LOOK IT BACK #3: Phantom vs Vandal: Assault Rifles steal the show when it comes to traditional FPS games. Sure there are weapons like sheriffs, deagles, AWPs and OPs. But the one type of weapon that every player has to master to become good is the Assault Rifle.
In games like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, out of the two assault rifles- AK-47 and M4A4/M4A1-S, it was pretty clear from the get-go that AK-47 was the superior weapon in the game. Ak-47 has the ability to one-tap an opponent from any distance and if you are able to master it's spray then you can just own the server you're playing on!
Riot Games Valorant added randomness to the weapon sprays. This means each time you spray a gun, the spray would come out to be different. This made players focus more on burst firing or tapping rather than spraying. But even though Vandal would've been the obvious choice for most players due to it's one-tap potential, the game had so many more variables that confused the community in deciding which gun was better- the phantom or the vandal.
Let's take a look at both the guns individually:
Phantom
The Phantom only one taps opponents in close and medium ranges while dealing 124 damage to the head at longer ranges. But the phantom more than makes up for it by having a silencer making it's tracers invisible when shooting through smokes. It's recoil is easier to control than Vandal. The phantom also offers a higher fire rate, above-average accuracy and low spread.
Vandal
Vandal is able to one-tap opponents from any range. But it has a lower fire rate, more recoil and of course, a random spray pattern. This makes the Vandal useless if you miss the first few shots as after those shots, controlling the spray is next to impossible.
Phantom vs Vandal
Both the guns are completely viable at the game's highest level. Regions like Turkey, Europe and CIS prefer the Vandal heavily preferred whereas, the phantom is the gun to go in regions like Korea, Brazil and NA. It completely boils down to personal preference. But if you had to pick one, many professionals believe that Phantom is the better weapon. The silencer, better accuracy, less spread, less recoil, faster recoil reset, and 5 additional bullets per clip. Vandal vs. Phantom is believed to be the G(OLD)EN question from Valorant's launch. But as of Valorant's year 1 anniversary, Phantom takes the lead!
If you want to check out which of the Phantom and Vandal skins are believed to have aimbot, click here.