So i was thinking about what Bard will actually do..

and i think Sona is the best comparison for their laning phase and thresh for the mid game. they both have AA's that get a bonus damage and an AP ratio. Bard's is dependent on chimes and a flat cooldown, sona's is on spellcasts (therefore cooldowns) and levels.

they both have a good poke spells and poke in general, meaning their lanes will be easy to win.

they both have heals that only cost mana. they both have away to engage fights, crescendo, journey, stasis. and they both have fairly situational hard CC, (hit 1 and terrain, or 2, or ults).

so Sona looks like a boring Bard in terms of what she can actually achieve, which is sad another champion outshone by a newcomer. i say outshone and not outdone because Sona's reliability will still be better in a lot of cases, remember flash crescendo/tibbers from season 3, that amazingly reliable way to engage a teamfight? yeah that is more effective than a bard ult, remember it does no damage, so it is one of the least meaningful power spikes in the game.

Bard like Thresh outside of lane has some ridiculous potential, Bard's journey will be an incredibly gank assistant, allowing bard to have some effective setups, it travels like a rek'sai tunnel, but seeing as it can't be used out in the open it doesn't offer any defensive utility to Bard in lane.

Bard can walk back into his own jungle, then using the journey over the tribush wall ( blue side) to gank bot lane with jungle assistance.

Bard can also walk to mid lane and setup a journey on the rocks either side of the brush, again giving a free gap closer. compared to thresh's hit a hook and lantern someone in they aren't as impressive or as potent, but it is still something only 2 champions can do...

Bard's journey can ONLY be used to go over terrain, giving him a baiting tool, following Bard through will allow him to easily stun with Q since you will be next to terrain when you come out of it and will lead you into enemy territory that may be unwarded, (there is a clip of Calbel baiting someone through the portal into a nunu ult that has been half channeled.)

so to me Bard is the middleground between Sona and Thresh, he doesn't give up as much in lane as Thresh does, but his mid game setups and teamfight aren't as strong. but his set plays are stronger than Sona's but his lane is weaker.

in the late game, when teamfighting is happening over inhib turrets and barons, Bard is good near both, his journey can give very quick rotations, allowing everyone into/out of baron pit, into other lanes, wherever. and force the opponent to fight on his team's terms.

the best use of his ult will be to stasis 3 or 4 members of the other team so they have an isolated target to kill, all 5 for free turret damage, to secure baron, or to ensure a TP flank, or any amount of members to disengage.

he will rarely want to ult his own team, only assassins will truly benefit as they will use it as a way to stall for cooldowns . everyone else will be hindered as they cannot reposition or auto attack .

you've all seen Bard now, so how do you feel about him going live this week will you be playing them or looking to get bot lane to play with or against it.