Better than the OG but…

The original Hypervenom Phantom is easily one of the most iconic boots in history. It was a unique concept, with interesting materials and the timing of getting Neymar into the boots right before his much-vaunted move to Barcelona meant there was great and immediate attention given to the boots. His performances in the boots also meant that it became the must have boot over the next couple of years after its release. On a personal level, I was never much convinced by the boots and the hype surrounding them, and I felt they were overhyped. But with the release of the Nike Hypervenom Phantom RGN, I felt I should give the boots another chance. Maybe I got it wrong or changed my mind over the years since I wore them. To the boot’s credit, the remake is great and even surpasses the originals in some ways. It has also made me appreciate the originals more. However, not everything is at the level people make it out to be.

Fit and Feel

It is immediately noticeable that for the most part, Nike has nailed the upper of the Hypervenom Phantom RGN. The material is very similar to the originals, with only the waxy feeling and the immediate softness missing. While the remakes are not as soft as the originals out of the box, the new construction feels more durable and feels as if it has more stability through the midfoot. One of the issues with the originals is that I felt the material became too loose and too sloppy far too easily. The new upper feels like it will not overstretch but still has some stretchiness to form around the foot.

One of the major improvements is the overall fit of the boot. The first models did not fit me well out of the box and it needed some time to properly form around my foot. The Phantom RGN has a far better fit out of the box for me. The fit is so good that I would say it is the Nike boot that fits me the best out of anything they have released over the past few years. I am very impressed with the overall shaping of the boot.

It is because the fit is so good that I do not mind the upper being stiffer out of the box. However, the boot is not overly stiff and only takes around an hour and a bit for it to feel properly ready for match situations. What is also enjoyable about the fit is that there are no awkward gaps of creases when wearing the boots, and they flow with the foot naturally.

Another improvement is the heel. In particular, the lining used on the heel is far better than its predecessor. The original heel was super slick, and it was easy to feel the heel sliding around the boot. While the overall shape of the new heel is good, it still suffers from lockdown issues. The boot would be much improved if there was one extra set of laceholes towards the top of the foot as the current lacing set up does not provide enough lockdown. This is something that bothered me about the originals as well.

The overall lockdown is not great either. This is again because of the poor lacing system which is not deep enough to fully lock the foot into place. However, the fit of the Nike Hypervenom Phantom RGN is so good that it is not as big of an issue as it could be. And to be fair, this is again a problem that occurred with the initial release. If the lacing system had one more set of laceholes at each end of the lacing system, it would have excellent lockdown.

Something else that has been upgraded from the originals is the insole. There are a lot of people who do not like how thick it is, but I personally prefer this insole overall because not only is it nicely cushioned, but also because it helps eliminate the gap that I had in the old model. This gap was on the part of the upper right below where the lacing system ended and it made the boots feel slightly sloppy. This was an issue in the original Magista Obra as well. While most people probably will not like the insole, it does at least feel premium, which is a bit of a rarity for Nike boots these days.

For sizing, I went a half size down from normal since I heard the RGN run slightly long, and it was an excellent decision as the fit is excellent. I could have gone true to size and been ok, but I prefer a tighter fit. Yet, most people will be best off going true to size.

On the Ball

Of course, the thing people loved the most about the originals is how they felt on the ball. And people are going to love how the Hypervenom RGN feels on the ball as well. The honeycomb structure has been successfully re-created. It has this thin, but not overly so, touch on the ball. And this is where I have to give credit to the original because I think I was overly harsh originally. The NikeSkin is a very nice material and again it is somewhat of a shame that they dropped it after only a few models.

And had these remakes released a few years ago, I might have been pushing Nike to re-use this material. They still could, as the current Tiempo upper is terrible. But allow me to make a controversial statement: I think GripKit is a better material than this NikeSkin ever has been. My reasons are fairly simple: GripKnit is softer and more pliable. It is not prone to overstretching. It is even fairly durable, which is somewhat rare for a Nike created material. I would even go so far as to say that I think the touch on the ball is better.

But back to these Hypervenom Phantom RGN. One of the drawbacks of this remake is that the upper does not have that same waxy sensation that was on the first Hypervenom. That was probably one of the more popular aspects of the boot. In spite of that, the touch on the ball is still really good and the upper feels a bit grippier the more it is used. I actually find myself not minding the fact that the upper does not have the same feel in terms of the touch as the first model.

One thing that did make it over to this remake is how it feels when hitting the ball with power. There is a lovely pingy sensation that a lot of people will appreciate. Since there is also such a large striking area, there is a huge space with which to hit the ball. I really enjoy curling the ball is these boots as well as interestingly, much like the adidas Predator, it seems to encourage it. Well, in my mind anyways.

Before we get to grip of the soleplate, I do have to mention that the Phantom 3 soleplate is a huge win here in terms of controlling and rolling the ball around with the bottom of my feet. I much prefer this over the original soleplate.

Grip

Overall, the decision to use the Hypervenom Phantom 3 soleplate is an excellent choice as I have always felt that what Nike used on the first Phantom was far too simple considering what the rest of the boot was supposed to be. The Phantom 3 soleplate is more aggressive and to me matches with the upper much better. It helps that it also feels more premium than that first soleplate.

There is a good amount of grip available, and yet I have not felt as if my feet are getting stuck in the ground. The soleplate looks complicated, but it works well, and I prefer it over some of the other soleplates Nike is using in its current lineup. The flip side of this is that I do not feel it is a good idea to use the boots on artificial ground as I feel the soleplate is overly aggressive and the studs are too tall.

At the same time, I do not feel any stud pressure because of the nicer insole, but it is a shame that these are not AG friendly. I also worry about the durability of the remakes if they are consistently used on AG.

The Biggest Issue

It is no surprise that the Nike Hypervenom Phantom RGN sold out so quickly in both colourways. The iconic status, its role as a unicorn for many people and the massive mystique surrounding the boots mean that any remake would always sell out almost immediately. Naturally, this also means that they have become a prime target for scalpers. It is a shame to even see people I saw as regular resellers suddenly jump on the train to try and make as much money as possible off of the hype. Obviously, Nike does not care because they all sold out, and that is exactly what they wanted as they want people to have FOMO over the boots. It is extremely frustrating to see so many people miss out because of bots and people’s greed.

However, I do not think that these boots, or the originals for that matter, are worth paying over the top for. They are special, for sure. But the industry has come a long way over the past twelve years and for me, there are better boots out there. Like I mentioned previously, I do not think the upper holds up as well when compared to what Nike is currently offering elsewhere. I understand that the Hypervenom is extremely special, or even the GOAT, for a lot of people. But that does not mean we should allow ourselves to be taken advantage of by these companies, scalpers and our own nostalgia. There will always be more boots, more remakes, something new, something crazy. I think we can soothe ourselves knowing the fact that there will always be something around the corner for us to enjoy.

Conclusion

There is no mistaking the fact that the Nike Hypervenom Phantom RGN is a much-wanted remake, and the hype is justified – to an extent. While the remake is overall a good boot, and it has even made me appreciate the originals more, for me there is now better stuff out there. This release has also laid bare how bad scalping and botting has got in the market as whole. We are flooded with products these days to the point that it makes sense that Nike turned to the Hypervenom to have something that truly stands out. We have to be smarter as consumers and be willing to call these companies and scalpers out for their greed. So yeah, the Nike Hypervenom Phantom RGN is a great remake. But it’s not worth paying the premium to get a pair. There is other stuff out there now and there will be in future.

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