Phoenix in Marvel Rivals, aka the X-Man Jean Grey, is a powerful Duelist who was added to Marvel Rivals as part of the Season 3 update. Based around afflicting enemies with "Sparks" that cause deadly explosions and health regeneration for Phoenix herself, Jean is definitely a glass cannon who specializes in clearing out groups of foes with AOE and splash damage attacks, giving her an interesting role in the Marvel Rivals character tier list.
She's not a complex character overall, but mastering Phoenix and working out the right way to play her in Marvel Rivals is tricky, in part because she tends to struggle if enemies can close the distance. To help you get over the initial hurdle of this ancient cosmic power, here's how to play as the Phoenix, with a full list of her abilities and everything you need to know about the right strategies.
All Phoenix abilities and attacks in Marvel Rivals
Below are all of Phoenix's abilities in Marvel Rivals and what they do in combat:
- R2/RT – Cosmic Flames: A ranged projectile. Hitting an enemy applies a Spark to them, and if you get a critical hit, you apply 2 Sparks. At 3 Sparks, the target explodes for extra damage, and applies 1 Spark to all nearby enemies. Triggering a 3 Spark explosion also causes health regen for Phoenix.
- L1/LB – Telepathic Illusion: Teleport a short distance while leaving behind an illusion that explodes nearly instantly, creating a Spark on foes it hits.
- R1/RB – Dark Ascent: Trigger a temporary free flight in which ammo replenishes. Attacking during flight immediately ends it.
- L2/LT – Telekinesis Burst: Mark an area that then explodes three times. The first blast stuns, the others slow. They all apply a Spark to enemies hit.
- (ULTIMATE) L3+R3/LS+RS – Endsong Inferno: Fly into the air and choose an area to crash into, creating a heavy explosion that applies 1 Spark to foes and destroys all Summons, Shields and Bonus Health.
Most of Phoenix's attacks generate Sparks on enemies, which can be seen with the little flame icons above their heads, and they do nothing until an enemy has 3 of them. At that point, the enemy explodes and takes extra damage, as well as dealing damage (and applying 1 Spark) to all enemies nearby. On top of this, the blast also causes Phoenix to start healing.
Marvel Rivals Phoenix Team-Ups
Phoenix has one team-up in Marvel Rivals: "Mind's Grace" with Wolverine. When paired up, Wolverine's Feral Leap (LB/L1) now gives him an aura that damages nearby foes for Percentile Damage and gives his attacks lifesteal. It's an incredibly good buff for Wolverine that makes him much harder to kill.
Phoenix strategies and how to play
To play successfully as Phoenix, the best thing you can do is keep a healthy distance and fight at range. Jean's ability to create explosions at long range and her low health means that she's best suited to clearing out groups of low-health enemies, especially if they're grouped together. Healers, weaker Duelists and characters who create destroyable objects (like Loki) are all fair game for Phoenix. Remember, land those headshots. They apply double the sparks, an important bonus.
If somebody gets close and tries to draw you into melee, use your teleport and flight powers to clear some distance. Jean struggles against tanks, melee and characters who can shield themselves like Marvel Rivals Emma Frost, so keep a careful distance and let your allies help you with them.
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