The eternal battle: Vandal vs Phantom

Since VALORANT’s launch, discussion has circulated over whether the Phantom or Vandal should be the preferred gun. The Vandal’s ability to one-shot headshot, even against an enemy with full armor, makes it instantly attractive. However, the Phantom’s tighter spray pattern and ability to absolutely laser down enemies means it is by no means a minor player in the discussion.

Recently, Reddit user u/UndyingPax ran the numbers on whether, when hitting only bodyshots, one gun or the other comes out ahead.

As you can see in the chart that was created, at distances of 30 metres and greater, the Vandal is always faster at killing an opponent. The only other time it is faster is when an opponent has full shields at a distance of 15-30 metres. In every other scenario, the Phantom is quicker.

There aren’t very many situations where you will be firing at a distance of over 20 metres. C long on Haven, or Ascent mid, perhaps. But that just plays into the purpose of each gun. The Vandal is the gun that can one-shot headshot against any amount of armor, so the compensation for the Phantom is more damage on body shots and a tighter spray pattern to make hitting them easier. This provides interesting use cases for the Vandal, however. If you cannot afford or don’t have the skills to work with a gun like the Operator, the Vandal is always better for holding longer sightlines, like the ones mentioned above. Otherwise, it depends whether or not you can hit headshots.

Which gun do you prefer to use? Have you noticed these differences in your games? As always, let us know!