[Kalyx triaD]

Will you increase Phoenix's health in MvC3? Seth Killian: No Phoenix health buffs just yet, sorry Her health has continued to go down over the course of development based precisely on our extreme respect for her overall potential. I keep saying it, but nobody likes the answer because it's a tough one: If you want to win with Phoenix, don't get hit. It's tough, but not impossible. She's not for beginners, and I would never start a match with her, but she's one of the most explosive characters in the game. On point she has a terrifying rush and extreme mobility (8-way airdash, speed, flying, instant teleport to multiple positions), and an effective way to set it up from far away (tracking fireballs). Her Phoenix traps and faster fireballs are also a solid keepaway, and when she "goes dark" you can totally flood the screen with projectiles. She's very, very good. Her low health is her weakness, but it's also not quite as bad as it seems because: 1) She has a healing-field hyper. It works, and fast. If you combine that with a solid rush pattern, she can recover a big chunk of her life rather quickly if she's willing to approach. 2) With Dark Phoenix mode, she essentially has *two* lifebars. It's not quite that simple of course, but she does get a full bar back, and even a mini-combo breaker when she turns (she pops out of whatever was happening to her when she turns, though some things (like some projectile hypers) will continue hitting her after she finishes the transformation). Phoenix is a high-wire act. She can stay alive and just dominate you, but in order to do it she has to be routinely putting herself into dangerous situations (re: getting near you). She's super fun to mash with, but winning with her at high levels is a bit like Strider in MvC2 — she's a glass-jawed meter hog, but heaven help you when she starts her rush.