I don't use autobattle at all. The Phoenix is a powerful creature, and summoning it requires skilled summoning magic. In the patched version of the game, autobattle is disabled during the battle with Godric. When I play as Necropolis, I actively use dark spells – mainly Dominate and Berserk. Less often – Blind and others. Blind can be countered by the enemy's own ballista. And raising the dead is specifically designed for the Necropolis faction. You can easily manage without a Phoenix when playing as Fortress.