There has been a lot of debate around what could be the best gun in Valorant; the Vandal or the Phantom. Riot provides statistics in this data drop.
Every FPS game has a debate about the best weapon in their respective games. However, Valorant is a separate dragon altogether. The Vandal vs. Phantom debate has been going on since its inception and it has not settled down yet. Both weapons are good under various circumstances. However, no one has been able to figure out if either weapon is better for ALL circumstances.
Riot Games, the creator of Valorant, in an attempt to provide facts to this debate, released a data drop quite a while back that answered the question and the answer was neutral. You will see what we mean by that down below.
Contents
- Which Gun Should You Prioritize Using in Valorant? Riot Help Answer the Question
- The Phantom Wins in These Scenarios
- The Vandal Wins in These Scenarios
- The Verdict
Which Gun Should You Prioritize Using in Valorant? Riot Help Answer the Question
In their blog post, Riot made sections to compare both the Vandal and the Phantom, in those sections called ‘Phantom Wins’ and ‘Vandal Wins’ they compared statistics related to usage, pick rate, armor piercing, and more. Let us do exactly what they did but simplify those so you can understand them better.
The Phantom Wins in These Scenarios
In the line graph you see above, the line for the Phantom is the most at 15m of range while the Vandal is consistent across all arches. This is another indication that the gun is suited for people who prioritize short to medium-range gunfights. Let us look at another data drop to support this argument.
In the image above, the red graphs represent the Phantom (the legend is incorrect) as you can see, nearly half of the kills take place within the range of 15m. That is why, it is important to remember that Phantom will be your go-to weapon if you plan on holding a site or playing like a rat.
In terms of multi-kill scenarios where you Spray and Pray, Phantom gets the win over the Vandal. Therefore, if you are a huge crouch sprayer, spraying in shorter ranges with the Phantom is a better idea than the Vandal on most occasions.
In addition, a statistic in the article also shows that if you are in a head-to-head fight with a Vandal user, you will win the fight most of the time across all ranks. Although the percentage drops as you climb higher up the ranks which makes sense since accuracy and game sense gets better with ranks.
The Vandal Wins in These Scenarios
Take a look at the image above. It is a study of the Vandal pick rate both in competitive and throughout VCT. The majority of players prefer to use the Vandal since it offers a one-shot headshot. The only drawback of the Phantom is the 140 headshot which has made countless memes out of the gun.
The next graph is an indication that you should switch over if you are tired of the 140 Phantom Headshot. This graph shows which shots are lethal in all ranges (except for penetrative ones) and as you can see, the Vandal makes no errors. When you hit a headshot with the gun at any range, it will net you a kill.
The Verdict
In Riot’s own words, ” It’s all subjective. If you’re consistently clickin’ heads, the Vandal might be for you. If you’re a little more spray and pray, try the Phantom.” They also went on to discuss the type of gunfight you are taking which factors in heavily when choosing either weapon.
That is all you need to know about the data drop. The conclusion is that the type of gunfight and your accuracy during the game determines what weapon you should choose. For more Valorant content, click here.
