| Remember that a swordmage is a defender, and wants to pull people towards him, while the bard is a leader ... and especially if he's a ranged leader, he may not really want people next to him.
The druid has thorn whip which has a range ten, same damage and also pulls 2 ... so there is at least one at-will that does exactly the same thing for the same damage. A controller or leader having the power is one thing ... a defender having the power is another (as the defender benefits greatly from keeping enemies adjacent to them. | 
And yet another word from our sponsors
