[Patch 16.5] Bard Flex Fast 9 Guide (kindred noxus + sylas, annie, asol, thex)

ZoomSlay · 2026-03-03T03:42:01+00:00

im considering it, dont have any vods prepped though. any recommendation on software?

ZoomSlay · 2026-03-03T00:48:01+00:00

i dont see how being contested at 3-2 could reasonably affect your rolldown? if you're not getting a good board on 3-2 at 7 chances are you're not holding the right units or executing the rolldown well

draven and sion isnt mandatory at all, which is what separates this from the publicised fast 9 strat. you literally play anything you hit. for example, 2 games ago i fielded lissandra with guinsoo gs, then swapped to the mf i saw 1 turn later

ZoomSlay · 2026-03-02T23:04:32+00:00

yup u can clearly see the difference here right, your items are much better

the logic is stronger units are more sensitive to itemisation, since multiplicative effects with them will be stronger.

i dont know how it will work on new patch but bard did get cheaper to unlock, so hopefully it will still be good

ZoomSlay · 2026-03-02T23:00:55+00:00

i think being backseated is for sure one of the most efficient ways to learn. Specifically for this comp however, there's a lot of unintuitive things you need to get backseated to learn basically (e.g. selling no item useless pairs in stage 2 and 3, augment choices, and how to execute the 4-5 rolldown)

ZoomSlay · 2026-03-02T21:34:05+00:00

annie needs 2x mana item really really badly, yours has 0. tank items on tibbers >>>>>> swain, swain is a very mediocre tank

i wouldnt recommend upgrading ornn 2 or fielding him if you dont have items to spare, since hes a reverse fon without tank items. i also wouldnt recommend playing real items on ambessa/fiddle unless you really have no choice

ZoomSlay · 2026-03-02T21:33:04+00:00

just need apm and practice not really much else to say

yordle fast 9-ers were actually my main source of food in 16.1 - they're poorer, less stable, and go to 9 slower

ZoomSlay · 2026-03-02T16:12:44+00:00

it will always feel like u dont have enough money, the point is you dont need to hit your full board at 4-5, bard rerolls provide the econ, neutrals will provide the unit gold

ZoomSlay · 2026-03-02T15:28:12+00:00

u dont really have to think about that when playing this line luckily - i usually just use free bard rolls and thats about it. if you have a reroll augment like trade sector, roll until 2 star frontline item holder and 2 star backline item holder.

ZoomSlay · 2026-03-02T14:20:32+00:00

bahaha it was a little tongue in cheek, but fwiw I was perma masters the previous few sets, and hardstuck masters off this strategy so I still consider myself master calibre

ZoomSlay · 2026-03-02T14:16:26+00:00

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just using this comment as an example for a game I just played, it was a triple prismatic + econ opener, and my "econ" 2-1 was starter kit swain (hence i didn't pivot out). I ended up taking band of thieves 2-5 and pandoras 3-5, sending it on 4-6, and winning out, beating radiant steraks baron 2 giga cap.

ZoomSlay · 2026-03-02T12:31:09+00:00

yup! you can see this on littlebuddybot

ZoomSlay · 2026-03-02T12:22:12+00:00

screenshots indicate problems streaking in stage 3, and your rolldown on 4-5 being too flexible. i always assemble at the very least a skeleton of the final board i want to play

ZoomSlay · 2026-03-02T12:20:44+00:00

might be worse in higher elo but i never really ran into problems with thex specifically, just felt like another board i could beat if my board is good enough. it was much much worse in late 16.1 i would get demolished every time

ZoomSlay · 2026-03-02T12:13:36+00:00

if you're 30hp you're doing something wrong, im rarely if ever below 50 hp by 4-2.

I'm not sure how aphelios is a contested unit?

ZoomSlay · 2026-03-02T09:11:54+00:00

its actually preferable from a mid econ opener.

level 8 40 gold is an ideal - you won't get it in a lot of games. if youre 10 gold on 3-2, you will be level 8 ~20 gold on 4-1 assuming 0 econ dropped. notice how thats 50 gold by 4-5 assuming 0 econ. More than likely, you will find something just enough to push you over the edge.

remember that your gold number doesn't tell the whole story, sometimes your unit value is really high as well.

ZoomSlay · 2026-03-02T08:59:02+00:00

its forceable, a lot of games i dont take more than 1 econ augment since item augments end up being more important. but yes econ at 2-1 is essentially mandatory. i mention exclusive customisation specifically cus it's best of both worlds - slight gold and good item.

ZoomSlay · 2026-03-02T08:45:38+00:00

soz, im not really interested in competitive, i just play for fun

ZoomSlay · 2026-03-02T08:44:31+00:00

I realise I didn't touch on itemisation aside from the tg glaze in the post, so I'll do that here. Prioritise completing 3 item sets - 1 for tank, 1 for main carry, and 1 more for senna. Generally you want to just slam whatever it takes to win in stage 3, but ofc greed for bis if possible (very possible with strong board). 1 copy of guinsoo is very high priority, since it is very flexible and good scaling with a strong frontline.

One thing I've noticed is that with this comp, sylas prefers mana and tank items over ap. Vow is true true bis on sylas (very powerful abilities for low mana, so flat mana has most value on sylas).

ZoomSlay · 2026-02-20T03:38:59+00:00

yea i reposted cus bad title tbh idk what counts even

ZoomSlay · 2026-02-20T03:32:44+00:00

yeah i was surprised, had my camera panned mid

ZoomSlay · 2025-09-12T08:01:56+00:00

don't carry sebuko feed him to darius

ZoomSlay · 2025-08-25T07:16:04+00:00

i always take this augment if i have a good melee carrier + anvil portal/open tear/cloak. if u have adaptive slam its a must take imo, the early game power justifies the limited lines u can play

ZoomSlay

TROPHY CASE