ScreaM was reported to prefer the Phantom, based on his answer in a 2020 VALORANT AMA. He called it the better weapon overall because it was more forgiving when he missed a shot or two, while identifying the Vandal as the stronger rifle at long range. He also made clear that the choice was not absolute: the situation and the teammates around him could change which rifle he used.
The short answer: Phantom, according to his 2020 AMA answer
The clearest reported answer is Phantom. In an AMA video discussed in a report updated December 15, 2020, Adil “ScreaM” Benrlitom said he considered the Phantom the more efficient rifle overall. His reason was practical rather than absolute: he felt a player could recover after missing one or two shots with the Phantom, whereas the Vandal was less forgiving.
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He separated that overall preference from one specific strength. In his description, the Vandal was better at long range. That makes his answer a preference for the Phantom as the more forgiving all-purpose option, not a claim that the Vandal had no advantages.
The wording matters because the report also says ScreaM would use either rifle depending on the situation and the players he was with. Therefore, “ScreaM prefers Phantom” is accurate as a summary of the 2020 answer, but “ScreaM always uses Phantom” is not.
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What ScreaM said, and what the wording means
His overall verdict
The reported quotation from the AMA says: “Seriously Phantom, I think it’s a better weapon,” followed by an explanation that missing a shot or two still left room to recover. He then summarized his position as: “Overall, I think [the] Phantom is better.” These statements support a general preference, not a permanent rule for every round.
The quotation comes through a secondary report of the AMA rather than a transcript independently checked against the original video. It is still the source of the widely repeated answer, so the date and attribution should remain attached whenever the claim is presented.
What “more forgiving” means in this context
“Forgiving” describes the margin for error ScreaM believed the Phantom gave him after an imperfect burst or spray. His point was not that missed shots were harmless. It was that the rifle remained useful after a small mistake, allowing a player to continue the engagement instead of being punished as severely for failing to land every early bullet.
That explanation also reveals the kind of player preference he was describing. He valued consistency through a messy fight, where the first attempt might not be perfect. The Vandal’s advantage, in his view, appeared when the engagement rewarded precision over recovery, especially at longer distances.
Why the long-range qualification matters
ScreaM did not describe the rifles as interchangeable in every circumstance. He specifically reserved long-range superiority for the Vandal. That qualification prevents a misleading interpretation in which the Phantom is presented as universally superior.
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A useful way to restate his answer is: Phantom for the better overall margin for error; Vandal when long-range performance is the deciding factor. This preserves both halves of his statement and explains why he could prefer one rifle while still selecting the other in a particular round.
His choice was situational, not an absolute loadout rule
The 2020 report says ScreaM’s rifle choice could change with the situation and with the players around him. That caveat is central to the answer. A professional player can have a default preference while adapting to the map area, expected engagement distance, team plan or the way a round is developing.
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It also means a screenshot of ScreaM using a Vandal would not disprove the reported Phantom preference. Likewise, seeing him buy a Phantom would not establish that he believed the Vandal was useless. The two rifles could serve different jobs inside the same player’s decision-making.
For readers asking, “Why does ScreaM use Phantom?” the evidence-based answer is therefore not simply “because it has better statistics.” The documented reason is his judgment that it was more forgiving after missed shots and better overall for his purposes. The same answer acknowledges a Vandal advantage at long range.
How Riot’s 2023 analysis frames Phantom versus Vandal
Riot Games’ VALORANT Insights Team published a Phantom-versus-Vandal analysis on May 15, 2023. The team said it queried more than 4 million unrated and competitive matches. Those findings provide broader context for ScreaM’s explanation, but they do not update his personal preference or prove what he used in 2026.
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Riot’s conclusion was that the rifles are situational choices tied to playstyle and confidence. Its article identifies close-range spray as a Phantom-friendly scenario, while headshots and longer-range shots are strengths associated with the Vandal. That framework closely matches the distinction in ScreaM’s answer: the Phantom offers a more forgiving option in sustained or less-perfect fights, while the Vandal becomes attractive when precision and distance dominate.
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The analysis also reported that competitive-queue players selected the Vandal more than any other weapon as their primary loadout. Riot said VCT players favored the Vandal as well, although professional players adopted the Phantom at a higher rate than competitive-queue players. These are findings from that 2023 analysis period, not a live usage report for every later patch.
Phantom or Vandal? The evidence-based comparison
| Decision factor | Phantom indication | Vandal indication | What the evidence supports |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close-range spray | Riot identifies this as a Phantom-friendly situation. | Not identified as the primary strength in the cited comparison. | Use this as a situational guideline, not a universal ranking. |
| Recovering after a miss | ScreaM said the Phantom allowed recovery after missing a shot or two. | He described the Vandal as less forgiving in that circumstance. | This is ScreaM’s reported 2020 reasoning. |
| Headshot-focused play | Not stated as the defining advantage in Riot’s summary. | Riot associates headshots with the Vandal’s strengths. | The comparison concerns playstyle, not an absolute weapon tier. |
| Long-range engagements | Not presented by ScreaM as its strongest area. | ScreaM said the Vandal was better at long range; Riot also lists longer-range shots among Vandal strengths. | Both sources point to distance as a reason to consider Vandal. |
| Player preference | ScreaM’s reported overall preference; Riot says choice depends on playstyle and confidence. | More common as a primary choice in Riot’s competitive-queue analysis. | Popularity does not establish ScreaM’s personal choice. |
The table should be read as a decision map rather than a winner announcement. Riot’s data describes patterns across a large match sample, while ScreaM’s comment explains one player’s priorities. Neither source supports the claim that one rifle is always correct.
A practical way to apply ScreaM’s reasoning
Pick the Phantom when your priority is recovery and close-range control
If the expected fight is close and likely to involve sustained spray, Riot’s analysis places that situation on the Phantom side of the comparison. ScreaM’s own explanation adds a second reason: he valued the ability to recover after a small number of missed shots.
This does not require treating every close fight as an automatic Phantom purchase. It means the Phantom aligns with the specific qualities both sources emphasize: close-range spray situations and a larger margin for error when the opening bullets are not perfect.
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Pick the Vandal when distance and precision are the priority
If your plan centers on longer-range engagements or a headshot-focused approach, the cited evidence points toward the Vandal. ScreaM singled out long range as the Vandal’s advantage, and Riot’s 2023 analysis similarly connects it with headshots and longer-range shots.
That recommendation is about the engagement you expect, not a judgment about which rifle is superior in every round. A player can favor the Phantom overall and still choose the Vandal when the round is likely to be decided at distance.
Let playstyle and confidence break ties
Riot researcher Carson Dowhan summarized the analysis by saying, “It really does boil down to your playstyle and confidence as a player.” That observation explains why the same question can produce different answers from equally skilled players. A rifle that fits one player’s timing, aim pattern and comfort may not fit another’s.
Riot staff answers in a 2022 company Q&A also varied between Vandal and Phantom preferences. Those differing answers illustrate personal variation; they do not establish a professional consensus or override ScreaM’s 2020 statement.
Does ScreaM still prefer the Phantom in 2026?
The available evidence does not establish that. The reported answer dates to a 2020 AMA, and the broader Riot comparison dates to 2023. Neither source documents ScreaM’s current 2026 preference.
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It is reasonable to say that his recorded preference was Phantom and that his stated reasons remain understandable within Riot’s situational framework. It is not accurate to convert that historical answer into a present-tense claim about his current professional habits without a newer statement from ScreaM.
Patch changes, team context, role, map strategy and evolving personal preference could all affect a player’s later choices. None of those possibilities proves that ScreaM changed his mind; they simply explain why the date of the source must stay visible.
What you can and cannot conclude from usage data
What the 2023 match analysis can show
- Across the more than 4 million unrated and competitive matches included in Riot’s analysis, the Vandal was the most selected primary weapon in competitive queue.
- VCT players favored the Vandal in the analysis, while adopting the Phantom at a higher rate than competitive-queue players.
- Riot’s interpretation links Phantom choices with close-range spray and Vandal choices with headshots or longer-range shots.
What it cannot show
- It cannot prove what ScreaM personally preferred after the 2020 AMA.
- It cannot turn overall pick rates into a universal ranking for every player, map or round.
- It cannot establish a current 2026 usage rate, because the cited analysis is from 2023.
Keeping those boundaries clear prevents a common mistake: using population-level weapon choices to answer a historical question about one player’s stated preference.
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ScreaM was reported to prefer the Phantom in a 2020 AMA. He called it better overall because it was more forgiving after a missed shot or two, while saying the Vandal was better at long range. He also said the choice could depend on the situation and his teammates. Riot’s 2023 analysis supports treating the rifles as situational: Phantom for close-range spray and recovery-oriented play, Vandal for headshots and longer-range engagements. That is the most precise answer supported by the available sources, but it should not be presented as proof of ScreaM’s preference in 2026.
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