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The Phantom versus Vandal debate has been there ever since Valorant’s got its official launch.
Even pros have at times chimed in on the debate, and more often than not, it was the Phantom that mostly managed to come out on top.
And that will remain the same in Tyson “Tenz” Ngo’s ruling as well, because after finding a unique mechanic, the Cloud9 pro will be giving the Phantom the benefit of the doubt and make it the winner once again.
In a recent stream, Tenz talked about the incredible accuracy that Phantom comes with, and being able to control shots while at a “full running sprint” is what makes the gun shine in his eyes.
Tenz picks Valorant’s Phantom over the Vandal
Tenz is currently second in the NA Valorant leaderboards, losing first place to DOINKMACHINE97. Nevertheless, his insights on why the Phantom is just an all-around better gun is crucial in understanding some of the core shooting mechanics at play in Valorant.
In the stream, he said:
“(I was playing against a pro team) and I swear that I got running-Phantom’d so many times that I tried doing it myself. And it works really well. But it’s at a certain distance where it’s actually viable.”
Phantom’s running headshot accuracy was always ridiculously high, and Tenz found out to his utter surprise that such shot control can be maintained while in a competitive Valorant match as well:
“I like the Phantom way better than the Vandal, now that I’ve joined the dark side. This gun is just, honestly, way better. One thing that you can do with the Phantom that you can’t do with the Vandal (is get a kill while) full running sprint.”
However, Tenz felt that Phantom’s unique mechanic is a bit too overpowered and shouldn’t be there in the game. It can ruin competitive integrity and make the situation such that every player (especially on the professional level) will always want to opt for the Phantom and not the Vandal, no matter what the situation demands.
He noted:
“I’m going to (use this) until Riot pulls their s**t together and make it so you shouldn’t be able to running spray consistently. I feel like you should be able to do running sprays every once in a while,”
Both Vandal and the Phantom have their pros and cons, but the latter’s unique mechanic makes it a go-to weapon of choice for Valorant’s players currently.
