Phantom vs. Vandal – Which rifle is better?

 

In VALORANT the Phantom and the Vandal are both equally important for pros and casual gamers. Which makes it so difficult to decide which weapon to use.

So let us take a closer look at the raw stats:

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Phantom

The Phantom costs 2,900 Creds and is a fully automatic weapon. Its magazine has 30 bullets, which deal different damage depending on the range. The closer an enemy is, the more damage is dealt. The Phantom’s maximum headshot-damage is 156 healthpoints. But if your target is 50 meters away, the damage will be reduced to 124 damage. Its primary fire rate without the scope, is 11 shots per second. The scoped-in fire rate is 9.9 shot per second.

Vandal

In terms of credits there is no difference between the Vandal and the Phantom, but the magazine of the Vandal only has 25 bullets. But the biggest difference is the constant damage range regardless of distance. One headshot will always deal 160 damage. Regarding the fire rate, the Vandal offers 9.25 shots per second or 8.23 shots per second scoped-in.

A comparison

Looking at the professional Scene of VALORANT, you will realize that many players tend to choose the Phantom. But that does not mean that everybody should do so.

The Phantom’s benefits are the bigger magazine and the consistent shooting when spraying down. In this case, its shots are more accurate than the Vandal’s. Another bonus is that the Phantom is more quiet. But the Vandal also has some advantages, especially its consistent damage no matter what distance there is between you and your enemy. This makes the rifle extremely strong at long-ranged combat. So why do proplayers prefer the Phantom? That is simply because the Phantom is stronger over short range, which will be the most fights, considering the structure of most VALORANT maps.

In addition to that the Phantom is not necessarily bad at long range as it has a very accurate spray. The only scenario in which the Vandal wins out is if two opponents land headshots over long range. Since that is a very unlikely situation, the Phantom is the pro’s favorite. But when deciding on which weapon to get you should keep in mind that stats are not everything. You also need to consider your own comfort and habits when playing VALORANT. In the end you should pick the weapon you feel the most comfortable on.

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