Valorant has been out for a while now and already people are finding ways to use the agents in innovative ways. For now, though, there are only a few very effective agents available to Valorant players. One of them, and perhaps the most aggressive if played correctly, is Phoenix. In this gaming guide, we will talk about the Valorant agent known as Phoenix and see how you can maximize your playing experience with him.
Who Is Phoenix in Valorant?
Phoenix is an agent in Valorant that has purview over the flames. He’s a British agent with the codename of Apollo, who has the ability to use his flames to reshape the battlefield.
In terms of the learning curve, Phoenix takes a bit of finesse to play around with his kit. However, with enough skill, he can be a terror on the battlefield, especially when he plays around the map and with his team.
Phoenix and His Valorant Skills
Now that we’ve talked about who Phoenix is, let’s talk about his skills.
Blaze
Blaze fires forth a massive wall of flame that blocks vision and damages enemies that pass through it. It also heals Phoenix when he’s on the wall itself. In addition, the player can bend the wall to one side or the other through their crosshair.
Notes:
- Phoenix’s Blaze ability costs 200 Creds to buy and can only be used once.
- The flame wall lasts for 8 seconds.
- Heals Phoenix for 6.25 HP every second.
- Damages enemies by 30 damage per second.
Curveball
Phoenix throws an orb of light that curves left or right of him before exploding in a flash. He can fire the Curveball in a left or right direction. To do this, use the left mouse button to throw the Curveball left and the right mouse button to throw it right.
Notes:
- Phoenix’s Curveball costs 250 Creds each and can be bought twice per round.
- The flash lasts for 1.1 seconds and affects both allies and enemies.
Hot Hands
Phoenix has a fireball that he can lob at enemies, exploding at the ground and dealing damage. Alternatively, he can throw it at himself, allowing him to restore his HP a set amount.
Notes:
- Phoenix’s Hot Hands ability is free and can be used once before it needs to recharge.
- Can be recharged by killing twice in a round.
- Lasts for 3.25 seconds.
- Phoenix heals 12.5 HP per second if he stands in the AoE for a total of 39 to 40 HP.
- Damages enemies by 60 damage in the duration.
Run It Back
Phoenix creates a marker on where he’s currently standing. When Run It Back is active, he’ll be able to return to his marker once he dies or the ability duration runs out.
Notes:
- Run it Back lasts for 10 seconds. He will immediately go back to the marker he set when this duration is expended.
- Phoenix will instantly resurrect on the marker if he’s killed.
- When Phoenix is killed when using Run It Back, or if the duration is expended, he returns to the marker with full HP. The same cannot be said of Phoenix’s armor.
Phoenix General Gameplay
Now that we’ve talked about his abilities, here are some tips on how to use Phoenix in Valorant.
How Do You Play Effectively as Phoenix in Valorant?
Phoenix is a duelist, which means he excels in getting close and fragging enemies. He’s an incredibly powerful initiator, with a great ability to block areas and sightlines through the use of Blaze and Hot Hands. Careful usage of his abilities can see players turn entire bomb sites into impassable terrain. Don’t let his slick style fool you, though. It takes a metric ton of ability and game sense in order to play Phoenix effectively, more so than any of the game’s agents.
With a good usage of Blaze, he can stop entire enemy pushes if he can cover corridors well. With Hot Hands, he can both restrict enemies from passing through, as well as heal himself. Phoenix can also use Blaze to cover him and his allies going into a site, or fake it, and move in a different direction.
Curveball is yet another good ability; its skill cap is pretty high and can be a real game-changer if used correctly. Phoenix can lob it over obstacles, curve it over pathways, and the 1.1-second flash is enough for a kill if you’re fast enough.
Hot Hands, meanwhile, is a great area denial tool, with the ability to kill if an enemy’s low enough. Like the Blaze ability, careful positioning is needed to make use of the heal that the flames give to Phoenix.
And lastly, Run it Back is a way for Phoenix to immediately go in a defended area, gather info, maybe kill one or two enemies before resurrecting. If the player’s good enough, he can even kill off the entire enemy team in the 10-second duration of the skill. But it’s also good if he can get info for the ally team to go in the site and tear the defenders to shreds.
Which Valorant Guns Are Good for Phoenix to Use?
Phoenix is usually a good initiator in a fight. Thus, getting weapons that make use of his ability to straight-up brawl is a good idea. This means SMGs like the Stinger or the Spectre. However, the Vandal, a rifle, can also be used with its high penetration and good damage. And lastly, for the really, really madman types, get the Judge, use Run it Back, and watch entire teams fall to the auto-shotgun’s power.
If it can work with Dasnerth and his Cipher, it can work for Phoenix. Hell, he’s an even better option with the Judge due to Run It Back. He can walk into a site and clear it of enemies before respawning. As for sidearms, the Frenzy is a good pick due to its low cred requirement and decent damage.
All in all, though, it’s really up to the player which guns to get for Phoenix; the important thing is their aim. If they have good aim and proper ability usage, they’ll be able to rock Phoenix when playing Valorant.
How Can You Fight Against Phoenix?
First off, be prepared to look away from Phoenix’s Curveball ability. The flash lasts for 1.1 seconds, but that’s pretty much an eternity and enough time for him to kill you. Just look away, then look back immediately and punish Phoenix for daring to attack. If you’re blinded, it’s a good idea to remember the area where the Curveball came from and fire there in order to flush him out. It’s better to die fighting rather than die whimpering, after all.
When he uses Blaze or Hot Hands, always go on the aggressive. Yes, you’ll be hurt, but most of the time, Phoenix players stay on the AoE of Hot Hands and Blaze to heal. When that happens, just run straight through and spray them with gunfire. You’ll be able to deal damage on them faster than a Phoenix player can heal. Do note that this only works if they’re healing on their AoE, which many high-tier Phoenix players don’t do. If that’s the case, make use of utilities that remove sight to prevent them from attacking and just lay it on them.
Lastly, there’s also the Run It Back ability. When Phoenix uses this, it usually means that his marker is nearby. Trying to find it and then waiting for him to pop back in order to kill him is pretty viable. However, savvy Phoenix players usually have a teammate covering the marker itself, so that can be a bust. In that case, a better idea would be to flash him and his covering ally the moment he comes back. This prevents them from reacting when you pump them full of lead.
