Bard vs Janna
Skill matchup
Build vs Janna
Build adapted to this matchup
Recommended items for Bard: Dead Man's Plate, Locket of the Iron Solari, Bandlepipes, Boots of Swiftness, Bloodsong, Solstice Sleigh, Liandry's Torment, Celestial Opposition.
Starting items
Core build
Standard
Summoner spells
Anti CC
Other options
Power Spikes
Strength by game phase
Janna's abilities
Passive, spells and ultimate
Janna's allies gain Move Speed moving towards her.Janna deals a portion of bonus Move Speed as bonus magic damage on hit and with Zephyr.
Cooldowns
Cooldowns by spell rank
| Level | Q | W | E | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 14s | 8s | 16s | – |
| 6 | 14s | 8s | 16s | 2m10 |
| 9 | 14s | 7.5s | 16s | 2m10 |
| 11 | 14s | 7s | 16s | 1m55 |
| 16 | 14s | 6s | 14s | 1m40 |
| 18 | 14s | 6s | 12s | 1m40 |
Playing as Bard
Tips to maximize your impact
- Aim for a wall behind your target
Line up Cosmic Binding (Q) with a wall or a second enemy behind your target: the missile then stuns every enemy hit.
- Freeze the fight with your R
Cast Tempered Fate (R) to freeze a teamfight, or a tower during a dive: everything hit, allies included, goes into stasis.
- Roam through your portals
Open Magical Journey (E) to roam or to get your team out: the portal crosses nearby terrain, but enemies can use it too.
- Collect your Chimes
Collect the Traveler's Call (passive) Chimes whenever your lane allows: they give XP and mana, and enough Chimes add area damage and a slow to your Meeps.
Playing against Janna
How to counter and exploit weaknesses
- Don't trade into her shield
Avoid trading while her ally has Eye Of The Storm (E): the shield absorbs your damage and gives them AD.
- Engage twice
Bait out Howling Gale (Q) or Monsoon (R) with a first engage, then re-engage right away: one has a 14-second cooldown, the other 130 to 100 seconds.
- Cancel her Monsoon heal
If you have CC, save it for Monsoon (R): after the knockback, she heals her allies as long as she stands still, and interrupting her cancels the heal.
Other Bard matchups
Patch 16.21.1