speeding"
AftershockResolve, Keystone · Matches: 1
- It can immobilize, slow or impair enemies: Cosmic Binding: "it will stun the initial"
Arcane CometSorcery, Keystone · Matches: 1
- It deals damage with abilities: Cosmic Binding: "Bard fires a missile"
Manaflow BandSorcery · Matches: 3
- It deals damage with abilities: Cosmic Binding: "Bard fires a missile"
- It heals or restores health in the kit: Caretaker's Shrine: "disappearing after healing and speeding"
- It uses mana: Mana
Font of LifeResolve · Matches: 2
- It can immobilize, slow or impair enemies: Cosmic Binding: "it will stun the initial"
- It heals or restores health in the kit: Caretaker's Shrine: "disappearing after healing and speeding"
Presence of MindPrecision · Matches: 2
- It heals or restores health in the kit: Caretaker's Shrine: "disappearing after healing and speeding"
- It uses mana: Mana

Against each enemy type

Editorial estimate

Situational picks, counted from what the champions of each class do in Riot's Data Dragon. Swap a slot when the enemy team has several of that class.

Tanks
Anti-heal 25 of 46 heal or sustain
Executioner's Calling Morellonomicon
Cleanse or tenacity 20 of 46 have two or more hard CC abilities
Chainlaced Crushers Endless Hunger
To cut through them Tanks stack armor and magic resist; these items give magic penetration.
Cryptbloom Shadowflame Stormsurge Void Staff
Fighters
Anti-heal 40 of 60 heal or sustain
Executioner's Calling Morellonomicon
Armor 38 of 60 deal physical damage only
Chain Vest Dead Man's Plate
Assassins
Anti-heal 24 of 46 heal or sustain
Executioner's Calling Morellonomicon
Armor 23 of 46 deal physical damage only
Chain Vest Dead Man's Plate
Mages
Magic resist 52 of 74 deal magic damage only
Abyssal Mask Banshee's Veil
Anti-heal 29 of 74 heal or sustain
Executioner's Calling Morellonomicon
Marksmen
Armor 14 of 33 deal physical damage only
Chain Vest Dead Man's Plate
Supports
Magic resist 35 of 42 deal magic damage only
Abyssal Mask Banshee's Veil
Anti-heal 18 of 42 heal or sustain
Executioner's Calling Morellonomicon

Counted from the official ability text, League of Legends patch 16.21.1. These are counts of champions, not win rates.

Rune trees

Lit runes: their official text matches something Bard's kit does (Analysis). Select a rune to read why.

Precision10 lit

Domination6 lit

Sorcery9 lit

Resolve6 lit

Inspiration5 lit

Who counters Bard: community consensus

Each pick is listed against Bard by at least two independent public counter sites, patch 16.22. The reason is ours, read from the two kits. Not win rates.

Sona

Counters you

Sona trades on every cooldown with Hymn of Valor and Power Chord, and Bard's roams leave his carry alone against her.

Zyra

Counters you

Plants from Rampant Growth zone the lane, and Grasping Roots punishes Bard each time he walks up for Cosmic Binding.

Janna

Counters you

Howling Gale knocks back Bard's engage, and Eye Of The Storm shields her carry from his poke.

Zilean

Counters you

Time Bomb pokes Bard from range, and Chronoshift on the carry undoes the follow-up after Tempered Fate.

Vel'Koz

Counters you

Vel'Koz out-pokes Bard from long range with Plasma Fission, and Bard's weak early lane has no answer to it.

Sources: counterstats.net, lolalytics.com, op.gg. Reviewed 2026-11-06.

Matchups by class

Bard against each class of champion, counted from the official ability text. Choose a class or a lane to narrow it down.

Against all 172 champions: 125 ahead, 38 even, 9 behind. Each class is read against that, so check the best and toughest tags too.

Class

Lane

Patch

16.21.1Older patches: not available yet

Against Tanks

Even

Toughest class

15 ahead · 22 even · 9 behind of 46

Ahead of

Struggles against

You out-range them and can poke from a distance.
Your damage is magic only, so they can stack magic resist against you.

What to do: Neither side has a clear edge over tanks. Execution and the team around you decide it.

Against Fighters

Strong

41 ahead · 17 even · 2 behind of 60

Ahead of

Struggles against

You out-range them and can poke from a distance.
You out-range them and they have no healing to recover.

What to do: A good pick when the enemy has several fighters. Play for the fights where your edge shows.

Against Assassins

Strong

Best class

45 ahead · 1 even · 0 behind of 46

Ahead of

Kassadin

Locke

Katarina

Your hard crowd control stops their dashes.
You can avoid damage for a moment, which blunts their burst.

What to do: A good pick when the enemy has several assassins. Play for the fights where your edge shows.

Against Mages

Strong

62 ahead · 10 even · 2 behind of 74

Ahead of

Struggles against

You can lock down squishy targets that have few escapes.
You can avoid damage for a moment, which blunts their burst.

What to do: A good pick when the enemy has several mages. Play for the fights where your edge shows.

Against Marksmen

Strong

24 ahead · 9 even · 0 behind of 33

Ahead of

Lucian

Quinn

Akshan

You can lock down squishy targets that have few escapes.
Your hard crowd control stops their dashes.

What to do: A good pick when the enemy has several marksmen. Play for the fights where your edge shows.

Against Supports

Strong

29 ahead · 8 even · 5 behind of 42

Ahead of

Struggles against

You can lock down squishy targets that have few escapes.
You can avoid damage for a moment, which blunts their burst.

What to do: A good pick when the enemy has several supports. Play for the fights where your edge shows.

Source: Nexus Lab rules over the official ability text, League of Legends patch 16.21.1. Each champion of the class is compared with Bard one by one; the counts come from those rules, not from match results, so they are not win rates. Strong, even and weak compare the number of champions ahead and behind. Lanes are the lanes each class usually plays (Riot ships no lane data per champion), not play rates.

Building against Bard

Analysis: answers to what Bard's own kit does.

Bard heals or has life steal in the kit, so anti-heal is worth a slot. Caretaker's Shrine: "disappearing after healing and speeding"

Executioner's CallingIt carries anti-heal (stated in its text).

MorellonomiconIt carries anti-heal (stated in its text).

Mortal ReminderIt carries anti-heal (stated in its text).

Bard deals magic damage only, so magic resist pays off. Traveler's Call: "deal extra magic damage"

Abyssal MaskIt gives magic resist (listed in its stats).

Banshee's VeilIt gives magic resist (listed in its stats).

Bloodletter's CurseIt gives magic resist (stated in its text).

Picks that can punish Bard

Analysis: rules over Riot's ability text.

Maokai

Counters you

Bard deals only magic damage (Traveler's Call: "deal extra magic damage"), so Maokai can stack magic resist (Tank role) against it.

2 more reasons

Maokai can outlast poke with healing or shields (Sap Magic: "attack also heals him and") against Bard's ranged skillshots (Cosmic Binding: "Bard fires a missile").

Maokai clears waves more easily (Bramble Smash: "knocks back nearby enemies with a") and can push the lane against Bard.

Watch out: Bard is ranged (Mage role) and can poke Maokai, a melee champion (Tank role).

Thresh

Counters you

Bard deals only magic damage (Traveler's Call: "deal extra magic damage"), so Thresh can stack magic resist (Damnation: "permanently granting him Armor and Ability") against it.

1 more reason

Thresh can outlast poke with healing or shields (Dark Passage: "lantern that shields nearby allied") against Bard's ranged skillshots (Cosmic Binding: "Bard fires a missile").

Watch out: Bard is ranged (Mage role) and can poke Thresh, a melee champion (Support role) with no sustain to recover.

Alistar

Counters you

Bard deals only magic damage (Traveler's Call: "deal extra magic damage"), so Alistar can stack magic resist (Tank role) against it.

2 more reasons

Alistar can outlast poke with healing or shields (Triumphant Roar: "charged he heals himself all") against Bard's ranged skillshots (Cosmic Binding: "Bard fires a missile").

Alistar clears waves more easily (Triumphant Roar: "or when nearby enemies die") and can push the lane against Bard.

Watch out: Bard is ranged (Mage role) and can poke Alistar, a melee champion (Tank role).

Cho'Gath

Counters you

Bard deals only magic damage (Traveler's Call: "deal extra magic damage"), so Cho'Gath can stack magic resist (Tank role) against it.

2 more reasons

Cho'Gath can outlast poke with healing or shields (Carnivore: "he recovers Health and Mana") against Bard's ranged skillshots (Cosmic Binding: "Bard fires a missile").

Cho'Gath clears waves more easily (Feral Scream: "scream at enemies in a cone") and can push the lane against Bard.

Watch out: Bard is ranged (Mage role) and can poke Cho'Gath, a melee champion (Tank role).

Leona

Counters you

Bard deals only magic damage (Traveler's Call: "deal extra magic damage"), so Leona can stack magic resist (Eclipse: "shield to gain Damage Reduction, Armor, and Magic Resist") against it.

1 more reason

Leona clears waves more easily (Eclipse: "there are nearby enemies") and can push the lane against Bard.

Watch out: Bard is ranged (Mage role) and can poke Leona, a melee champion (Tank role) with no sustain to recover.

Nunu & Willump

Counters you

Bard deals only magic damage (Traveler's Call: "deal extra magic damage"), so Nunu & Willump can stack magic resist (Tank role) against it.

2 more reasons

Nunu & Willump can outlast poke with healing or shields (Consume: "damage and healing himself") against Bard's ranged skillshots (Cosmic Binding: "Bard fires a missile").

Nunu & Willump clears waves more easily (Call of the Freljord: "to damage enemies around the target") and can push the lane against Bard.

Watch out: Bard is ranged (Mage role) and can poke Nunu & Willump, a melee champion (Tank role).

Who Bard is good against

The same rules, read the other way.

Kassadin

You pressure

Bard has hard CC (Cosmic Binding: "it will stun the initial") that can stop Kassadin's dashes (Riftwalk: "Kassadin teleports to a").

Locke

You pressure

Bard has hard CC (Cosmic Binding: "it will stun the initial") that can stop Locke's dashes (Ashen Pursuit: "location before dashing to attack").

Katarina

You pressure

Bard has hard CC (Cosmic Binding: "it will stun the initial") that can stop Katarina's dashes (Shunpo: "Katarina blinks to the").

Akali

You pressure

Bard has hard CC (Cosmic Binding: "it will stun the initial") that can stop Akali's dashes (Shuriken Flip: "Re-cast to dash to the").

Diana

You pressure

Bard has hard CC (Cosmic Binding: "it will stun the initial") that can stop Diana's dashes (Lunar Rush: "dashing to an").

Counter picks under the consensus list are Analysis: rules over Riot's ability text, each with the words it rests on. They are not win rates.

Official story

Bard's official story on Riot UniverseA link to the official source (in English). We do not copy its text.

Champion video guide

Video by 3 Minute League of Legends · Watch on YouTube The player loads from YouTube (privacy-enhanced mode) only after you press play.

Measured numbers

Numbers published or counted by a named source. Each row names the source and the patch.

Attack4

Defense4

Magic5

Difficulty9

Riot data Riot's ratings out of 10, Riot's Data Dragon, patch 16.21.1

Base stats
Stat	Level 1	Per level	Level 18
Health	630	+103	2381
Mana	350	+50	1200
Armor	32	+4.7	111.9
Magic resist	30	+1.3	52.1
Attack damage	52	-	52
Attack speed	0.658	+2%	0.882
Attack range	500	-	500
Move speed	335	-	335
Health regen per 5 seconds	5.5	+0.55	14.85
Mana regen per 5 seconds	6	+0.45	13.65

Riot data Riot's Data Dragon, patch 16.21.1. Level 18 is calculated from Riot's growth formula on the same numbers.

Editorial estimates

Our reading of the data. These are not measured rates and they change when the rules or the data change.

Counter picks: 6 Editorial estimateNexus Lab rules over Riot's ability text, patch 16.21.1
Good against: 5 Editorial estimateNexus Lab rules over Riot's ability text, patch 16.21.1
Typical lanes: Mid, Support Editorial estimateLanes of the class; Riot ships no lane data per champion
Best class (relative): Assassins Editorial estimateWins minus losses over the class, compared with the other classes; counts of champions, patch 16.21.1
Toughest class (relative): Tanks Editorial estimateWins minus losses over the class, compared with the other classes; counts of champions, patch 16.21.1

What no source gives us

Win rate, pick rate and ban rate. Riot publishes none we may print (the Riot API cards are switched off) and no third-party statistics site is read, so none is shown.
Popular builds. Riot publishes no builds: the items and runes in Build & Runes are a fit to the kit, not a popularity ranking.

Sources

Riot Games Data Dragon
Names, ratings, base stats, ability text, cooldowns, costs, range, items, runes and art.
Patch 16.21.1, file generated 2026-10-26
Open
Riot ability preview clips
Played from Riot's own server when you press play; never copied here.
Each clip checked with a request before it is offered
League of Legends Wiki
Release dates and skin prices in RP (CC BY-SA).
Committed data, see the skins page
Open
Nexus Lab rules
Counters, matchups by class, item and rune fit: rules over Riot's ability text, each with the words it rests on.
Patch 16.21.1
Riot Universe
The official story of Bard (a link, nothing copied).
Open

Bard League of Legends champion guide

Bard, Support / Mage

Playing as Bard

Playing against Bard

What the kit does

Traveler's Call

Cosmic Binding

Caretaker's Shrine

Magical Journey

Tempered Fate

Items and runes that fit Bard

More items with the same stat 29

Boots

Tanks

Fighters

Assassins

Mages

Marksmen

Supports

Rune trees

Precision10 lit

Domination6 lit

Sorcery9 lit

Resolve6 lit

Inspiration5 lit

Who counters Bard: community consensus

Building against Bard

Picks that can punish Bard

Who Bard is good against

Official story

Get new stories and champion updates

Champion video guide

Bard skins

Quick answers

Who counters Bard in League of Legends?

How do you play against Bard in League of Legends?

Who is Bard good against in League of Legends?

Which lanes does Bard play?

How hard is Bard to play?

Related champions

Next steps

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