For Valorant players one debate that has been ongoing since the game was released in 2020 is regarding its rifles. Phantom or Vandal? Which of these two primary rifles is better? This question has raised countless online discussions where players argued over their favorite gun. The jury is, however, still out.

Now Riot Games themselves have put in the effort to understand which gun among these two is suitable for a player. To substantiate their claims, the developers have drawn out data charts.

Phantom or Vandal? Which is the best Valorant rifle

Valorant is a game that is largely dependent on a player’s gunplay and tactics. The selection of rifles is quite vital to establish dominance over opponents. But, when it comes to the ‘Buy Round’ which gun should a player use, Vandal or Phantom? According to Riot Games, the usage of both guns are subject to the circumstantial situation a player puts them in. Let’s first take a look at Phantom.

Phantom

The data presented by Valorant shows that Phantom is the ideal choice for a player if they often tend to find themselves in close and mid-range fights. While using the Phantom the players manage to get around 20.1% kills in the 5-10 m range. Vandal players, on the other hand, are way off at 17.1 % for the same distance.

The same could be said for 20 m distance kills. Phantom kills are around 22% at this range while Vandal is 19.4%. This means that Phantom is a beast when it comes to short-range fights. The next main aspect that gives Phantom an edge in the gun department is spraying.

Spraying has been one of the most used techniques by Valorant players. Let it be spamming through smokes or trying to hit a close-range target with the maximum number of bullets. The technique of spraying is more advantageous in closer-range fights as the bullet distribution is narrower compared to longer-range shots. This factor significantly favors Phantom. In the 0-15 m range, the Phantom raked up more kill percentage than Vandal.

This is applicable for each rank, though the difference between both the guns comes a bit close as we rise up the rank ladder.

Finally, if both guns come face to face in short range, who will win? According to Valorant data drop statistics, Phantom has the upper hand in this short-range fight.

So what are Vandal’s strong suits?

Vandal has emerged as the preferred gun in the game. The gun has a significantly higher pick rate that tallies up to 76% in competitive play and 72% in pro play. One of the main reasons for Vandal being a preferred gun is because of Phantom’s non-lethal headshots. Vandal (disregarding wall bangs) gives 160 damage from any range while Phantom’s damage scales down as distance increases.

There are moments when we are in a long-range fight and hits the enemy with a Phantom headshot and wished that we had a Vandal. This reason has pushed players to choose Vandal as their preferred poison. But interestingly, data also points out that if a Vandal and Phantom player is in a long-range fight and the latter hits the 140-damage headshot, the scenario is 78.01 % favorable to Phantom. But this is a ‘what if’ scenario that has less probability of happening numerous times. Though who gives out the first shot is detrimental in many situations regarding the Vandal vs Phantom long-range scenario.

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When it comes to shielding and armored opponents, though Vandal seems to have an upper hand on paper, both the guns are statistically similar. They deal around the same damage to shield-bearing enemies. Putting all these factors together, the choice of a gun is subjective. But these data may help identify what is your game style and which gun suits that particular gameplay.

Data retrieved from: Valorant Data Drop

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