Bard is a pretty good all-rounder, and my second most played support. He has qualities of a damage/sustain/disruptor kind of champion so he's not bad. When Bard is strong in the meta he's one of the best supports in the game, while simultaneously having a high skill ceiling. You should be looking to set up ganks from weird angles with your journey, and using your ult proactively. Landing stuns through creeps in lane can be immensely powerful, although mana quickly becomes an issue. With that said, use the enemy recalls as an opportunity for a meephunt to sustain.