Hi! This will be my second time around in making guides, the first being the same Phoenix guide that I scratched out. I am an avid Phoenix player, and I devoted most of my DotA games playing Icarus as my hero, ever since he was introduced. Before we start, I have incorporated numerous images to beautify the presentation, and I do hope that you will like it.
My guide will focus more on skill usages, synergy, and strategies, and of course, my personal perspective in playing Phoenix. While I may go in-depth in the item builds, I'd like to give the most freedom in constructing your own item build depending on the situation, meaning there are occasional times that you need to shift your item selections to another. That's just how I love DotA, not every game is the same, and you must adapt to it.
Also, I'd like you to know that I'm your casual DotA player, and that I frequently play in pub or in LAN. This guide is meant for beginners and average gamers-alike, but I will still tackle on strategies that may be useful for more competitive gaming.
Let's get started, shall we?
Before we start, I'd like to tell you that both Icarus Dive and Fire Spirits have a 10% current HP cost while Sun Ray has a 20% current HP cost. Just a tip, always keep an eye on your HP.
I incorporated multiple tabs that will show you the basic usage, an in-depth guide, and useful tips for each skill. May these help you master the Phoenix's abilities!
Disarm, AoE Nuke, Chase, Escape, Anti-Juke
Positioning ability that lets Phoenix travel in a loop and can stop anytime while flying, damaging enemies in the path and disarming their attacks for a brief duration.
Given with that short description, you can utilize Icarus Dive in a variety of ways. With a max range of 1400, you can use this skill to surprise and gank enemies, to last hit runners, and to escape. Icarus Dive also has the rare ability to disarm heroes, for up to 3.5 seconds, which leaves carry heroes useless for a brief duration, you also have to use this ability save your allies by disarming enemy heroes. You can also use this skill to harass lane opponents and disarm their last hitting.
Apart from that, I have found ways to further utilize Icarus Dive. Trees are cut down on Phoenix's trajectory, that means you can clear out juke spots when enemies head out in the jungle. Icarus Dive can also help an ally trapped in Sprout.
- To increase your chanes of escaping, always take advantage of cliffs. It's really annoying to chase down a Phoenix flying over the next cliff.
- It takes around a second for Phoenix to reach max range, practice and make use of that by pressing D on time!
- Play mind games with your enemies, you can decide whether to end the dive or not; bluff enemies that you are escaping and let them waste their blinks.
- You are not magic immune while diving, so don't rage when somebody has caught you and stunned you to death.
- There are a handful of skills that would counter Dive even if you're not fully disabled. While you may still auto-attack or use spells, casting Dive would make it go into cool-down without doing anything (this is because these spells prevent you from moving). Examples are:
- Overgrowth
- Spirit Bear's Entangle
- Ensnare
- Searing Chains
- Pit of Malice
- Earthbind
AoE Nuke/Heal, Farm, Push
Phoenix summons 4 Fire Spirits that will circle around him, gaining power each second for up to 10 seconds. Phoenix can order the Spirits via AoE targetting, healing allies and damaging enemies within both the target AoE and around Phoenix.
My second favorite ability and probably the most used ability by Phoenix. In laning phase, Fire Spirits will be your primary harassing skill, allowing you to deal up to 360 damage in a big AoE from a 1200 range. Do not forget that this skill will also heal allies, never be stingy and always heal allies even if they don't ask for it. What's better is that not only the spirits will cause heal/damage in the target AoE, an AoE around Phoenix himself will be affected, make good use of this as you can both harass enemy heroes, farm up a wave, and heal damaged allies and creeps, all at the same time. It is needles to say, but this skill alone will be a nightmare for your enemies in early game.
As a powerful nuke, Fire Spirits, in conjuntion with a well timed Icarus Dive, can deal large burst damage which is your main weapon in ganking. In clashes, the huge AoE damage and heal can give your team the HP gap advantage.
- It takes around 10 seconds for the Spirits be in max power, but, really, you have the freedom to use it whenever you or an ally needs immediate healing or the enemy is one hit away from death.
- Practice blind AoE targetting, in other words, targeting in fog. Just a tip though, read your enemies' movement, the same skill is also used in Sun Strike, Meat Hook, Elune's Arrow, and others. I can't really guide you in this, but with enough playing you should get the hang and feel for it.
- Always use Target Fire Spirits, not only that it is ranged, you are effectively increasing the AoE of Fire Spirits.
- When defending a tower, activate Fire Spirits before using TP, saving you precious time.
Target/AoE DPS, Chasing, Escaping, Scouting
A channeling spell that lets Phoenix fire a 1150 range beam that stops at the first hero and burns enemies within a small AoE, dealing pure damage + 6% max HP per second. Phoenix will not attack or move in this state, but can drift forward with 250 movement speed via its sub-ability.
Now this is my favorite ability. Sun Ray allows you to deal damage from afar, ideal in chasing fleeing heroes, sniping from fog and cliffs, and harassing visible heroes on the lane. The biggest asset of this skill is its damage type and additonal damage. Sun Ray deals a static pure damage plus 6% of enemy's health in pure damage as well. Inarguably, this ability will shred even the toughest of tanks as it rends their hp by the percent and ignores armor and magic resistance. Range-wise and damage-wise, this ability is tremendous.
As much as I love the damage potential of Sun Ray, the sub-ability Sun Ray Movement adds more variation to this ability. The sub-ability lets Phoenix move forward in a 250 ms pace. When ray-ing a moving target, hit E and rapidly click in the direction of your target! (One trick is that you keep pressing right click on your target's location and not on the hero itself, because otherwise nearby creeps will attack you). This will help your ray stay and burn your target. Also, while in Movement, Phoenix can fly over cliffs, making this a secondary escape mech if Dive is on cool down. It's fun using Sun Ray to flee, it looks pretty annoying for your enemies. Finally, this skill destroys trees as well! Any tree in Phoenix' path is destroyed, allowing you to make quick paths between trees.
As I told and exxagerated the power of Sun Ray, it is needed that you should know the risk in using this ability. Unlike Icarus Dive and Fire Spirits that costs 10% of your health, Sun Ray will cut your hp by 20%, that means you lose a fifth of your hp in an instant. While some may argue that it is pointless to reactivate Sun Ray again to catch your fleeing target, I've been in some situations that I inevitably deactive and target Sun Ray again, this means my HP would be in dire levels then. Just to be at the safe side and if you're not used in using Sun Ray, use it in moderation and do not spam it. If you're using Sun Ray Movement to escape, be sure the hero chasing you is out of range, since there is a slight delay before Phoenix gets to move, making both the 20% HP loss and slight vulnerability be the cause of your death.
- If you're having a hard time keeping the ray against your opponents, lock them down by tapping right-click on the enemy hero. While it may attract aggro from creeps and towers, you will get better accuracy in this method. If you're getting the hang of it, try hitting right-click ON the ground instead, this is a much better techqniue allowing you to ray without attracting aggro.
- It's advisable to immediately activate Movement when a foe is hit by Sun Ray. Players will usually tend to move back, and by having Movement alreay activated, you'd get better chances to not lose your target.
- Take advantage of cliffs! It might save your life when escaping.
- The tip of Sun Ray actually gives vision, while I do not advise you to use it in this way, you can use it to gain sight over an area if front of you; Roshan's lair for example.
- Phoenix can destroy trees while drifting (while using Movement).
Full Heal, AoE DPS, Disable, Tank
Phoenix will transform into a burning sun that deals damage within 1000 AoE. If the sun is attacked for a specific number of times during the 6 second period, both the sun and Phoenix is destroyed. If the sun survives, Phoenix will be reborn with full Health and Mana, while stunning all units within the AoE.
The trademark ability of a Phoenix; resurrection. Like most of his skills, Supernova can actually be used in different ways. First, and the most used, to regenerate health and mana. In tight situations where Phoenix is on the brink of death, it is wise to use Supernova. Second, and what I mostly use it for, as a humungous AoE DPS+Stun. In conjunction with Icarus Dive and Fire Spirits and with a Supernova finale, you can deal hundreds of damage.
Perhaps people would be against this, but Supernova is great at attracting aggro from enemy heroes. The sun looks vulnerable, and might be an easy kill for the enemy team, unless your own team set it up properly. As Supernova is a post-initiator skill (used after an initiator's own skill ex. Reverse Polarity, Ravage, Overgrowth), it might be too late for the enemies when they try to destroy the sun, wasting their time when they should have escaped the AoE. With that said, the sun can actually tank for a brief moment, tell your allies to back you up since your life, and perhaps even for your own team's, is at stake.
Be reminded that the sun is destroyed when attacked a number of times (5/7/9 respectively), which means you should be cautious enough to know when or not to use Supernova. If there are 3 or more heroes in dangerous proximity and you happen to have all your skills on CD and with no assistance from allies, I advise not to play with your luck in this time. With a large AoE of 1000, its best to keep Phoenix in a safe position to use Super Nova, or use Dive to negate their attacks in preparation for Super Nova
- Don't ever think of using Super Novas within juke spots, Super Nova will destroy trees around it.
- Unless you put trees around the Sun, then you'd have better stand against melee heroes...
- Disarm enemies using Icarus Dive, then Super Nova immediately to make full use of the duration.
- Magic Immunity (e.g. Avatar) may block Super Nova's damage, but it will stun the hero for the full duration!
Common - Icarus Dive/Fire Spirits build
1 - Icarus Dive
2 - Fire Spirits
3 - Fire Spirits
4 - Sun Ray
5 - Fire Spirits
6 - Super Nova
7 - Fire Spirits
8 - Icarus Dive
9 - Icarus Dive
10 - Icarus Dive
11 - Super Nova
12 - Sun Ray
13 - Sun Ray
14 - Sun Ray
15 - Stats
16 - Super Nova
17+ Stats
This is what I call the traditional guide. This skill build is common to guides here in playdota, and as such is a very reliable one for the fact that it seeks to raise Phoenix's burst damage potential as soon as possible. Let's get started with the analysis.
Icarus Dive is taken first for its ability to escape first blood attempts and, alternatively, you can use it for initiating a first blood attempt with your team. With 100 instant damage, disarm, and flight, Icarus Dive as a level 1 skill is a sure-go.
Fire Spirits is maxed to achieve the highest damage and heal potential of Phoenix. You will use Fire Spirits to harass, heal, farm, and in about any situations that requires nuking power (ganks and clashes). As always, make good use of Target Fire Spirits and fire at heroes from a distance. Proceed to max Fire Spirits until level 7, then continue maxing Icarus Dive for the highest burst damage available for Phoenix.
A level of Sun Ray is taken at level 4. At level one, this skill will deal 15 + 6% Max HP in pure damage for a measly 10 mana activation cost, and yes we should not forget the draining 4% mana per second as well as the 20% current HP activation cost, nevertheless you still get the astonishing 2000 range and drift ability (Movement) at starting level. Comparing the cost to the actual skill, a level of Sun Ray is enough. One might think that Sun Ray could be optional at level 4 and leave it until level 10, but lad you will miss a lot of ranged damaging power if you do.
Super Nova should be taken at level 6, 11, and 16. In other words, level it whenever possible. Leveling Super Nova late is bad, as you should make use of the phase when enemy heroes' attack speed are at their lowest, slower AS (attack speed) or BAT (Base Attack Time) means higher success rate for Super Nova. Level up Super Nova ASAP for higher AoE damage and attack count.
Attribute Bonuses (or Stats) is taken when all skills has been maxed. Taking it early will ruin the potential of Phoenix, as his potential lies in early-to-mid game when his skills are at its best.
In addition, I find this build quite effective against heroes with escape mechanism (blink or windwalk abilities). Usually, these heroes are very fragile early, and using Sun Ray to deplete their health is particularly useless.
FINAL WORDS: This build is, in my opinion, well balanced. It combines the the maxed supporting and ganking capabilities of Fire Spirits and Icarus Dive, and the sufficient and readily available Sun Ray. For players new to Phoenix, I highly suggest this build.
Variation - Sun Ray build
1 - Icarus Dive
2 - Fire Spirits
3 - Fire Spirits
4 - Sun Ray
5 - Fire Spirits
6 - Super Nova
7 - Fire Spirits
8 - Sun Ray
9 - Sun Ray
10 - Sun Ray
11 - Super Nova
12 - Icarus Dive
13 - Icarus Dive
14 - Icarus Dive
15 - Stats
16 - Super Nova
17+ Stats
This, however, is my favorite build and is what I commonly use in my games. While this may be controversial, I shall present to you the advantages of this. Instead of diving towards an enemy and unleash a high burst damage, the Sun Ray build is more suitable for ranged assaults and offensive supporting in ganks.
Icarus Dive, again, is taken at level 1 for safety measures against ganks and for first blood attempts as well, it has the fastest and highest damage available for level 1.
Fire Spirits is still maxed since it is your most utilized skill. It will be your primary source of damage and heal which contributes to harassing, farming, supporting, and ganking.
Super Nova is taken when available for the same reasons; maximize Super Nova's effect as soon as possible to achieve highest AoE damage and attack count.
The build will change however come at level 8, where Sun Ray is maxed instead of Icarus Dive. While this may lessen the burst damage of Phoenix before level 9, it does have the highest damage potential overall. Sun Ray deals pure damage and rends HP by %, coupled with disables from your allies, it will be fatal for your opponents. It doesn't have a cool down and only has a minimal activation cost, allowing you to readily use Sun Ray. Take note however that it will chip 20% of your current HP and drains 4% mana per second, thus you should always check how much HP you have and how much mana you should spend.
Simply to add more discussion, I'm not much impressed with the leveling of Icarus Dive (50 damage and .5 sec. increased disarm duration per level) and the utility of the Disarm ability itself early game (auto-attacks are not as threatening as they are in early game anyway). Icarus Dive in this build is used primarily for escaping and better positioning, while disarming and initiating will be its main purpose as it will be maxed at 12 onwards (attack damage will start gaining dominance here, and team fights will be more frequent).
Stats is taken last; Phoenix's skills should be maxed first to bring out his early-to-mid game potential, and that stats are just negligible for Phoenix.
FINAL WORDS: This play style is very risky, but I love its potential of dealing brutal damage from a safe distance (Fire Spirits + Sun Ray, finish off with Icarus Dive) and especially when I kill using Sun Ray (feels awesome when I do!). If you're still struggling using Sun Ray though, then I suggest you proceed with the build of maxing Fire Spirits and Icarus Dive.
This section, like in the previous, would be as informative as possible, for that I may sacrifice the shortness of this guide, with that I hope you really enjoy reading. I'm not a fan of 'for obvious reasons' explanations, and that sometime obvious becomes oblivious. Well then, forgive my banter and let us then start discussing the numerous items we can fit for Phoenix! As I said earlier, Phoenix is an item dependant hero, but can buy items that will help him specialize in the role you choose for him to be.
This section is too long, that it may stretch the page too much.
Click the tabs to begin.
Items to choose from
Tango
Basic regen item that gives you additional 345 HP (115 HP regen-ed x 3).
Salve
Basic regen item that heals 400 HP in 10 seconds. You will want to use this when facing against nukers, as Tango wouldn't catch up to their heavy damage.
Clarity
Early on, Phoenix cannot sustain spamming Fire Spirits. It will be helpful to get at least one Clarity Potion for mana regen.
Gauntlets of Ogre Strength
If pumping your health and last-hitting is in your mind, buy one. Also, we can use Gauntlet as a component for his core items.
Ironwood Branch
GG Branches is the most cost-effective item in-game; for 53 gold you get numerous bonuses for your hero namely HP, regen, damage, Mana, and Mana regen. Players would often stack up to 3 branches in their inventory, and I will recommend so. If you're aiming for Magic Wand or Mekansm, then all the better.
Circlet of Nobility
Expensive item early game, but it wouldn't be wasted as you will use this as a core component later on. +2 stats gives Phoenix what he needs, except for +2 AGI's unnoticable AS and Armor gain. Should you buy a Bracer later on, getting Circlet for a starting item isn't so bad.
Magic Stick
Best bought when you face off with spamming heroes. Else, buy other items (stat or other utility items), and buy Stick later.
Observer Wards
If you are against a pulling lane (Scourge's Top or Sentinel's Bot), you can immediately counter it with a pair of wards early on. You can use one for warding the pull camp, and the other for crucial points like Rune spots or for defensive warding against ganks.
Courier
You can buy courier for the team if you are the designated support hero. Again, Phoenix can function well without much items, and delaying them for the team's courier is a worthy investment.
Combo 1 - Basic
Pretty basic starting build; tangos or salve for HP regen, clarity for Mana Regen, Gauntlet for a little HP and last-hitting boost, and GG branches for the cheap stats (totaling of +6 STR, +3 AGI & INT).
Total Gold Cost = 459G
This makes around 144 extra gold. Apart from this you can mix and match some of my recommended items to your liking. Again:- If you aim for an early push, you should get Ring of Protection, it will also increase your Armor by a bit.
- If you will buy the courier for the team, go for combo 1 but skip one GG branch for a courier.
- If your team plans to counter a pulling lane, start with combo 1 but make room for a ward by skipping 2 branches.
Combo 2 - Soul Ring Rush
This is an alternative starting build that I've been using a lot. While it's not recommended to buy recipes first, a Soul Ring rush is perhaps an exception. You'll be spamming Fire Spirits for both harassing and farming to get your SR faster, thus getting 1 or 2 clarity potions is great. Get either a tango or salve for regen (I prefer getting a tango over a salve in this build, since you'll be healing a lot with Fire Spirits spam). Gauntlet and 2 GG branches will give you much needed stats. Note: if you in an organized team and someone will buy courier for the team, you can switch back to item combo 1.
Total Gold Cost = 583G
Which leaves you little room for additional items, but that's fine considering with the decent stats you already have.
Combo 3 - Urn of Shadows Starter
Mainly for Phoenix that would be more of a support hero, you should start off with these items. Get your basic regen items; tango, salve, and clarity. Buy 2 Gauntlets, which are components for Urn, and a GG branch to fit the last slot. You'll get a decent +7 STR to boost your HP, and of course +1 to other attributes.
Total Gold Cost = 593G
Definitely a gold well spent for a starting set.
This section is too long, that it may stretch the page too much.
Click the tabs to begin.
Boots
is inarguably a must-have item for every hero. It adds MS, and MS alone is not simply for the concept of getting to point A to B faster. Having higher MS can increase your survivability (faster MS allows better escaping, juking, getting out of line of sight, etc.). Higher MS also allows more successful chases. Simply said, if you're not getting boots, you're missing a lot of things. You should upgrade it later.
Scroll of Teleportation
You should at least take 2 TPs with you. It'll be inconvinient if you happen to need to teleport and you are far from the nearest shop, thus always take an extra.
Chain Mail
Having 0 armor means you'll take Hero attacks at their fullest, getting at least some armor will provide you the protection when you're heavily attacked. You have a lot of upgrades to choose from, which I will explain later. You also have other options other than Chain Mail:
Ring of Protection
While the armor bonus is small, it is the cheapest. You can upgrade it to Ring of Basilius, and RoB is very helpful if you're considering a push strategy.
Helm of Iron Will
The most expensive of them all, but it has an extra 3 HP regen, which is neat. You can upgrade it if it's needed.
Magic Stick
Burst heal beats regen in ganks and clashes, you should at least have a Magic Stick. If you're up against a team conisting of heavy-skill-users, upgrading it to Magic Wand is a good decision.
And that's it. Apparently, this is all that Phoenix needs. On his own, Phoenix can function very well, and is item independent. However, these items will significantly increase his survival and mobility.
This section is too long, that it may stretch the page too much.
Click the tabs to begin.
Recommended
Arcane Boots
is my preferred boots. It solves Phoenix's mana problems, and it also provides sufficient mana for the whole team, making him a better support hero. MS-wise, you get additional 10 MS by upgrading to Arcane Boots, which is more than enough.
Power Treads
For those who decided to take the Semi-Carry path, Power Treads is your choice. While all of Phoenix skills' make HP increments less significant, we shouldn't ignore the fact that it still boosts your HP capacity. The additional AS is worth the investment since you won't be getting much AGI items (and it's bad on Phoenix anyway). Remember though, that use Switch Attribute as you can. If you need some mana to cast spells, switch to INT treads, this will immediately give you 104 mana. Again, remember, and do NOT forget you have Switch Attribute.
Boots of Travel
While you're better off with either of the above upgrades, if you need more space and that TP scroll is just an inconvinience, get BoT. Boots of Travel is best bought when you have much mana and regen without Arcane Boots, and when the game calls for a faster push and mobility. BoT works wonders, but don't make it your first upgrade.
Others
Phase Boots
Let's see, Phase Boots adds a lot of damage, and faster average MS thanks to Phase. Both of these are good, but not necessary. Unlike Power Treads, Phase Boots simply gives raw DPS without added HP (and don't forget about Switch Attribute), and unlike Arcane Boots, it doesn't provide mana which Phoenix definitely needs.
Boots of Tranquility
Cheapest boots available. Amazingly, this pair of boots has a default MS boost of 80 (and that's a lot), plus it gives some armor and regen. It also allows you to use Rejuvenate. It's pretty amazing, but the thing is I don't like its side effect; once it's broken you'll slow down by 25 MS. The regen and Rejuvenate is great (and more with that cheap build-up), but Phoenix can deliver them already with Fire Spirits. Again, this item is pretty amazing for its cost, but Arcane Boots' mana and Power Treads' versatility is still superior in my opinion.
Remember the items you had on your starter and core? Don't forget about them, we'll use them for your extension items. The starters and core you once had will all be components for numerous items you can mix and match depending on the situation. As I've told before, I'll also recommend items that will help you fit in your desired role, whether it's a full support or semi-carry.
Upgrades
Soul Ring
If you went for the Soul Ring Rush starter, then better. Soul Ring will allow you to use Fire Spirits without much hassle to mana, and Fire Spirits itself heals the HP you used for tapping Soul Ring (such a perfect synergy). You can build this in tandem of a Power Treads, since you'll skipping the mana boost Arcane Boots has, although you can also have both Arcane Boots and Soul Ring for more mana control.
Ring of Basilius
If you have your Ring of Protection, you should always upgrade it for an RoB. It gives some damage for last hitting, a fixed Mana Regen, and the armor bonus. Plus, its aura will help you out in pushing. You may think that having this together with Soul Ring is nice, cheap and all, but you're putting too much space in your inventory, might as well choose one, more so if you have an Arcane Boots to supply you mana.
Magic Wand
A Magic Stick is enough, but if your enemy team focuses on active spells, getting this would allow you to heal more HP.
Chain Mail - Don't let that Chain Mail stuck as it is. Upgrade it according to your needs. |
Medalion of Courage
This is an all around upgrade. It gives additional Mana Regen (which you may need), a bit more armor, and of course Valor. Phoenix has a natural high base attack, and melting your enemies armor will make your attacks hurt more. Also, if you're team is physical damage oriented, this will be a good choice. A semi-carry Phoenix will defnitely love this item.
Nathrezim Buckler > Mekansm
Upgrade Chain Mail to Nathrezim Buckler if you need more armor (it also synergizes with RoB to give creep waves extra armor). You can leave it as it is, but upgrading it later to a Mekansm is much preferred. A full support Phoenix should have these upgrades.
Gauntlets - Of course, even the cheapest item shouldn't go to waste. |
Bracer > Ancient Janggo of Endurance
Bracer is a cheap but worthy upgrade. It gives more HP and damage which is always good (plus additonal AGI and INT). Upgrade it later for Janggo if you feel that more mobility and pushing is needed. The active ability Endurance is also a good skill in ganking and even escaping, use the 3 charges wisely.
Urn of Shadows
If you're an active ganker, Urn of Shadows is the perfect item. Aside from the extra Mana regen, Fire Spirits and Soul Release (heal) will make you a walking fountain, healing allies whenever they need it. The damaging Soul Release synergizes with Sun Ray as well, dealing tons of DPS.
Phoenix is pretty much set with his core and extension items, but if you can farm up for more items then be free to buy items of your preference. In this section, I'll show and explain items that I think will work great for Phoenix, though I have added other items worth the interest. If an item isn't in my list, it's possible that I simply think that they're not fitting for Phoenix, or that I haven't tested it out. If you have suggestions, tell me!
Mainly items that will increase your health or increase resistance to damage via armor or magic reduction.
Assault Cuirass
This is by far my favorite luxury item on Phoenix, as it both increases your EHP and boost your whole team's attack damage output at the same time. With Assault Cuirass, Phoenix can tank the most outrageous of physical damage, and can even deal much damage by himself thanks to the Attack Speed and Negative Armor aura (and his own damage is good as well). When I go for a semi-carry Phoenix, I always get Assault Cuirass.
Heart of Tarasque
The ultimate STR and Regen item. It gives Phoenix a hellish amount of HP, and the Health Regeneration makes the HP cost burden so much lighter. If you haven't thought much about other items, HoT is a decent choice.
Bloodstone
is all about raw capacity. Phoenix's skills cost a percent of HP, and although it renders raw HP inefficient, but the high HP regen and superb Mana regen makes up for it. If you feel the need of more HP and supress Phoenix's mana problems, a Bloodstone wouldn't hurt.
Hood of Defiance > Khadgar's Pipe of Insight
Both items have one thing in common; gaining better defense against magic damage. And although Hood is commonly upgraded to Pipe, you should also weigh the situation. If there's a lot of AoE spells, and that these AoE spells are specially gamebreaking, get Pipe. If the enemy team only has minimal AoE spells but do have single target spells that deal a lot of damage, stay with Hood.
Vanguard
Not my preferred item, but it may have its worth if you're up against a lot of physical attackers. However, I don't see Phoenix taking attacks during mid-game as I prefer ganking and long range offense. But then again, if you really need more HP and damage reduction, might as well get a Vanguard.
Here, I'll list down utility items which will also provide mana and regen.
Guinsoo's Scythe of Vyse
The most revered Sheepstick is a welcomed arsenal. Hex is the best disable in the game, and if you can afford to get Guinsoo. It'll matter a lot in ganks and clashes, allowing you to shut down a single hero for 3.5 seconds.
Orchid Malevolence
My second favorite luxury item for Phoenix. Ever since 6.73, Orchid build up is much easier and cheaper. Orchid gives a lot of stats; AS and Damage for buffing your attacks, Mana and Regen for Phoenix's skills, and the Soul Burn ability which makes casters helpless for 5 seconds, and should they attack you can pummel them with your attacks or with an amplified Sun Ray. If you want Phoenix to be a semi-carry with some toning on Mana, Orchid Malevolence is the perfect item.
Necronomicon
I haven't tested it out, much, but Necronomicon looks promising. Stats-wise, both STR and INT bonuses are good. Demonic Summoning, however, is better. The summon themselves pack a punch, and they work well against heroes who rely too much on mana and against invisible heroes. The main thing though is that you can control the summons while channeling Super Nova.
Veil of Discord
If you have Helm of Iron Will, this upgrade would not be so bad. It gives armor (which is nice), regen, couple of INT points, an of course, the Discord ability that will pump your Fire Spirit, Sun Ray, and Super Nova damage. If you're team has a lot of nukers, then this upgrade will be worth the shot.
All of these items will require a more attack oriented Phoenix, and all of these is bent to go for a semi-carry path.
Heaven's Halberd
Pretty awesome item with the perfect stats and ability just for Phoenix. Halberd gives good amounts of damage and STR, and the pasive evasion will truly help you out against physical attacks. The lesser maim is quite as nice as it is on Sange, but the sweetest part in this item is Disarm. It locks the target's attack for 3-4 seconds, and in conjuntion with your own disarm (via Dive), you can disable their attacks for up to 7 seconds. You can also disarm a threatening hero if you will use Super Nova. If you can farm for it, then get Halberd.
Desolator
I usually get Desolator along with Assault Cuirass to build an armor debuff Phoenix. Desolator is a great item for boosting your damage. It has a good damage per gold ratio, and the Corruption orb itself will weaken your targets' armor, making them more vulnerable to allied attacks. If you want an orb effect and wants to push Phoenix's attacking power, I cannot suggest any other item than Desolator.
Icarus the Phoenix
