Flyer. During phase 0, if this ally is in the discard pile, roll 2d6. If doubles are rolled, put this ally into the abyss, otherwise return this ally to its owner's hand.
Copyrights:
TSR
Wizards of the Coast
The pheonix is an interesting ally for decks focusing on combat.
The +8 icon bonus is definitely significant. Other than the bonus and being a flyer (which is very useful for many combat decks), this card has no other combat powers. Then, during the phase 0 of the next turn, there is an 83% chance of returning to its owner's hand. The other 17% of the time it will instead be sent to the Abbys, probably never to return. The roll to come back is optional and is not required, making it only worth doing if you don't have another way to return the ally to your hand (like Jerome Kazinskaia (25/IQ) or Orb of Delight (68/IQ)). This is a nice bonus, but allies are usually chosen for their nasty powers, not icon bonus.
Therefore, this very fun card will show up in non-tournament decks, but not often in tournament decks, as the Pheonix will not defeat any champion by itself. It is a solid support card though a definitely be seen in fun decks. One could use Rigged Dice (22/MI) to insure the return of this ally, but it usually isn't worth the waste of the card (since it doesn't help card advantage).
