Phoenix vs Spectre

How this matchup plays

Putting Supernova in the middle of a fight feels like it should punish a hero like Spectre, but it often creates the perfect target. While Phoenix’s area damage is a problem, his ultimate is a stationary beacon that a Spectre can Haunt to and isolate. A Phoenix egg away from its team is an easy kill for Spectre, who can burn it down quickly with help from her illusions. This is the opposite of when they're allies, where a Haunt is the perfect setup for Phoenix to land his abilities and safely use his ultimate on a scattered enemy team.

The matchup comes down to key teamfight execution as the game goes on. In the early game, Phoenix can make Spectre’s life miserable with constant fire and lane pressure. Once Spectre has her ultimate, however, the dynamic changes. She can now pick her fights and instantly jump on Phoenix whenever he dives in or is caught slightly out of position. A good Phoenix has to be much more careful with Icarus Dive, saving it to escape a Haunt illusion. It becomes a game of chicken over who commits their ultimate first and who has better positioning when it happens.