Yes, EP = Emperor Palpatine.
I agree that palp’s leadership zeta will transform the team, it looks very unassuming on its surface but it gets that turn meter rolling to overwhelm the opposition. It will turn the team into the offensive powerhouse you’ll need if moving Geos to defense.
And what do you mean by “normal” team for Palp? There are a lot of very effective builds, and there is so much new synergy compared to EP’s heyday that I don’t think there is any one single “normal” team anymore, but the core three are zEP, Vader, and Thrawn. After those three, usually a tank and an attacker are utilized... here are other pairs to consider:
Nihilus + Sion. This makes up the “Nightmare” team that was at the top of arena years ago for a short time. This is probably the strongest zEP team you can build at your point in the game.
Tarkin + Shore Trooper. I’d call this the most-used full empire team, its major strength comes from Tarkin’s TM-removal special paired with zEP’s TM-gain leadership ability.
Death Trooper + Shore Trooper. Death Trooper is a little under-rated IMO, he’s basically Darth Nihilus Light, and this is a good spot for him if you want to save DN or don’t have an Imperial Troopers team.
Dooku + Sith Trooper. This will demolish on offense, but is a squishy team.
Dooku OR Sith Trooper + Sith Empire Trooper. Still good firepower with a pre-taunting tank to help protect EP and Dooku
Wampa + (tank). Cuz Wampa is fun and Vader’s DoTs really ramp up his offensive prowess.
Tie Fighter Pilot + (tank). A fast TFP can lead off with ability block and buff immunity, helping to shut-down taunting tanks.
Tie Fighter Pilot + Tarkin. Again, a little on the squishy side without a tank, but can demolish on offense by controlling the opponent.
As far as Phoenix go, there are six characters with the Phoenix tag, so using Ezra for your Jedi should leave the five Phoenix left as a full team.