Can we buff Bard's W?

XIII Vanitas·Aug 3, 2015·4 votes·827 views

I've noticed that the amount of health it gives back is really low, even when you let the shrine build up for the maximum amount of time. So, here's my idea: why don't we make Bard's W heal for a flat amount + % AP + % of champion's missing health? Buffing the flat amount will only help squishy allies; buffing the AP scaling would make you feel bad for building tankiness and utility; adding the scaling based on target's missing health will help any member of the team, especially the jungler or some laner that had a bad trade or got ganked. We could also reduce the time the shrine takes to charge to full power, maybe making it 6 seconds instead of 10. This way, health shrines would be more helpful during sieges or stall situations. What do you think about it?

10 Comments

MongooseAug 4, 20153 votes

bard doesnt need buffs

PBnJellyAug 4, 20151 votes

Yeah agreeing with this. I've played about 200 ranked games with Bard and can confidently say he's actually in a good spot right now, contrary to popular belief.

Sure, one of the shrines feels pretty underwhelming, however you also have to consider that Bard has free mana refills if you get some good chime placements in lane. If the heal were any stronger than it is now he'd probably just become Soraka 2.0. Just max W and drop 3 shrines behind your tower, go afk collect chimes then come back to lane and drop more shrines if needed because all of your mana is back.

I guess a lategame buff to it would be neat but honestly his other abilities have so much power in the mid-lategame that having 1 useless ability is ignorable.

XIII VanitasAug 4, 20151 votes

Do you mean his tunnel? Bard has only 2 abilities during teamfights: his Q and his R. It's true that a well-placed R can change a teamfight, but it's a really hard to hit skillshot with low reliability. The W healing effect or movespeed boost during teamfights is completely negligible, especially when most Bards upgrade their Ancient coin to Talisman of Ascension.

PBnJellyAug 4, 20151 votes

The mid-lategame isn't just one big 5v5 teamfight in an open area. There are a lot of different things to consider. For example, Bard can easily get his entire team out of a bad position by using E on a nearby wall and Q-R'ing enemies that try to follow. You can also save allies or yourself in a teamfight that's in the jungle with your E. Bard also has some of the greatest pick potential in the game since you can freeze an enemy from 2 screens away and just E your team up to them. Even in a straight up 5v5 Bard isn't bad because of easy double-stuns (it's almost like if Elise cocooned 2 people) and constant slows after you get 2-3 meeps. As well as being able to just take out the entire enemy backline for a few seconds while his team deals with their frontline.

XIII VanitasAug 4, 20151 votes

I'm not on the same page. I feel like in any occasion there is always a better support to pick. In LCS he has a low winrate and a low presence. Maybe with some buff to his less powerful skill, we could see Bard played more in competitive tournaments.

5 Shots Of JhinAug 3, 20151 votes

It is fair to say that the health gained by the W is not substantial.

I personally think a heal of missing %HP is not needed, I am not aware if there is an AP scaling on the heal of if it is a flat amount depending on the rank of the ability.

But remember he can place multiples shrines and it does give that nice MS boost. Also, his chimes will restore enough mana to roughly equal the mana cost of the shrine meaning that Bard can place multiple shrines and then collect chimes, regaining mana and lost EXP.

XIII VanitasAug 3, 20151 votes

But remember he can place multiples shrines and it does give that nice MS boost.

If you add a missing health percentage to the math formula, it means that the heal is less effective for each consecutive shrine you take. Also, the "nice" MS boost doesn't scale with anything and it's just a 50% bonus that decays over 1.5 seconds.

his chimes will restore enough mana to roughly equal the mana cost of the shrine

Bard regain the mana cost of a level 1 W when he picks up a chime from level 11 onward. I really don't think that the change I'm suggesting would create a "infinite health/mana sustain" problem during the laning phase, especially because I haven't proposed any number yet.

QarekeoAug 4, 20151 votes

Honestly, I don't think this is really necessary. Since you can place so many in one place and if you're patient, 3 shrines will give you almost all of your own health back. Roaming around, even if it's just for 1 or 2 chimes will refund most of the cost, and you can otherwise play safe and ward all on the way.

If you want a tip for good sustain, combining item 3069 and item 2041 with the Utility masteries for increasing potion duration and item cooldown reduction will give you insane levels of healing, and with your natural large scale mobility, going back to base to recharge the flask isn't as punishing as it is for other champs.

XIII VanitasAug 4, 20151 votes

I'm not concerned about Bard's self-sustain. I'm concerned about his teamfight potential. If the two opposing teams aren't fighting in the jungle, Bard can only make use of his Q and R, because the amount of health and movespeed his W give is really negligible, especially when you have Talisman already built.