Jean Grey is perhaps the strongest mutant in Marvel Comics, but when she becomes the Phoenix as the latest character inMarvel Rivals, her psionic abilities combine with cosmic might to make her unstoppable. The Phoenix is a combination of Jean Grey and the Phoenix Force, a fiery entity that burns away worlds. Through their unity, this character can spread their flaming wings as a valuable member of any team.
When Season 3 starts, the Phoenix will be made available as a new Duelist character in the game’s ever-growing roster.Duelists are characters with high damage but low health, with no supportive abilities that act similar to glass cannons. That being said, with the manybuffs and nerfs in Season 3coming to Duelists, it’s hard to say what niche the Phoenix will fill on team comps with other heroes.
All Phoenix Abilities
Build Sparks To Trigger Explosions Of Fire
As a highly mobile Duelist, the Phoenix has a myriad of abilities that allow her to move around battlefields freely.Phoenix’s abilities revolve around applying flaming Sparks to enemies, building them up so they explodeto deal massive damage. These Sparks can cause chain reactions, spreading and growing to grouped up enemies to cause bursts of fiery punishment.
The explosion from Sparks that Phoenix applies to enemies also heals herself when she stands near them, making her a character that wants to be slightly closer to her foes than other Duelists.
The explosions Phoenix creates are perfect for taking out enemies who stand too close together, fanning flames on multiple targets who prefer to charge in as a group. Due to Phoenix’s high burst damage from Sparks,the character is great at defeating enemies before they can get healed. This allows Phoenix todisrupt Strategist Ultimate abilitiessometimes, especially when she has set up her abilities ahead of time.
The table below outlines all of Phoenix’s abilities, including how long it takes for them to recover and what they do:
Primary Attack (LMB, RT, R2)
12 Fiery Projectiles (Reload)
Launch a fiery projectile forward, applying 1 Spark to enemies hit. Critical hits apply 2 Sparks. At 3 Sparks, Phoenix triggers a fiery explosion that applies 1 Spark to enemies around and Healing Over Time to self. Sparks from explosions will not stack within a brief period.
Basic Ability (LSHIFT, L1, LB)
12 seconds
Leave behind an illusion and teleport within the desired direction, followed by detonating the illusion. Enemies hit are applied with 1 Spark.
Basic Ability (E, R1, RB)
Recharge
Merge with the Phoenix, entering a state of free flight. Gain a Movement Boost while continuously replenishing ammunition.
Alternate Attack (RMB, LT, L2)
10 seconds
Mark a targeted area with psionic energy, followed by a series of fiery explosions. The first blast stuns enemies, while the subsequent two explosions inflict Slow. Applies 1 Spark to enemies hit.
There is a lot of nuance to Phoenix’s abilities, with multiple skills being able to apply Sparks for extra damage.Phoenix is an incredibly evasive character due to her teleport and flight abilities, giving her options to flee battles or chase down enemies to secure an elimination quickly. With less health compared to other Duelists, Phoenix has to prioritize targets to Stun, Slow, or burn to help her team best.
How To Use Phoenix’s Ultimate
Destroy Enemy Buffs With The Flames Of Creation
Phoenix’s Ultimate ability,Endsong Inferno, transforms Jean Grey into the full Phoenix Force, ready to burn away enemies in a wave a destruction.This Ultimate has Phoenix soar into the air before crashing down on an area you choose, dealing huge damage to enemies within that chosen zone. The explosion from the Phoenix’s landing also creates a shockwave that applies 1 Spark to any enemies who survive the onslaught.
As someone who has playedmany Duelists inMarvel Rivals, this Ultimate doesn’t sound like anything more than another AoE attack, similar to Moon Knight or Iron Man. However, what made me realize this Ultimate’s potential is how it interacts with prevalent buffs applied to enemy characters.Phoenix’s Ultimate burns away all Bonus Health, destroys any Shields, and eliminates all Summons instantlywhen its explosion triggers.
Summons inMarvel Rivalsrange from anything created by another character that has a separate health bar that enemies can attack. For example, Loki clones, Peni Parker’s spider nest, or Rocket Raccoon’s Ultimate all count as Summons.
This trait allows Phoenix to break blockades set up by enemy teams, especially ones on maps where you have to capture an objective location.Phoenix can use her Ultimate to destroy all enemy buffs at once, giving her team the perfect opportunity to push forward. Once Phoenix uses her Ultimate, she reappears back where she triggered it, no matter how far away the Phoenix Force landed when it was used.
Best Team Composition For Phoenix
Unite With Others Who Can Capitalize On Immolation
Team-Up abilities inMarvel Rivalstypically define which characters work best together in a team, and Phoenix is no exception.One existing Team-Up with Phoenix uses her as an anchor, giving another hero new properties to an existing ability by her simply existing in the same comp. However, Team-Ups do not define what characters you need to always run with Phoenix, as others also compliment her toolkit.
Here are some of the best characters to pair with Phoenix:
Wolverine receives theMind’s GraceTeam-Up when united with Phoenix, altering his Feral Leap ability. With Jean Grey on his side,Logan adds flames of the Phoenix Force to his Feral Leap, creating an explosion when he landsthat scorches nearby enemies. This deals damage over time, but after Wolverine lands,he also gains lifesteal on all his attacks, allowing him to regenerate health on every successful hit for a short time.
Based on initial reactions from matches with Wolverine and Phoenix, Mind’s Grace may be one of the best Team-Ups in the game since it allows Wolverine to survive some Ultimate attacks by simply slashing through enemies after his Feral Leap.
Since Phoenix is a character with big burst damage, other burst heroes like Storm, Human Torch, and Hela work wonderfullyalongside her. Storm can use lightning to quickly finish enemies left on death’s door from Phoenix’s Spark build-up during a match. Similarly, Hela and Human Torch can use their damaging AoE or burst damage primary attacks to help stockpile damage on enemies, making them easier for Phoenix to eliminate through Sparks.
Best Tips, Tricks, & Strategies For Winning
Don’t Let Others Douse Your Ignited Firepower
Phoenix is a tricky character to play, as you have to constantly be mindful of the Sparks you’ve applied to enemies.Sparks will eventually go away if you don’t stack them on foes, making Phoenix a Duelist who has to prioritize targets carefully. Concentrating on Vanguards, for example, would mean she has to build up Sparks multiple times, preventing her from doing meaningful damage compared to targeting characters from other roles.
The Ultimate ability of Phoenix is not invincible either, so it’s very easy to use it recklessly in the heat of battle. Once transformed into the Ultimate, Phoenix has around 400 Health that can be reduced to nothing to deactivate the ability. Similar to Hela’s Ultimate, a coordinated team can nullify Phoenix’s strongest tool, removing a powerful advantage your team could have had.
Both of Phoenix’s mobility skills have long cooldowns, so try not to use them back to back. Doing this will rob you of any escape options during a match, but having one active before an intense battle ensures you always have a way to maneuver yourself in a chaotic situation.
Using multiple abilities of the Phoenix to apply Sparks gives you a better chance to plan when to trigger explosions as your team engages with your opponents.You should time the explosions from Sparks at the right time to trigger many chain reactions, letting one explosion spread to another to stack damage. Spreading Sparks, stunning and slowing enemies, then causing an explosion will create a combination of damage sure to take down even the sturdiest characters.
Although Phoenix can struggle defensively sometimes, her role as a glass cannon of sorts makes her an invaluable asset to a team. If you may juggle all her abilities, use her Ultimate correctly, and understand the tricks behind her attacks, Phoenix can be a powerful hero inMarvel Rivalsas she wields cosmic power with her own innate psychic gifts.
