Phoenix Guide

Items

Starting:

• Tango   Item   Tango (Shared)   Changelogs     TangoB Forage to survive on the battlefield. Cost125 Bought FromConsumables Active Eat a Tree or Ward Charges 4 Disassemble? No Alert allies? No Recipe The Tango es and a Healing Salve   Item   Changelogs     Healing SalveB A magical salve that can quickly mend even the deepest of wounds. Cost110 Bought FromConsumables Active Regenerate Health Charges 1 Disassemble? No Alert allies? No Recipe The are basic starting game health regeneration items that are much more useful on Phoenix as all of its non-ultimate abilities have health costs.
• Clarity   Item   Changelogs     ClarityB Clear water that enhances the ability to meditate. Cost50 Bought FromConsumables Active Regenerate Mana Charges 1 Disassemble? No Alert allies? No Recipe The Clarity is an item purchasable is enough to let Phoenix regain enough mana if it spams Fire Spirits or Sun Ray too much early game.
• Iron Branches give Phoenix much needed stats, as well as be later built into either a Magic Wand or Mekansm.
• Wind Lace should be purchased first for Tranquil Boots, as the other parts of the boots can be purchased from the Side Shop.

Early-game:

• Tranquil Boots should be Phoenix` choice of footwear as its health regeneration help Phoenix refund the health costs of its abilities, especially when channeling Sun Ray. If Tangoes are still available in your inventory, try using them while the Boots are unbroken so that you gain 21.19 HPTechnology company regeneration per second instead of the usual 14. The high movement speed will also allow Phoenix to visit lanes and/or enter teamfights as soon as possible.
• Urn of Shadows   Item   Changelogs     Urn of ShadowsB Contains the ashes of powerful demons. Cost875 (310) Bought FromSupport Active Soul Release Charges 0 Bonus +2 Strength+2 Agility+2 Intelligence+2 Armor+1 Mana regeneration Disassemble? No Alert helps restore health after successful skills, or perhaps add even more DPS if Phoenix is aggressive and is successful at it. The mana regeneration may be rather small but still proves useful.
• Helm of Iron Will should be the first item for Veil of Discord to be bought, as Phoenix is still lacking on armor and health regeneration.

Core:

• Veil of Discord practically removes the base 25% magic resistance that Heroes have, letting Phoenix` abilities deal their full damage. Its added armor, health regeneration and Intelligence are all also good stats to have on Phoenix.
• Shiva`s Guard   Item   Changelogs     Shiva s Guard Said to have belonged to a goddess, today it retains much of its former power. Cost4750 (650) Bought FromArmor Active Arctic Blast Passive Freezing Aura Bonus +30 is the main core item on any Phoenix, as both its aura and active possess attack speed slows that aid in the Phoenix Sun`s survivability if used right before Supernova. The additional intelligence gives Phoenix a much larger mana pool, and the armor combined with the passive attack speed slow aura gives it much more survivability against physical damage. Using the active blast during Icarus Dive causes the wave to follow Phoenix, allowing it to apply the slow and additional nuke to multiple enemies in a larger area in a short amount of time, and the attack speed slow still works during Supernova⃢₀₋, greatly increasing the odds of success.
• Radiance   Item   Old Abilities   Changelogs     Radiance A divine weapon that causes damage and a bright burning effect that lays waste to nearby enemies. Cost5150 (1350) Bought FromWeapons Passive Burn Bonus +65 fits a Phoenix performing the initiator role. Not only does it add more damage to Phoenix` output, but the 17% miss chance might make a difference in having a successful Supernova should the enemy decide to focus it down.
• Aghanim`s Scepter   Item   Upgraded Abilities   Old Abilities   Lore   Changelogs     Aghanim s Scepter The scepter of a wizard with demigod-like powers. Cost4200 Bought FromCaster Passive Ultimate Upgrade Bonus +10 Strength+10 Agility+10 Intelligence+175 is more for a support role Phoenix, turning Supernova into a very powerful "heal". It is more effective on Heroes with long cooldowns on non-ultimate abilities (such as

Gameplay

Playstyle
Phoenix   Hero   Strategy   Counters   Equipment   Gear   Responses   Sounds   Lore   Old Abilities   Changelogs     Phoenix 19 + 3.2 12 + 1.3 18 + 1.8 Level Base is a risk-reward, spell-dependent supportive initiator adept at placing debuffs on a wide area to hamper the enemy team`s offensive capabilities and slowly burn their health away. Its abilities let it apply powerful slows, rain down heavy damage over time from a distance, and then cover a large area in a stellar inferno as it collapses into a scorching Supernova. Should enemies fail to destroy or escape it, they will be met with a spell immunity-piercing stun, allowing Phoenix and its allies to take advantage of the enemy and follow up with their other abilities.
Pros	Cons
Long range on all of its abilities. Counters auto-attack dependent carries. Scaling magical damage along with healing. Capable of inflicting many debuffs on multiple enemies at once. Deceptively elusive and durable with the right order of spell usage.	No true disables. Has almost no spell immunity piercing effects. Very ability and mana dependent. Requires precise and careful positioning, aim and timing. Low armor and has health costs along with mana costs on most abilities.

Videos

Info

Hero

Strategy

Counters Play “Many hands make light work.” This article is badly written or needs more information. Please help the community by updating it. Read this formatting guide first.   Hero   Strategy   Counters   Equipment

Equipment   Hero   Strategy   Counters   Equipment   Gear   Responses   Sounds   Lore   Old Abilities   Changelogs     v • d • e Phoenix Equipment (collapse sets)Sets Vermillion CrucibleHead Crest of the Vermillion Crucible Solar

Gear   Hero   Strategy   Counters   Equipment   Gear   Responses   Sounds   Lore   Old Abilities   Changelogs     This is a list of cosmetic items that reflects Phoenix s design aesthetics.

Responses   Hero   Strategy   Counters   Equipment   Gear   Responses   Sounds   Lore   Old Abilities   Changelogs     v • d • e  Voice responses Hero responses Abaddon Alchemist Ancient Apparition Anti-Mage Arc Warden Axe Bane

Sounds   Hero   Strategy   Counters   Equipment   Gear   Responses   Sounds   Lore   Old Abilities   Changelogs     v • d • e  Dota 2 Sounds Hero Sounds Abaddon Alchemist Ancient Apparition Anti-Mage Arc Warden Axe

Lore   Hero   Strategy   Counters   Equipment   Gear   Responses   Sounds   Lore   Old Abilities   Changelogs     Phoenix Alone across an untouched darkness gleamed the Keeper s first sun, a

Old Abilities   Hero   Strategy   Counters   Equipment   Gear   Responses   Sounds   Lore   Old Abilities   Changelogs     Icarus Dive (6.75-6.75b) QD AbilityNo Target AffectsAllies / Self Icarus enters a

Changelogs   Hero   Strategy   Counters   Equipment   Gear   Responses   Sounds   Lore   Old Abilities   Changelogs     Contents 1 Version history 2 Patch history Version history edit] Version Description

Initiator

Phoenix is best played as an initiator, as it can deal heavy damage per second over time with its abilities. Fire Spirits should be the first maxed-out ability, acting as a pseudo-disable that can fool the enemy into thinking they can fight back. Adding more levels to Icarus Dive applies more DPS to an enemy when harassing during the laning phase or when initiating. Avoid leveling Sun Ray early on as you require the mana for Fire Spirits and Supernova, and Phoenix` mana pool is not very large early game. Supernova can turn the tide of battle if used properly. Quick reaction time, proper positioning, and an aggressive, risk-taking mindset is important, so that it can land all its debuffs on most (preferably all) of the enemy team prior to using your ultimate, dealing immense magic damage in a large area that can be difficult to escape from. Faster spell activation will give the enemy a smaller window of opportunity to try and disable you before you can activate your ultimate. Items that synergize with Supernova well (such as magic amplification and AoE effects) are best gotten for Phoenix players that go by this play style.

Support

Phoenix` abilities are also very good at disorienting the enemy team and keep your team alive in teamfights. Instead of focusing on initiating with Supernova, it is reserved only as a follow-up for its team`s other abilities, preferably AoE disables such as Chronosphere or Ravage. Sun Ray will be Phoenix` staple ability, as its scaling and gradually increasing damage can easily whittle an enemy`s health down, and even heal allies at the same time. Fire Spirits should be the next priority as it is still important in keeping the Supernova alive, while Icarus Dive only increases its damage with levels, meaning it should be maxed last. Positioning is still key, so that Sun Ray may be in an angle that lets it heal and damage simultaneously. Items to go for in this play style are preferably those that aid in the survival of your own team, such as auras like Pipe of Insight   Item   Changelogs     Pipe of InsightB A powerful artifact of mysterious origin, it creates barriers against magical forces. Cost3200 (800) Bought FromSupport Active Barrier Passive Insight Aura Bonus +8 Health regeneration+30% Magic or Guardian Greaves   Item   Changelogs     Guardian Greaves One of many holy instruments constructed to honor the Omniscience. Cost5375 (1700) Bought FromSupport Active Mend Passive Guardian Aura Bonus +5 Strength+5 Agility+5 Intelligence+5 Armor+250 Mana+55 Movement , but if Aghanim`s Scepter   Item   Upgraded Abilities   Old Abilities   Lore   Changelogs     Aghanim s Scepter The scepter of a wizard with demigod-like powers. Cost4200 Bought FromCaster Passive Ultimate Upgrade Bonus +10 Strength+10 Agility+10 Intelligence+175 becomes an option, Sun survivability should be top priority to prevent having two deaths at once in your own team, so buying items like Shiva`s Guard   Item   Changelogs     Shiva s Guard Said to have belonged to a goddess, today it retains much of its former power. Cost4750 (650) Bought FromArmor Active Arctic Blast Passive Freezing Aura Bonus +30 or Radiance   Item   Old Abilities   Changelogs     Radiance A divine weapon that causes damage and a bright burning effect that lays waste to nearby enemies. Cost5150 (1350) Bought FromWeapons Passive Burn Bonus +65 are good possible next items.

Ability Builds

• Fire Spirits should be the top priority to increase its attack speed slow as soon as possible to protect the Phoenix Sun as it is very vulnerable with a level 1 Supernova (only taking 5 hits before being destroyed), and while Icarus Dive`s scaling is poor (as it only increases the damage while the other stats remain the same), inflicting both the Dive`s and the Spirits` debuffs on an enemy will mean they will take high damage no matter where they may go, as long as they get hit by Phoenix even just once. Two levels of Icarus Dive is enough early to mid game, then go with maxing out Sun Ray to increase your damage output in teamfights more.

• Maxing out Sun Ray first gives Phoenix` lanemate(s) a bit more survivability, and the growing damage may be enough to fend off enemies early game. Fire Spirits should still be maxed after Sun Ray as it helps tremendously in keeping the Phoenix Sun alive, but since the Phoenix Sun will be mostly used defensively, it won`t be as important.

Talents

Hero Talents   Main   Table of Gained Bonuses     The Talent Selection interface. Talents are traits unique to each hero. They are chosen every 5th level starting at level 10, offering a permanent choice between
+1s Supernova Stun Duration	25	+2 Supernova Hit Count
+8% Spell Amplification	20	+10 Armor
+150 Gold/Min	15	+65 Fire Spirits DPS
+175 Health	10	+20% XP Gain

Notes:

• Upgrading health increases maximum health capacity and keeps the current health percentage.

• Gold granted from the talent is unreliable gold “ Play Now that s how you make gold. Click to listen— Alchemist ” Gold is the currency used to buy items or instantly revive your hero. Gold can be earned from killing heroes, creeps, or buildings. Contents .

• The armor is added as bonus armor, and therefore does not benefit illusions.

Aggressive/Initiator Phoenix

• When choosing to do an aggressive playstyle, Phoenix must increase its spell damage output and its capability to contribute to teamfights a lot more. Since initiator Phoenix players will use Supernova to get into fights often, the additional health, Strength and armor are not too important as the Phoenix Sun does not use these values. Instead, the extra experience gain will allow Phoenix to level up its abilities, and reach the next talents, faster, and the extra Fire Spirits damage and spell damage amplification will increase Phoenix` threat to enemies in teamfights, heavily damaging and crippling enemies who dare choose to not disengage with your team.

• The last talent tree section is highly situational. If the enemy team is composed of high attack speed Heroes, choosing the extra Supernova hit count will assist the ability`s completion. Meanwhile, if the enemy Heroes are either lacking in attack speed or have difficulty escaping your initiation, choosing the additional stun time will be helpful in keeping the enemy in place and let your team follow up with their own damage.

Support Phoenix

• For the support Phoenix, such players won`t be throwing themselves deep into the fight with their ultimate, rather will be using their spells from afar to cripple the enemy and aid their allies while staying away from harm, or perhaps initiate as well but mostly using their already available spells to add damage to a gank or teamfight. The additional health and armor will increase Phoenix` lane survivability, and perhaps more protection from would be gankers or should it be the focus of a teamfight, the extra gold per minute will allow faster purchasing of expensive core items like Shiva`s Guard   Item   Changelogs     Shiva s Guard Said to have belonged to a goddess, today it retains much of its former power. Cost4750 (650) Bought FromArmor Active Arctic Blast Passive Freezing Aura Bonus +30 , Aghanim`s Scepter   Item   Upgraded Abilities   Old Abilities   Lore   Changelogs     Aghanim s Scepter The scepter of a wizard with demigod-like powers. Cost4200 Bought FromCaster Passive Ultimate Upgrade Bonus +10 Strength+10 Agility+10 Intelligence+175 , Octarine Core   Item   Changelogs     Octarine CoreS At the core of spellcraft are spectrums only the very gifted can sense. Cost5900 Bought FromCaster Passive Cooldown Reduction, Spell Lifesteal Bonus +25 Intelligence+425 Health+425 Mana Disassemble? or Radiance   Item   Old Abilities   Changelogs     Radiance A divine weapon that causes damage and a bright burning effect that lays waste to nearby enemies. Cost5150 (1350) Bought FromWeapons Passive Burn Bonus +65 , and the additional Supernova hit count stacks with Aghanim`s Scepter   Item   Upgraded Abilities   Old Abilities   Lore   Changelogs     Aghanim s Scepter The scepter of a wizard with demigod-like powers. Cost4200 Bought FromCaster Passive Ultimate Upgrade Bonus +10 Strength+10 Agility+10 Intelligence+175 `s as well, meaning should Phoenix absorb an ally into its Sun, enemy Heroes could have great difficulty destroying it if the entire team doesn`t focus it down as soon as possible or if they lack the attack speed.

General

• Remember to keep at least 310 mana on Phoenix at all times, so that you have enough to use Fire Spirits and Supernova should the need arise. Try not to waste too much mana with your spells as lacking these abilities to use can make escaping difficult if Icarus Dive is unavailable. Defend yourself by activating Fire Spirits, applying them quickly to enemies and then cast Supernova to protect yourself. If done right, you will be reborn with refreshed abilities, health and mana, as well as stunned opponents, letting you Dive away to safety.
• Phoenix` non-ultimate abilities are very weak at level 1. Try to get to level 3 first to obtain a level 2 Fire Spirits/Sun Ray to harass the enemy with. Supernova is also rather fragile at level 1, so great caution must be taken when using the ability at low levels.
• All of Phoenix` abilities, except for its ultimate, have health costs along with mana costs (except Icarus Dive). With this in mind, be wary of the enemy team if you`re spamming abilities in a lane. While the health costs are always based on your current health (and therefore, you can never kill yourself with it), it will decrease your health to a considerable amount from full, making you a tempting target for a gank. As such, ward your jungles (or ask an ally to do so), or simply have an escape prepared should you find yourself ambushed.
• Phoenix does not have any targeted abilities and have very good range and radii, making it good for area denial, scouting or teamfight contribution all from a safe distance.
• Phoenix does the most damage when it manages to apply all its debuffs (and any of those from items it has bought) onto its target, slowly whittling them down. Being highly dependent on debuffs, be wary of enemies that have dispelling abilities like Press the Attack or Aphotic Shield.

Icarus Dive

• Icarus Dive has no mana cost, meaning it can be used any time it`s off cooldown and not silenced.
• Be wary of silences while Diving, as it will prevent you from cancelling the dive and result in you turning back to where you started.
• Also take care of roots Root (formerly known as Ensnare and Entangle) is a status effect that prevents affected units from moving, and from casting some mobility spells. Contents 1 Mechanics 2 Rooting abilities 3 Self-rooting abilities 4 Disabled by , as this prevents you from casting the Dive. Be that as it may, getting rooted during the Dive does not cancel it.
• You can attack, use abilities and items while Diving. Try to finish off an enemy by applying its debuff, getting to land a few attacks and perhaps use other abilities/items such as Fire Spirits or Urn of Shadows   Item   Changelogs     Urn of ShadowsB Contains the ashes of powerful demons. Cost875 (310) Bought FromSupport Active Soul Release Charges 0 Bonus +2 Strength+2 Agility+2 Intelligence+2 Armor+1 Mana regeneration Disassemble? No Alert , then let yourself circle back to your original location.
  • Phoenix does not need to turn to use abilities/items while Diving, so they can be used in quick succession regardless of where you are in the Dive.

Fire Spirits

• Always try to apply the Fire Spirits debuff on all enemy Heroes before using Supernova, so that destroying it will at the very least, be slow to make the most use of it.
• Remember that Fire Spirits does not stack with itself. Try to spend the four spirits wisely so that you can make most of the ability for its entire duration.
• The spirits have a fixed movement speed, and therefore take some time to reach their destination. Try to lead your aim so that it can hit a moving enemy, or try to predict where the enemy might move to next. This also means that firing the spirits from its maximum distance (especially if cast range is increased) will delay their impact further compared to firing from a closer distance.
• The attack speed slow can be enough to completely nullify an auto-attacker Hero for a meanwhile. If you are suddenly ganked, try to apply the debuff on your assailants, and perhaps try to turn the fight around or escape.
• The attack speed slow also works on Roshan. Accompany an ally and help out by casting it on Roshan, making sure to use the Spirits one after the other`s debuff to make full use of them.

Sun Ray

• Reserve Sun Ray for healing purposes or if there is a fleeing enemy within reach. Sun Ray is fairly weak when the enemy is at or is close to full health.
• The damage/heal increases the longer the Ray is activated, so try to keep the Ray pointed at an enemy/ally for maximum efficiency.
• Sun Ray`s heal is not as quick acting as other heals, therefore it is best to be used while an ally is being attacked at full health instead of using it as a last-ditch save attempt.
• Sun Ray gives vision along its path. Use it to scout areas such as Roshan`s pit, above cliffs, or the juke areas inside trees where enemy Heroes would tend to hide in.
• Be careful of the enemy team when you`re channeling the Sun Ray. Even with the toggled movement, you are a very easy target for skillshots like Meat Hook or Sacred Arrow. Try to hide behind allies or be in a hard to reach area so you cannot be hit by such spells while still contributing to fights.
• When movement is toggled on, Phoenix can fly over cliffs and destroy trees, as well as be unaffected by any sort of slows. Depending on the situation, it can be used to escape a gank or a failed teamfight to get yourself to safety. You can use it to fly over Ice Shards or Fissure, to break free from Pounce`s leash or Kinetic Field, or to ignore the slows from Ice Wall or Fortune`s End. During the toggled movement, you are also immune to roots Root (formerly known as Ensnare and Entangle) is a status effect that prevents affected units from moving, and from casting some mobility spells. Contents 1 Mechanics 2 Rooting abilities 3 Self-rooting abilities 4 Disabled by like Earthbind and Ensnare; be that as it may, beware of Frostbite, as even though it is also a rooting ability, it applies a ministun upon cast, so it can stop the movement, but it won`t prevent it.
  • Phoenix can still cast abilities and items while firing the Sun Ray. A wise escape tactic can be to toggle the Ray`s movement on (preferably through a cliff) and then teleport back to base while moving so enemies may have a harder time trying to stop you from escaping.

Supernova

• Supernova is best used if Phoenix is at low health and mana to make the most of its refreshing ability at the end. Be that as it may, having quick reaction times and judgment is important so that Phoenix cannot be silenced, disabled or nuked down before it can use the ability.
• Illusions cannot destroy the Phoenix Sun, but clones such as those from Divided We Stand or Tempest Double can.
• No ability can affect the Sun, meaning abilities like Phantom Strike or Focus Fire are no threats against it.
• Situations to best use Supernova in is if the enemy team is clumped together so that they will take the AoE damage for as long and as much as possible. Such times will be if they are trying to push a tower, at Roshan For Roshan as he appears in holiday events, see Roshan (Diretide 2012) and Roshan (Diretide 2013) Roshan Ancient Jungle Creep Level 30 Health 5500 Health regeneration 20 Armor 15 Magic resistance 55% Attack damage 65 `s pit, or if they are captured in an allied AoE disable, such as Black Hole or Reverse Polarity.
• With Aghanim`s Scepter   Item   Upgraded Abilities   Old Abilities   Lore   Changelogs     Aghanim s Scepter The scepter of a wizard with demigod-like powers. Cost4200 Bought FromCaster Passive Ultimate Upgrade Bonus +10 Strength+10 Agility+10 Intelligence+175 , if the Sun is destroyed, it gives away a double kill to the Hero that gets the last hit, meaning trying to use Supernova offensively while having an absorbed ally is highly not recommended. Instead, cast it as far away from harm as possible, to reduce the chances of having it destroyed, and so the reborn ally is not immediately returned to the fray, possibly killing them quickly.
• The Sun can be denied when it reaches 50% health. If you got good communication with your allies, you can tell them to deny your Sun if it is about to be destroyed by an enemy and it has no chance of completing.
• Using Icarus Dive towards an uphill and casting Supernova will greatly increase the chances of Supernova completing, as there is an uphill miss chance Relationship Between Effective @@@#@@@HP(hp.com)###@### % and Evasion Evasion is a passive ability that gives the unit a chance to dodge an incoming physical attack. When evaded, the attack gets completely nullified, acting as if it and melee units will not be able to hit you if they`re not on the same ground.
• Keep in mind that while Supernova applies a strong dispel, it is still unable to remove certain debuffs such as Rupture, Ice Blast or Doom.
  • Be that as it may, even when afflicted by Ice Blast`s debuff, preventing healing, Supernova will still reset your (and your ally`s with Scepter) health back to full, as well as make you (and your ally) invulnerable to the DPS of the ability, possibly saving you and your ally from death caused by the frostbite.