Phantom vs Vandal: Which does the Valorant community prefer more and why

The debate between Phantom and Vandal regarding their superiority is one of the most common things in Valorant since its release. It has been a lifelong struggle for both professional and average players to decide which gun is better in the game.

Every individual possesses a different mindset when deciding on this factor, which proves Chamber's line every time,

"Weapon choice! It is so personal...'

Being a tactical shooter, gunpower is one of the most important aspects of the game. Players need to be perfect with their shooting proficiency to be better at the game. However, they can choose any gun from the inventory before going into the round and can purchase a gun of their choice using the given credits.

Valorant has a unique range of weapons in the game. Within the 17 guns in the inventory, only Vandal and Phantom belong to the Assault Rifle category. Hence, both of these are some of the most used guns in the game. In this article, we will dissect the statistics of both guns and will try to decide which gun is better.

Since the release of the game in mid-2020, Valorant has become one of the most popular FPS titles in the market. Within just two years of its release, the game has attracted a lot of players into the game and also established a highly active professional scene. The game currently has a concurrent player count of approximately 700,000 to 1,400,000.

The unique theme of the game, in combination with tactical shooting and Agents' abilities, makes it more attractive for the players. The amalgamation of these two offers players a chance to be strategic and aggressive at the same time.

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Comparison between Phantom and Vandal in Valorant

Phantom and Vandal are two of the most used guns in Valorant. Both of these weapons are equally supreme in specific situations but have their own disadvantages as well.

For this reason, there has always been a debate regarding the superiority between these two weapons.

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Statistics

Both of these guns are useful in both close and medium range in Valorant. Here are the statistics of these two guns:

Phantom

• Cost: 2,900
• Fire mode: Fully automatic
• Head damage: 156, 140, 124
• Body damage: 39, 35, 31
• Leg damage: 33, 29, 26
• Range: 15/30/50 meters
• Magazine size: 30
• Fire rate: 11
• Penetration: Medium

Vandal

• Cost: 2,900
• Fire mode: Fully automatic
• Head damage: 160
• Body damage: 40
• Leg damage: 34
• Range: 50 meters
• Magazine size: 25
• Fire rate: 9.75
• Penetration: Medium

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Pros and cons of both guns

Both Valorant guns have their own pros and cons depending on their specific situations. Here are some of them:

Phantom

Pros:

• High fire rate
• Lower recoil
• Large magazine and no bullet tracers
• Better spray transfer

Cons:

• Lower damage in long range

Vandal

Pros:

• Higher damage
• Same damage in all range
• One shot kill in all range

Cons:

• High recoil
• Slow fire rate
• Worse spray transfer

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Which gun is better?

It is quite difficult to declare a better gun between these two as both of these guns are almost identical yet there are some situational differences. It completely depends on the individual players of how they want to approach the game.

For example, a player with a cracked aim can benefit with Vandal as he can pull down any enemy with just one headshot in any range. Whereas players who prefer to take fights only in close range or prefer to spray down enemies can easily go with Phantom.

Moreover, Phantom is much preferable for spraying through smoke. Due to its lack of bullet tracers, the gun gives more advantage to the user than Vandal. Also, the extra five bullets in Phantom's magazine also give players a situational advantage.

Considering all these things, we can say that Phantom is slightly better than Vandal in the game. However, it completely depends on the individual player how he utilizes the gun. Valorant professionals like Tenz, Ethan, ScreaM tend to prefer Vandal whereas players like Hiko, Subroza, Nats prefer Phantom more in the game.