I’m going to start this off by saying that I have mixed feelings with this version of Phantom, but overall, I don’t feel that he is overpowered. So then, let’s look at each aspect of Phantom and discuss how they score.
1. Primaries
I was a little surprised that they decided to give Phantom a primary, considering that his last appearance featured a silenced semi-automatic pistol and the katana. However, with the HUGE nerf the katana received, I feel that it is fair for him to have a primary as he originally did. As far as the choice of weaponry, I’m happy to see him using SMGs, but I’m a little disappointed that the Blishlok made the cut. If anything, it would have been great if the Blishlok was replaced by any of the shotguns. Either way, I’m satisfied.
2. Secondaries
Now here is where I’m really disappointed. Don’t get me wrong, the slow handguns are great secondaries, but I feel as if his old choice of fast firing semi-automatic handguns would have been a better fit. I’m also sad that the silenced Selbstadt .40 didn’t make a comeback. Seeing as how it didn’t make a return with Phantom, I’d say that silenced weapons are as good as dead, which is a shame.
3. Augments
Double Time? YES! Drilled? YES! Chopper? YES! Quick Draw? YES! We also have Undercover, which increases ability duration by 20%, which is pretty neat. I would say that Phantom has a great choice of augments with only a single loadout being kind of useless. cough C62 cough
4. Ability
I honestly see no problem with his cloak. I think the main problem people are having with it is the fact that they aren’t use to a merc being harder to spot than others. For all of the Phantoms I’ve run into so far, they were very easy to see. As far as his additional armor goes, you have to remember that it drains the ability duration, which is already quite low. Phantom is already draining his ability to sneak around so by the time someone spots you, you’re only blocking a shot or two before you are drained. Anyone who claims that his tanking is on par with a Rhino is insane.
5. Melee
The moment you’ve all been waiting for… It’s time to talk melee. By melee, I of course mean the katana. So how do I feel about it? Well, it’s still pretty dang strong but it sure as heck isn’t what it use to be. The main problem I see with the katana is the fact that it can cut down everything in front of Phantom and that’s pretty ridiculous. Otherwise, a lot of katana kills I’ve been seeing are on victims who are COMPLETELY incompetent. Stop jumping around and actually get some distance on Phantom. What people don’t seem to understand is that it takes time for a melee swing to hit and in that time, you’re stuck without sprint. In other words, it’s very easy to avoid the katana if you understand how to do so. With that said, back up, aim for his head and shoot away… It’s that easy. As an added bonus, if you see him swinging too early, thus missing you, you can easily run up and knife his face for a good laugh as he will be locked into walking speed from the swing. Considering that the katana will not be exclusive to Phantom, don’t consider the strength of the katana to be an issue with Phantom himself. What needs to be slightly nerfed is the katana and not Phantom. If anything, the katana needs a slight damage reduction or an even harsher swing time.
Conclusion
Overall, he’s pretty balanced and a lot of people who are claiming he is OP either don’t understand how to counter him or still have a bad taste in their mouth from his last appearance in CB when he was in fact very OP. If you’re interested, I’m going to post my first 3 Phantom matches below as well as the loadout I’m currently using. Even tho I haven’t used SMGs in awhile and didn’t pull a katana loadout, I’m pleased with these matches. However, I do have to ask if anyone knows how Hugh Laurie was able to obtain double my score, even tho he had a lower k/d rate and was elusively kill farming with Phantom just as I was. In other words, is there a way to score farm with Phantom that I don’t know about? Do melee kills grant a greater score? If so, I guess I should work towards a katana loadout.
Match 1
http://i.imgur.com/Gqk6XWE.jpg
Match 2
http://i.imgur.com/TfwAesK.jpg
Match 3
http://i.imgur.com/NhtuiVp.jpg
Loadout
