The all-around Phoenix expert can be a force to be reckoned with in the right hands. His fiery team is designed for smaller maps that can be tricky for other Duelists.
Valorant has six duelists, each suited to different situations and maps. While most of the aggressive characters in Valorant require a lot of support, some are self-sufficient. Reyna and Phoenix are prime examples, as they are perfectly capable of acquiring real estate on their own. Reyna excels in the tackle, but no one has pulled all the trades like Phoenix. The fiery Brit outclasses Reyna with her versatile kit that blinds, burns, and heals.
How to play Phoenix in Valorant
In the current meta, Phoenix isn’t as popular as it was at launch. But its viability remains solid when used correctly. Here’s how to use the Phoenix toolkit to win your competitive Valorant games.
Glow (S)
Phoenix’s short barrier works similarly to Viper’s wall in that it helps divide small areas in two. With this, the agent can gain control of the site on maps like Bind, Haven, and Fracture, where the entry junction has no solid barriers and is a short distance away.
However, Phoenix’s ability to curve its wall makes it better than Viper’s. Hold fire to bend the wall in the direction of your crosshairs, creating tricky angles against enemies. The enemy will deal heavy damage if they dare to cross the barrier, while Phoenix can use it to heal himself. Blaze is also useful during post plant situations as it keeps enemies away from the Spike. Equip the wall and wrap it around Spike before starting to defuse it.
While Blaze heals like any other Phoenix fire, it is not recommended to use it for healing in most scenarios. You must stay on fire to gain health, which can be risky. Use Blaze to heal when all nearby angles are secured.
Curveball (Q)
Curveball is the phoenix flash and one of the many reasons it shines in smaller venues. Unlike Kay/O and Skye, Phoenix’s blind works best in close range matchups. To fully squeeze it out, she sticks it near a solid wall and snaps before looking. All enemies on the other side will light up.
The plugin works for both left and right side. Use Blaze as your temporary barrier if you don’t have a wall nearby to dodge the blind. Enemies seldom expect a flash to get through the Phoenix Firewall. Place your Blaze in an open area, enter the cover and snap your fingers to look through it.
Hot Hands (E)
Phoenix’s healing powers come from Hot Hands, a molotov that burns enemies but brings them back to life. However, most players use his fire to block off areas at the start of the round. The best way to use Hot Hands is to heal after picking up the first couple duels.
Instead of playing passively and slowing down enemies, consider flashing first for information. If you deal damage, step back and use Hot Hands to pause a push and recover health. The lingering fire zone is large enough to block small entrances while healing Phoenix behind cover, so use it wisely. It’s better to waste it than die, so don’t hesitate to use it defensively. Hot Hands becomes available again after two kills, meaning it works best when Phoenix is fearless and aggressive.
How to use the phoenix ult?
Phoenix gets its name from its power to come back to life after being reduced to ashes. Ultimateing him is a great way to get full health and data back and deal heavy damage while he’s at it.
Always start Phoenix’s ultimate from a safe area closer to the site entrance. If you start off too safe but are far out of a danger zone then the ult may run out before you can get any value out of it. Run it back remains active for ten seconds, so anticipate the distance carefully. You can also ask your teammates to cover the starting point if you are too close to danger.
