Why does everybody say, Sawbonez is better than Phoenix?

(hurgya) #1

This is common knowledge in the DB community, but out of curiosity I looked at the numbers:

Sawbonez: Medpack has 8 sec CD heals one ally to max. That equals to a ~115 heal on average.

Phoenix: With an 8 sec CD healing pulse you get 60-70 healing (could not confirm the initial healing value of the ability) on a single person.

This means a Medpack has the same heal/CD value as the healing pulse if you pick it up with ~60% health.

What does this all mean apart from this incredibly specific situation?

Phoenix is far superior in mitigating chip damage divided on the full team, but if the enemies are familiar with the term ‘focused fire’ and the incoming damage lands mostly on one person a good ol’ medpack is the way to go.

There are other pros and cons for each two, of course: Sawbonez has 3 charges and overall requires less active commitment to healing, whereas Phoenix can heal mid combat, and has self revive, but the position in the meta of both medics can be explained with just the first observation.

TL:DR: Phoenix is the king of pubs with the instant AoE (Aura being the queen of course), but when people begin to focus their fire the full heals of Sawbonez are needed.

(LifeupOmega) #2

Better pocketing, better survivability when front lining with his pocket, 10hp actually makes a difference at 100 to 110 due to damage of a lot of guns/explosives. It’s really that simple.

(Your worst knifemare.) #3

Those people are crazy.

(Terminal_6) #4

Phoenix is better in pubs because I’m pretty sure noobs actively try to dodge your medpacks.

(TheStrangerous) #5

I’m pretty sure it has something to do with plating medpacks, in strategic positions.

#6

A case could be made for both, but I believe Saw is the best as well despite personally playing better as Phoenix. I prefer Phoenix in most cases because I play on an extremely low sensitivity and don’t enjoy how involved Sawbones has to be with constant turning. Both can be viable so choose what works for you.

(Sorotia) #7

It isn’t often as Phoenix that I get to heal one or two people…even sometimes people spamming the medic button and they still running away from me.

(CombatMist) #8

My main medic is phoenix for ranked. I say there are 2 kinds of medics. Primary and secondary. Primary medics can revive and heal without running out of uses and sustain the team. By that the only primary medics are aura and phoenix also both have aoe heals. Sawbonez in my opinion has the worst heal mid fight when things are turning bad and you need a heal NOW and phoenix is the best for that. True saw can be decent to keep rhino camping alive but even then rhino would need to exit the fight for a time.

I say phoenix is the best and rez + heal because no one else can do it 1/2 as reliably as he can. Even if just taps that rez + pulse for 30 + 30 = 60 which in a pinch works. Combine with get up/potent packs and short charge say 1/2 second one which ever you have perk for and your looking at about 100 hp. Dont forget that with potent packs healing pulse can do 120 which gets all but 3 mercs to full hp. So phoenix can turn a losing battle instantly around by healing potential multiple. Because his heal is also on self it makes running into a fight to rez/heal others less painful as he will probably top himself off also. Also when phoenix dies holding a healing pulse it releases and heals allies. Ive done this several times to body block for someone delivering an objective while I held a charge waiting to die but top them off the moment I do. Phoenix is the best mobile healer but his 1 problem is if he does there goes all your healing where the other 3 can leave it around. I see the majority of sawbonez not be very dedicated to medicing and mostly giving the packs to self and the very rare rez. Where phoenix is amazing to rez + heal and it running around to hot spots medicing.

(ThunderZsolt) #9

@LifeupOmega said:
Better pocketing, better survivability when front lining with his pocket, 10hp actually makes a difference at 100 to 110 due to damage of a lot of guns/explosives. It’s really that simple.

Yeah, Javelin instagibbing poor Phoenix all the time is frustrating (especially considering that Phoenix can’t use the self revive ability)

(Szakalot) #10

newbies dont see medpacks on the ground cause of horseblinds-level default FOV.

Sawbonez is the better healer:
cause +10hp

cause Fragger needs full HP to troll the next duel after a won fight

cause higher skill play midfight heals are weak: you need as many guns on target as possible. Average high-skill DPS is higher than a phoenix pulse, so as the medic its better to help with the fight. After the fight, the prority is to get upto fullHP asap, and again a Phoenix will struggle with that, compared to a single sawbonez medpack

(GatoCommodore) #11

@Szakalot said:
newbies dont see medpacks on the ground cause of horseblinds-level default FOV.

Sawbonez is the better healer:
cause +10hp

cause Fragger needs full HP to troll the next duel after a won fight

cause higher skill play midfight heals are weak: you need as many guns on target as possible. Average high-skill DPS is higher than a phoenix pulse, so as the medic its better to help with the fight. After the fight, the prority is to get upto fullHP asap, and again a Phoenix will struggle with that, compared to a single sawbonez medpack

Sawbonez has more control and frequency while phoenix excel in survivability and instant heals

i cant say one is better than the other tho.

(Da_Mummy) #12

@CombatMist
Finally someone that gets the point
Phoenix is way more running and gunning based and encourages taking risks to save your team.
Sawbonez on the other hand is way more ordinary and basic, staying at the middle of the team and healing one or two people.
And thats the point where I prefer Phoenix
Would love to press the agree button more than once.

(Szakalot) #13

its fine to like whatever you want. I also prefer phoenix gameplay, constant poke and heal,
pub rambo medic.
In organized pugs Phoenix is weak, good players wont let you poke them, and you die too fast to reliably run away and heal.
In other words: when staring down the enemy teams fragger, you really do want that extra 10hp