As always you get unbalanced mix of load outs really making you sacrifice one thing over another while many of the older Mercs have more variety.
Its clear that KE81 has the best perks basically eliminating the choice of using any other weapon unless you want to be less proficient in the part of the game that matters aka your actual class and not combat skill.
Bought Pheonix, didn’t play it yet or get a load out card but i have like 100 hours of playing him 1+ year ago.
Discuss
I’m not so sure about KE81 being the best loadout. The “cool” perk is basically useless… and so is the “potent packs” one apparently as the healing pulse gives health instantly so “increased healing rate” doesn’t really apply here. Thus, you’re left with one useful perk and an SMG which is probably the worst of the three offered.
A fellow player suggested KE73 as the best option. It does sound better than KE81, because it offers two useful perks (“get up” and “drilled”).
However, I am slightly inclined towards C83 myself. It also offers the “drilled” perk as well as “healing reach”. I’ve only played about 3 matches thus far, but in all of them my teammates would frantically run in and out of my healing radius so this radius boost might prove useful… and this comes coupled with perhaps the most versatile SMG in the whole game.
The choice certainly isn’t as easy as in Sawbonez’s case, where the CR73 loadout is so overpowered that it’s an obvious pick 
What do you think?
I feel overall with the fixes they have previously done to make perks with misleading perks more defined and useful the KE81 will have the best perks without a doubt.
Sparks potent packs was confirmed and buffed if i recall not too long ago to give a bonus amount to overall heal since it didn’t tick healing like Sawbonez which i would assume without a doubt will happen with Pheonix, but how much who knows but it in the end will heal more then default.
Extra supplies lowering cool down of heal and self revive paired with the increased healing will be without a doubt the best pair combo.
KE73 looks like a viable pub load out but when defining optimal and best options i feel like the benchmark has to be Competitive Stopwatch or you are able to argue dozens of viable cards compared to usually one and sometimes two.
So with two future perks being clearly the best in my opinion you will be forced to weigh 2 perks verse 1 perk 1 weapon to see whats best. Fragging will always be very important no matter your role but the skills and perks are what defines a class the most i am to think.
Could very well be wrong but like you said its undeniable with Sawbonez and CR73, Sparks with 383, Phantom with C94. There are probably many more i could name that too only have one true option but i don’t want to speak for the Mercs i don’t really play.
Phoenix is actually a good on MGs, because if someone kills you they usually cannot easily gib you because you’re hidden behind the MG. So you can self-revive. But do you really need Cool? I don’t think so. Still, better that that the hearing one 
I ignored for now loadouts without Get Up, so unfortunately Kek is out. I decided to buy CR43, but I’m tempted by loadouts with Extra Supplies, if it works like it should at shortens Healing pulse cooldown.
Also - what does Potent Packs do on Phoenix? His healing is instantaneous.
Potent Packs was patched to add healing to Sparks’ health packs. I’m assuming the same is true for Phoenix. I noticed a difference between Potent Packs only and Extra Supplies only. Potent Packs is huge, extra supplies is not. The KE81 is most likely the best, decreased cooldown plus increased healing is pretty synergistic on Phoenix.
So in Phoenix’s case “Potent Packs” means the pulse gives more HP than it otherwise would? Can anyone confirm that? If that’s the case, KE81 is truly the best.
EDIT: the shortest pulse heals about 30hp if I noticed it correctly. If potent packs increases the amount of HP healed by 20% or so, that means 36hp per the shortest pulse, which has a cooldown of 4 seconds. Assuming the decreased cooldown takes it down to about 2 (unconfirmed, just my guess) it basically allows spamming the short pulse for a quick heal to anyone around. That’s powerful :o
EDIT 2: It’s actually 25hp for the weakest pulse and 6 seconds cooldown. I will buy KE81 and report how it works… I hope I won’t waste those 17k 
EDIT 3: So I’ve wasted the 17,5k… I want them back! ;( Potent packs don’t do anything - the amount of healing is the same (25hp for the weakest pulse), as for the decreased cooldown… the strongest pulse takes 20 seconds to regenerate without the perk and 17 seconds with the perk… with the weakest pulse it’s a barely noticeable fraction of a second… so there you have it, KE81 officially sux…
Hmm. Guess it might have been placebo effect for me. I’ll double check when I get home.
@MissMurder can we get some confirmation if Potent Packs is not working on Phoenix?
[quote=“exaltedSergeant;79105”]So in Phoenix’s case “Potent Packs” means the pulse gives more HP than it otherwise would? Can anyone confirm that? If that’s the case, KE81 is truly the best.
EDIT: the shortest pulse heals about 30hp if I noticed it correctly. If potent packs increases the amount of HP healed by 20% or so, that means 36hp per the shortest pulse, which has a cooldown of 4 seconds. Assuming the decreased cooldown takes it down to about 2 (unconfirmed, just my guess) it basically allows spamming the short pulse for a quick heal to anyone around. That’s powerful :o
EDIT 2: It’s actually 25hp for the weakest pulse and 6 seconds cooldown. I will buy KE81 and report how it works… I hope I won’t waste those 17k
EDIT 3: So I’ve wasted the 17,5k… I want them back! ;( Potent packs don’t do anything - the amount of healing is the same (25hp for the weakest pulse), as for the decreased cooldown… the strongest pulse takes 20 seconds to regenerate without the perk and 17 seconds with the perk… with the weakest pulse it’s a barely noticeable fraction of a second… so there you have it, KE81 officially sux…[/quote]
Dont stress this is the whole point of it, it took weeks for them to fix sparks but it was done in the end and thats what will happen with Pheonix, without a doubt KE81 will be the best, just use whatever else you think is best for public games or competitive but in the end KE81 will stand alone on top as best perks, but the real question is does the Kek load outs warrant long term superiority due to the fact you will have much better fragging power?
Technically, KE81 Technical Operative IS the most complimentary loadout+augment combo and I’ll get it myself but there are times when Healing Reach is much more useful. The only useless augment I can see so far is Big Ears & Mechanic, because he’s not supposed to be a RECON or Objective Specialist. Still, Phoenix is well rounded for his role and he’s got a definite place among the medics. His Healing pulse doesn’t make him worse or better in terms medical support compared to Sawbonez, Aura or Sparks as it is well balanced and somewhat evenly paced. With a good player, he’ll be a good compliment to Sawbonez as part of the combat medical support team.
Fortunately all his loadout has a perk relevant to his healing ability. The best one looks to be; the CR43 with Drilled, Get Up, and the Crotzni; KE81 with Extra Supplies, and Potent Packs but only comes with the Hockfir; and the C83 with Healing Reach, Drilled, and KEK-10.
I say go with the CR43 or C83 if you want to be more combat oriented and the KE81 if you want to be more heals oriented.
I’m using the C83 card and I’m really enjoying it. I’d use the CR43 if I didn’t dislike the nerfed Crotzni though.
Looks like Extra Supplies is bugged, but only for some loadouts:
I didn’t test it myselft. If it’s true then it’s a bit disheartening. He was supposed to be “ready” a week ago, but there are MAJOR bugs in his augments.
In my opinion KE73 is good loadout. It comes with Drilled, Quick Draw amd Get Up so all three perks are usefull. it also has Hochfir SMG which I like, hated by me - Caulden and Cricket Bat which im not a fan of.
If potent pack perk gives 20% more HP then KE81 might be good chice, but according to previous comments it is broken.
Personally I use CR43 because i have crafted it in Gold :P, Crotzini is still very good weapon and M9 is my favourite pistol. The only thing in this loadout is Cool augment which is useless.
Btw.: How does quick draw work? Does it affect weapon changing speed (i.e. from secondary to primary) or does it affect the time it takes to go into aiming down sights and back to hip firing?
See, I like KEK as a weapon, its much better than hochfir atm
But you also need get up as its a must in competitive games which really makes you pick the one with drilled and get up and hochfir.
Ideal card would’ve been kek + get up + reach + potent but that’ll never be 
but yes, every other medic has a much better gun/perk combo on a single card, phoenix has the worst
KE81 if fixed can be a good loadout but yeah get up’s my go to
Hockfir is ok for phoenix in my opinion, high ROF and got a lot of ammo to start with. Suitable for run and gun style, jump in and jump out of firefight.
Crotzni is not as accurate as it used to. Use that gun with Phoenix felt weird. Seems like when you are moving fast, your bullets fly all over the place.
Any idea on the Kek loadout. I’m planning to buy the C83 but i wonder if it will suit Phoenix playstyle. While I know the kek rocks with Bush but Phoenix ???
