Origins
Phoenixes were introduced as part of the 2019 Operation Audacious Phoenix Bake Sale Fundraiser. They came back in a limited quantity as part of the Operation Terra Incognita Lemonade Stand Fundraiser. It is unknown when or if they will be available again.Variations
Each phoenix started as a yellow phoenix. However, if fed a cinnamon stick (also purchasable as part of the Operation Audacious Phoenix Bake Sale Fundraiser) the phoenix would build a cinnamon-scented pyre, go up in flames inside it, then re-emerge as another color of phoenix. You could continue to feed the same phoenix cinnamon sticks to reroll its color, though it was possible it might go back to being a yellow phoenix. By popular demand, the rainbow phoenix was added (at a fairly high price as part of the fundraiser) to the bake sale as a purchasable item for those that did not want to try their luck with the cinnamon sticks to get this extremely popular phoenix variant..
Exclusive Variant
Those who contributed $45 or more during the Lemonade Stand Fundraiser for Operation Terra Incognita received a super exclusive Golden Phoenix variant that cannot be obtained through cinnamon sticks.
Usage
When they were first introduced, phoenixes were an "infinite use item" and using them would just cause a random description of the phoenix doing something to appear, such as hyping up its owner or posing. They were rarely played with, and primarily used as a display-case item.In Epic Week 2020 - the first Epic Week after their introduction - they were discovered to randomly help their owners in combat by dealing additional fire damage randomly when a user lands a hit on a monster. Kim has stated the chance for this to happen is about 3%, and owning multiple phoenixes does not increase the chance to receive help from a phoenix. This has held true every Epic Week since.
In April 2023, the "walragotchi" pet care simulator was introduced, allowing for more interaction with owned phoenixes. Activating the system for a given pet merely requires giving it a name and selecting pronouns.
When a phoenix assists in battle during Epic Week, the default damage they add is (1d4?). Since the introduction of the walragotchi, the amount of damage can be altered based on the phoenix's overall wellbeing and whether or not they are in the "hotel." A phoenix in the hotel can deal 1d4 damage (after all, they're a little distracted enjoying some much-deserved pampering). Observed amounts of damage from well cared-for phoenixes who are not in the hotel include 1d8 and 1d12.