The problem is that eternal phoenix fire lances my RoL before fractaling (decay siphon lifes them). This little tweak in the AI, making them kill before fractaling, makes them both near impossible unless they don't kill all of your RoL before fractaling.
Also, with EP, it actually is far from that easy, because of the dragons. at 15 friggin' damage a pop, just two of them are enough to overcome your healing and shield and start to bring your health down.