Phoenix

Phoenix's abilities are built on fire, which hurts enemies and heals him:

• Blaze: creates a wall of fire that blocks vision and damages enemies who cross it. If you walk through it, it heals you;
• Curveball: a flash that curves left or right after you throw it. It blinds the angle behind a door or a corner without exposing yourself;
• Hot Hands (signature): a fireball that creates a burning area. It damages enemies and heals you. It clears a corner, stops a defuse or restores health after a fight;
• Run It Back (ultimate): marks the spot you are standing on. For a few seconds you can move and fight; if you die, or when the time runs out, you return to the marked spot at full health. Since patch 13.02 it costs one more ultimate point, so it comes a little less often.

Pick Phoenix when:

• you want a duelist who does not rely much on teammates: he blinds his own way with Curveball and heals with Blaze and Hot Hands;
• you are learning the duelist role: his abilities are simple, forgiving and teach the basics of entering (flash, peek, fall back);
• you play solo queue, with teammates who do not always set up entries: Phoenix creates his own chances;
• the map has tight angles and doors, where a curving flash is worth a lot.

Run It Back makes Phoenix strong in important rounds too: a "free" entry where you gather info and maybe a kill, without losing a player.