Valorant’s Phoenix: Everything You Need to Know

"Buy stuff, kaching, lil' skkkrrrr, then we're done, yeah?" - Phoenix

Jamie Adeyemi, better known as Phoenix, is one of the original agents of Valorant and one of the 3 duelists that were available at the game’s launch. He was everyone’s favorite as he possessed a versatile ability kit that included healing, flashes, and a wall. On top of that, his charismatic personality made him a very fun agent to play. However, Phoenix has gone from being the most loved agent to the most ignored one over the years. Here is everything you need to know about him and let’s find out together what actually went wrong with Phoenix!

About Phoenix

Phoenix, A.K.A. Jamie Adeyemi, is a Radiant coming from the Peckham district in London, England. He has received his name “Phoenix” due to his ability kit revolving around fire and regeneration, just like the mythological bird. Phoenix is a duelist agent that is confident and does not hesitate to charge head first into a fight. He is also a bit brash and impatient as shown in the Valorant Cinematics. His confidence and his ability kit make him a natural duelist agent and he often manages to prove that he is a skilled fighter, one way or the other.

In the game, he is one of the first and few agents that come equipped with a flash ability. Phoenix is almost self-sufficient with his unmatched ability kit that consists of flashes, heals, mollies, walls, and a rewind. Hence he is often played aggressively and his playstyle is comparatively easier to master as well.

Ability Kit

Blaze (C)

• Effect: Creates a flame wall towards the direction he is aiming at and it blocks all vision passing through. The wall also damages enemies or allies that pass through it but regenerates Phoenix’s health when touching it. It can also be bent by holding the fire key and swinging the crosshair/mouse while casting it. The wall can be used offensively to charge into sites or defensively to back off from sights without giving enemies the vision.

• Charge: Single charge

• Type: Basic ability

• Cost: 200 Creds

• Duration: 8 seconds

Curveball (Q)

• Effect: Equips a fiery orb that slightly goes forward, curves, and detonates when fired. It blinds all players looking at it, including allies. The player can choose the direction of the curve (left and right) by either pressing the fire key or the alternate fire key.

• Charges: 2 charges

• Type: Basic ability

• Cost: 250 Creds

Hot Hands (E)

• Effect: Equips a fireball that can be thrown to set a certain area of the surface aflame. This flame damages anyone standing on it, including allies. While this acts as a Molotov/incendiary grenade, Phoenix himself can step on it to heal himself.

• Charges: Single charge. The ability recharges every 2 kills.

• Type: Signature ability

• Cost: Free

Run it Back (X)

• Effect: Phoenix goes into an unkillable form for marking the place where he cast the ability. While it is on, Phoenix can run into enemies without the fear of getting killed as he will be rolled back to the previously marked location once he takes enough damage to knock him out. This ability lasts for a few seconds and it is useful for aggressive plays and to know the whereabouts of enemies.

• Type: Ultimate ability

• Cost: 6 points

• Duration: 10 seconds

How to Play Phoenix

Phoenix falls under the duelist class; meaning that he is an agent made to make entries and perform aggressive plays in the frontline of the team. He is very efficient in close combat, especially for checking corners and fighting close-range 1v1s. Since Phoenix’s abilities also help him heal apart from damaging others, you rarely need to worry about running low on health points. Moreover, his abilities are pretty straightforward, and because of that, he is an extremely beginner-friendly agent and easy to master. He is also the ideal pick if you don’t feel like you can count on your allies.

Following below are some tips on how you should utilize his abilities for the best outcomes:

• Blaze (C) and Hot Hands (E) abilities are great to make offensive plays. But also don’t hesitate to use them to heal yourself up and not worry about being vulnerable to getting one shot. However, choose a clear and safe spot to heal and always look out for your allies when using these abilities as they can get hurt by them.

• Apart from being the go-to healing ability, Hot Hands (E) can also be used to bait enemies out of corners. If you know the location of an enemy and you don’t feel like peeking, force them to make the first move by throwing that molly.

• Curveball (Q) has a very low traveling distance so using it can be a little tricky. Always make sure to pick a proper cover before casting it and that allies do not get flashed in the process. If you find yourself in a spot without any cover/walls to utilize your flash, you can simply whip out the Blaze (C) to create your own temporary wall according to your liking.

• Everybody loves to knife a Phoenix when his ultimate rolls back. So check that the area is clear before casting your ultimate.

The Decline or Rise of Phoenix

Phoenix was one of the most fun agents to play in the early days of the game and everyone ranked him as one of their favorite agents in Valorant. The feisty brit was even a go-to pick in pro play during the early stages of the game. However, over the years, more and more agents have been introduced into the game and Phoenix has started to be left behind in the race. He currently is one of the least chosen agents with a pick rate of 3.3% and he also is the least picked duelist in the game. This applies in pro play as well, in fact, he wasn’t picked even once in the VCT NA and EMEA Stage 2 Challengers.

This is mainly because of how the game is moving forward with the new maps and agents.  Right now newer agents like Chamber, Skye, and Kay/O make much more sense with their versatility: they simply do everything Phoenix does, but better. A massive buff to Phoenix is really needed to bring him back to his former glory and it seems that Riot listened. An announcement of buffs to Phoenix is underway and we are hyped for what is in store! Now that you’ve got all this new knowledge, try it out for yourself. Track your stats and compete with G-Loot while you play to see your progress and earn rewards!