How to Valorant: Breaking down the how-to and tech of the duelist Phoenix

Star Power Baby…

Before Reyna or Chamber was ever a terror on the server, there was one, fast-talking British gunner who had the spotlight. Cavalier in attitude and firepower, he was a fan-favorite from the moment of release and to this day, evokes a certain nostalgia in long-time players. This is Phoenix, the Messiah of Fire.

Abilities Breakdown

Much like the other Valorant agents, Phoenix has four abilities available to him: two purchasable ones, one signature ability (replenishes every round), and an ultimate ability (earned through ult charges). Phoenix also has a passive, Heating Up, where Phoenix’s own fire heals him instead of damaging him.

Phoenix’s first ability is Blaze. After equipping flames, Phoenix can shoot and aim a line of flame to form a wall. The wall can be controlled during the ‘shooting’ phase. The wall blocks vision. Phoenix’s second ability is Curveball. After equipping a flare orb, the player can toss the orb left or right (utilizing LMB/RMB on mouse). Players caught in the flare will be blinded (when flashed, the player’s screen will be replaced with an opaque, colored screen).

Phoenix’s signature ability is Hot Hands. After equipping a fireball, players can toss it in any direction. It will land as a Molotov, dealing high damage-over-time. Run It Back is Phoenix’s ultimate, placing a marker at the location of ult trigger. During the duration of the ultimate, dying or running down the timer allows Phoenix to respawn at the marker. Respawning grants back full health and armor value at time of trigger.

Playstyle

At 6 points, Phoenix is one of the few remaining Valorant agents that has a high value ult at a relatively cheap cost. A good concept from the early days of Valorant is if the player can get 2 kills every round before dying, they would be able to ult every third round. Playing aggressive with Curveball is a strong tactic that can send the defense into disarray. Moreover, his passive allows him to take more duels more frequently, as like Reyna, Phoenix’s strength lies in taking fights.

Team Comps

A flexible duelist, Phoenix is seeing a minor return to favor with recent changes. In team comps, he shines either as primary or secondary entry. Whilst he misses the instant space making potential of a Jett or Raze, he does create space in his own way with quick damaging Hot Hands and his Blaze. Phoenix can be run on virtually any map, however, shines especially with an initiator that can set him up, such as Skye.

Tips to Level up your Phoenix game

Mastering his space-making potential is key to extracting value from Phoenix. While his kit is simplistic in nature, it is also incredibly strong in the right hands. Capitalizing on moments to trigger Run It Back can either be an incredibly powerful entry tool or fake mechanism. His presence on attack forces a lot of attention from the defense. To properly level up your Phoenix, master quick bursts of aggression that can net easy kills and space for your team.

Image credit: WIW FERRERA