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 from ValorantCompetitive
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.