The Valorant Champions Tour Masters Copenhagen finals are finally upon us. As we enter the final weekend of top-tier international VCT play, rib.gg director of esports Charlie Pickles has taken to Reddit to share the pick rates for each weapon so far, and there are a couple of surprises in there.
According to the numbers, what once was a close match-up between the Phantom and Vandal for AR supremacy throughout 2021 is no more, as the Vandal is by far and away the most popular weapon on the chart with 39.51% of the share – a trend we also saw throughout VCT 2022 Stage 1. Meanwhile, the Phantom has only been picked up 19.04% of the time.
As user ‘mateusb12’ points out, this is most likely due to a combination of factors. Firstly, the consistency of the Vandal – only requiring four body shots to kill at any range – cannot be underestimated. Additionally, with the lack of Astras and Vipers running around at the minute, there’s less need to spam smokes and walls with a Phantom. Indeed, based on the current meta the Phantom seems to be a more situational pick (plus nobody likes a Phantom moment).
The next thing of note is the fall of the Marshall, which coincides with the dropping off of Jett’s popularity. Sitting at a measly 0.3% pick rate – a full 1% lower than what we saw in Reykjavik – the eco-friendly sniper is almost untouched. With Chamber having access to what is effectively a Guardian in pistol form, the other agent you’d usually find Marshall players on has no need for it.
Weapon pick rates at Masters Copenhagen so far
byu/chaza7433 inValorantCompetitive
Finally, whereas the Vandal tops the chart, the Ares bottoms out with a near-invisible 0.03% pick rate. The nerf-ravaged LMG has not been seen for some time, and has only featured once at the tournament during FunPlus Phoenix’s victory over Guild Esports when Andrey ‘Shao’ Kiprsky gave it a whirl. FPX lost the round in spectacular fashion.
If you’re still working on your Vandal one-taps, then you should definitely arm yourself with one of the best Valorant crosshairs for the job.