Valorant Phoenix Agent Guide | Abilities and How to play

Everything you need to know about Phoenix

Phoenix originates from the UK and focuses on making space and minimising how much he gets punished for it. Two of his abilities, Blaze (C) and Hot Hands (E) are able to heal him if he stands in them, as well as doing damage to enemies.

He is a very flexible agent and can avoid fights with his utility as well as forcing them.

Is Phoenix right for you?

Phoenix is the easiest duelist to play in Valorant according to our tier list and once you pick him up you will understand why. He has sustain built into his kit to make up for your mistakes (if you make them), a flash in the form of his Curveball (Q) and he can charge in and not die with his Run it Back (X) ultimate.

Phoenix’s abilities

Blaze (C)

How to use Blaze (C)

Phoenix can throw out a wall which prohibits vision and damages anyone- except Phoenix- who walks through it. Blaze (C) can also be curved by holding down fire (left click) so that Phoenix can more accurately create safe passage or block the vision of enemies.

Blaze (C) lasts 8 seconds and can heal Phoenix for 69hp over the duration of the wall. The wall costs 200 credits and can only be used once per round.

When and where to use Blaze (C)

Blaze (C) is best used when Phoenix is trying to push onto a spike site or when enemies are trying to. Phoenix’s role as a duelist is to make space when pushing onto site and with Blaze (C), Phoenix can block off multiple angles that enemies are holding.

Used in combination with his Curveball (Q), Phoenix can blind one side of an entryway and block off the other, meaning if the Controllers Phoenix hopefully has on his team do their job and smoke off areas ahead of Phoenix, he can be a big enough distraction to allow his team to safely push onto site.

The ability also does 60 damage to enemies, meaning they have to either wait the 8 seconds and have minimal information or push through it and take significant damage.

Curveball (Q)

How to use Curveball (Q)

Curveball (Q) allows Phoenix to safely blind enemies around a corner. He can use left click to curve it left and right click to curve the blind right. This is one of the reasons Phoenix is seen as so beginner friendly- as he doesn’t have to expose himself to use his utility.

The ability has two charges which can both be purchased for 250 credits each. The blind can last for just over a second- 1.1 seconds to be precise.

When and where to use Curveball (Q)

As Phoenix is a Duelist and typically plays entry, you want to use Curveball (Q) to flash enemies holding angles and allow your team to peek and use their own utility or push onto site.

Phoenix can also use Curveball (Q) when defending a spike site, as he can hold an angle and flash around it when enemies are pushing onto the site. This gives his team enough time to rotate and Phoenix to peek and get a pick.

Hot Hands (E)

How to use Hot Hands (E)

Phoenix’s Hot Hands (E) is his signature ability and allows him to throw a fireball which explodes into an area of effect fire zone when hitting the floor. Hot Hands (E) lasts for just over 3 seconds and burns for 60 damage a second.

Phoenix is the only agent that won’t get burnt by his Hot Hands (E) as he instead gets healed by the ability. He heals at a rate of 12.5hp a second, which is very good when combined with Blaze (C) to get Phoenix to full health after a fight.

When and where to use Hot Hands (E)

We would recommend being careful when using Hot Hands (E) as although it heals Phoenix, it damages allies, meaning they cannot always push through if you have dropped Hot Hands (E) in the middle of an entryway.

On defence you can throw or drop the ability in an entryway or chokepoint to prevent enemies from hard pushing onto site. You can also throw the ability on an enemy who is planting the spike, forcing them to stop. The same goes on attack, except you can prevent them from defusing with your Hot Hands (E).

Run It Back (X)

How to use Run It Back (X)

Run It Back (X) allows Phoenix to die for 10 seconds after activation and then teleport back to where he activated the ability at full hp. This is very beginner friendly as it means Phoenix players can use Run It Back (X), run in scout out and try and kill enemies and get teleported back after the 10 seconds or when they are killed.

The ability costs 6 ultimate points, so when attacking, we recommend grabbing all the orbs you can so you can make space for a push onto the site!

When and where to use Run It Back (X)

Using this ability when attacking, make sure you are in a safe point when you activate it, as you will be unable to do anything for around a second after teleporting back. If an enemy is flanking you and you get teleported back into them you will die immediately.

Run It Back (X) allows Phoenix to push and find out what angles the defending enemies are holding and how many are on the site he is pushing.

On defence, Phoenix can do the same thing except to scout out how many enemies are pushing the site he is on. Not many players expect a hard rush from defence players as it is awful if it goes wrong, but with Run It Back (X), Phoenix can do this safely and gather information and potentially a kill or two.

Best and worst team compositions for Phoenix

The best team compositions for Phoenix

Phoenix will want agents on his team that are ready to push in when he enters, not too many that sit back and push slowly onto site. The best team composition for Phoenix could go like this:

• Phoenix
• Skye
• Viper
• Jett
• Sage

Another Duelist to go alongside Phoenix in Jett works well with Phoenix as she wants to dash onto spike sites too and with one side covered by his Blaze (C), she can dash in a lot safer. Skye as an Initiator can play very aggressively when pushing with her own blinding ability, Guiding Light (E) and her Trailblazer (Q) to concuss enemies so Phoenix can easily kill them.

A Controller in Viper allows Phoenix to use his Blaze (C) on one side of a site and Viper’s Toxic Screen (E) on the other, almost creating a tunnel. Sage is a very good Sentinel to partner with Phoenix as she has one less target to heal as Phoenix can heal himself.

The worst team compositions for Phoenix

The worst team composition to have when playing Phoenix is one that doesn’t push very well onto site with Phoenix. It could go as follows:

• Phoenix
• Cypher
• Killjoy
• Sova
• Astra

Although these agents are very good and are some of the strongest in the game in the current meta, they do not gel as well as others would. There is no secondary entry alongside Phoenix, as well as Sova and Cypher as liking to play slow and gather information before pushing onto site.

Killjoy and Astra are somewhat weak when pushing onto a spike site unless they have their ultimate abilities. This team would be very good on defence, but a lot of teams would need to be balanced on attack and defence to be considered good.

The Best and worst maps for Phoenix

The best map for Phoenix

The best map for Phoenix is Bind. This is because there is no surefire mid area meaning it is hard for enemies to rotate without using the teleporters- something Phoenix can massively take advantage of on Bind.

On defence he can flank enemies by using Run It Back (X), going through the teleporter, using Curveball (Q) to flash enemies waiting and if he dies then he goes back to the other side of the map, safe from enemies ready to kill him when he reappears.

He can also use Blaze (C) and Curveball (Q) to block off a significant amount of both spike sites to safely push on, such as blocking vision from heaven whilst he pushes through lamps.

The worst map for Phoenix

Split is Phoenix’s worst map. This is because of the verticality. Enemies can often look over or see over his Blaze (C), especially from Heaven on A site on Split. His Curveball (Q) struggles to always be effective, as enemies can easily duck out of the way.

Multiple entryways and chokepoints on B site make it hard for Phoenix to always utilise his Hot Hands (E) as enemies can easily and quickly rotate to another angle to push. This means to gather information Phoenix often has to use his Run It Back (X) and may not even get full effectiveness out of it as there are many places enemies can hide and wait.

Best and worst guns for Phoenix

The best guns to use when playing Phoenix

Phoenix wants to use guns that he can play aggressively with and fulfil his role of entry as a Duelist. He also wants to be able to shoot from range so he isn’t forced into a specific playstyle. They go as follows:

• Vandal/Phantom
• Spectre
• Operator
• Judge

The Vandal and Phantom as always, comes down to personal preference, but they are both very good for pushing a corner and getting a pick before Phoenix is killed or dips back. The Spectre allows Phoenix to do a similar job as he can with the two rifles but with less flexibility when he wants to play safe and back.

The Operator is perfect for Phoenix as he can use Run It Back (X) to play aggressively with it, peek an angle, get a kill and then not have to worry about dying with it. The Judge means Phoenix can rush and get as many kills as he can with his ultimate.

The worst guns to use when playing Phoenix

Phoenix needs flexibility in his weapons just in case he cannot rush in or it doesn’t work. The worst guns go as follows:

• Bulldog
• Bucky
• Odin
• Ares

The Bulldog stops Phoenix from either playing up close or at too far of a distance, it means that he is forced to play somewhere in between- which he doesn’t want. The Bucky on Phoenix doesn’t provide him enough damage to guarantee a trade when using his Run It Back (X).

The Odin and Ares make Phoenix too immobile when pushing or playing as an entry, meaning he cannot use his kit to full effect.

Defending Tips for Phoenix

• Use Blaze (C) to block off entryways and chokepoints that enemies might be pushing through. It damages them as well as blocking off vision
• Use your ultimate Run It Back (X) aggressively to scout out enemies and safely get a pick to give your team a number advantage.
• If you hear enemies pushing, use Curveball (Q) to blind enemies as they push onto site or around an angle- this is especially effective due to Phoenix being able to blind around a corner safely.

Attacking Tips for Phoenix

• Always use your Curveball (Q) to blind around the corner of an entryway that enemies might be peeking or holding- this could stop someone peeking Heaven on A site on Haven.
• As you have healing abilities and a self-revive in your ultimate, you can afford to play a bit more aggressively and on the front line when pushing and fighting. Be careful though- you don’t want to play over-aggressively and die!
• Make sure to use Blaze (C) and Curveball (Q) to push onto a spike site and block off vision from one side and blind enemies from the other side of an entryway. Your Controllers should be smoking and blocking vision from enemies holding angles, but do not rely on them.

Let us know if Phoenix will rise up and become your new main agent after reading this guide- which should be the last guide you’ll ever need to read!