I think Ley wanted to draw attention to the quantity (200 HP * 4), as well as the speed (21 - unconditional turn priority...).

Oh, and this wonderful growth rate is a topic I've been talking about for about 2.5-3 years, when, playing HotS with my brother (and he always chose Conflux), I was criticizing Phoenixes left and right, pointing out their shortcomings, and using the growth rate as an argument, saying that it's such a weak unit that they gave it a growth rate of 4 so that it could at least compete somehow...
But of course, all of this was exaggerated. Phoenix is not the best or the worst, it has its pros and cons, but its growth rate really makes the player's task easier. By the way, in the aforementioned German map, I deliberately destroyed captured cities, turned them into Confluxes, and rebuilt them completely - just because of the Phoenix growth rate feature.
When evaluating a creature on the forum, I don't look at its growth rate, cost, number of required buildings, upgrade cost, etc. Only physical/magical stats, immunities, and abilities.
Initiative... ugh, damn, the Phoenix's speed is high, I don't argue, you always have the right to cast the spell first, and that's a big plus, but still, the birds don't quite reach 1st place, in my opinion.
As for the map, I may not have it anymore, but I will definitely try to find it from my friends if I don't have it.