It would be nice not to be hated

[Wayfinder3]

I mean, suppose you (theoetical 'you') are a crappy bard. You still benefit from nin+drg melees (and further from the mch vuln up too). You don't need to be a top end speedkiller in a high end static. Even if a person is average or bad, they can still take advantage of and benefit from synergies.

I don't think you used a good example but i agree to an extent. having meta party members doesn't make you better, you still have to be good on your own to maximize those buffs with disembowel being the only exception. a BAD bard isn't going to look good in a meta comp, thats not how it works. A good bard will however look worse in a non meta comp and that is the better argument to make.

If trick attack is used and you're spamming heavy shot, then that trick attack is only going to be as good as the what you put in to it so player skill is far more important to utility than you're accounting for and this is the same for all utility besides the resistances i.e disembowel.