Nike Phantom Review

The Phantom carries decades worth of Nike football boot evolution with a genealogical connection to past iconic power and control silos like the T90, Hypervenom, CTR Maestri, and the Magista Obra.

The Phantom GX succeeded the Phantom GT which rolled the VNM and the VSN into one, while the Luna debuted as Nike’s dedicated women’s boot.

What You’ll Find On This Page:

• Elite Phantom GX 2 Review
• Phantom Luna 2 Elite
• Phantom GX 2Pro
• Your Academy Luna/GX 2 Expert Review
• Nike Phantom Club
• History of the Nike Phantom

The Elite Phantom GX II is a boot that has Nike’s remarkable Gripknit, a knitted material that forms the upper and also is the main source of its grip and ball touch. It’s also the source of comfort given the sock-like benefits of knit.

It has a bladed stud configuration that culminates in the Cyclone 360 formation on the forefoot. The circular formation of the Cyclone 360 blades helps you use the forefoot to pivot while maintaining that aggressive traction. Perfect for multi-directional movements.

Your Phantom GX II Questions Answered:

• What are Nike Phantoms designed for?

The Nike Phantom football boots are designed for the technical players and playmakers, mostly worn by midfielders as they are the ones who initiate and dictate the passage of play. But even those up front are into the Phantom, especially those who create and provide goal scoring opportunities in advanced roles.

• Which is better Mercurial or Phantom?

Both are actually great football boots (not playing it safe here!). One becomes better depending on one’s preferences and foot shape. That’s why I like providing these kind of reviews, for you to know more about the boots so you can understand yourself better what will suit you. If you want a full breakdown read this article I wrote on them.

Nike Phantom GX II Elite Review

Model	Quality	Pitches
GX Elite	Gripknit & Flyknit upper		>> Get Elite Phantom GX2 at Nike

Latest Colours

Five Things You’ll Want to Know:

1. Can be considered as a competitor to the adidas Predator
2. Comes with asymmetrical lacing system
3. One-piece Gripknit upper comprised of sticky coated yarns and high-tenacity ones, all in a knitted base material
4. Bladed Cyclone 360 outsole configuration a carry over from the Luna I
5. Marketed as Nike’s control option; sold together with the speedy Mercurial and the heritage Tiempo

My 2024 Phantom GX Expert Review

Additional points I think you need to know about the 2024 Nike Phantom GX II Elite:

• I feel the Nike Phantom GX 2 Elite is among the most comfortable football boots I’ve tried, even straight out of the box.
• They stand out with a unique identity, distinct from Nike’s Mercurial and Tiempo lines, and feature effective Gripknit technology that enhances grip and ball touch.
• The bladed Cyclone 360 outsole offers excellent traction and forefoot pivoting, but might not suit everyone’s liking
• The are ideal for wide feet, they run a quarter size long, which might leave extra space by your toes
• Overall, the Phantom GX 2 Elite is a strong contender in the control boot category

✔️ Pros

• I rank it as one of the most comfortable option out there, even out-of-the-box
• I like how the it has a distinguishable identity from the Mercurial and Tiempo
• Gripknit works!
• Some might be put off by the bladed Cyclone 360, but I actually find them good for forefoot pivots and overall traction
• For boot enthusiasts such as myself, Gripknit’s more pronounced thumbprint pattern is a nice throwback to the T90; not rigid and even amplifies the Gripknit’s stickiness
• My heel sits in well because of the boot’s heel depth
• My favourite wide-fitting football boot!
• The flexibility of the sole and the promo heel counter I believe enhances the overall comfort

❌ Cons

• Quarter size long; might be alright to those who prefer some space on the front
• I don’t think they are the most responsive, most especially for narrow-feet players
• Would take a lot of foot volume to totally fill out the space and prevent too much creases

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Shop For Nike Phantom Boots >>

With its Gripknit technology, the Phantom have been given the final piece needed to make the silo on-par with it’s Nike peers and with other ‘control boots’ like the adidas Predator.

I Think The GX Is Best For…

How I Conducted The Review Of The Nike Phantom GX 2

I’ve spent plenty of time training & playing in the GX, like my other boot reviews, this Phantom GX 2 review followed some guidelines that the team thinks is necessary for boot testing. Besides the usual running and movement drills, I subjected the Phantom GX 2 to more shooting and passing tests.

This is necessary to see if Gripknit does really make a difference to your ball touch and grip, especially as we have the adidas Predator dominating in this category with its own grip elements.

To eliminate any possible shooting or passing issue due to lack of fit or lockdown (and therefore decreased responsiveness), I was chosen to lead the review since I have a wide-foot shape that is perfect for the build of the GX 2.

Phantom Luna 2 Elite

Nike Phantom GX II is the latest on the Phantom line, joined by the Phantom Luna II. In essence, they have both evolved from the 2023 Phantoms into essentially the same boot.

Model	Quality	Pitches
Luna Elite	Gripknit, Flyknit & sock collar		>> Get Phantom Luna at Nike

There is just one obvious difference, the collar; the Luna II features a high-cut sock, dynamic fit collar, which I find is more there for looks than performance, leaving the GX 2 as the low-cut option. On that note, the Luna II unfortunately negates the Luna I in the sense that it is no longer women-specific.

Phantom GX 2 Pro

Model	Quality	Pitches
GX Pro	Engineered Mesh upper		>> Get Phantom GX Pro at Nike

What makes the Phantom Pro feel similar to the Elite is the use of a knitted upper. You might just need some time to fully break that in, but in the end you’ll still get that sock-like benefits. Unfortunately, you don’t get any simulation of the Gripknit technology. The least that you get is the curved ribbings that are patterned after the Gripknit weave on the Elite.

Another change to point out is that the midfoot feels like has been narrowed down a bit, and that the heel liner has less padding. This might affect lockdown depending on your foot shape.

The outsole, however, feels more solid and has the same Cyclone 360 stud configuration. If you don’t mind just having a simple knitted upper and a more responsive soleplate, you might indeed consider the Pro over the Elite.

Your Academy Luna/GX 2 Expert Review

Things to Know about the Academy Luna/GX 2

1. Luna is the collared (DF) and GX is low-cut
2. £88 for the DF; £78 for the low
3. Directly competes with the adidas Predator League
4. Replaces Gripknit with a toned-down NikeSkin material attached to a relatively more structured synthetic quarter
5. Studs configuration similar to Pro and Elite GX; multigrounded by default
6. Features alongside Academy Superfly 9/Vapor 15, Academy Tiempo Legend 10 at the time of release
7. Academy Luna/GX 2 also produced in Nike Jr. Kids sizes

Luna/GX 2 Academy Options

BOOTS	DESCRIPTION		SOLEPLATE
Mad Ambition Academy Phantom	Despite having the same stud configuration as the Elite and Pro, Academy GX is labelled by Nike as suitable for natural and artificial grass; blue Phantom boots as part of the 2024/25 season-opening boot pack		MG – Mix Grass & Artificial	>> Get Academy GX/Luna 2 MG at Nike
Nike By You Academy Phantom	Create a one-of-a-kind colourway for your Phantom pair with the Nike By You service; select through a variety of options for the main colour and trim designs		MG – Mix Grass & Artificial	>> Get Academy GX/Luna 2 MG at Nike
Easy-on Academy Phantom	Perfect for those with accessibility needs; still based on the Phantom GT that the GX replaces		MG – Mix Grass & Artificial	>> Get Academy GX/Luna 2 Easy-On at Nike
	Much better for option for synthetic pitches, if you ask us		AG – Artificial Pitch	>> Get Academy GX/Luna 2 AG at Nike
	For 5-a-side games on ragged, shallow turf playing surfaces		TF – Turf (more but shorter studs)	>> Get Academy GX/Luna 2 TF at Nike
	A pair of budget futsal boots based on the looks of the Elite GX/Luna 2		IN – Indoor & Concrete	>> Get Academy GX/Luna 2 IN at Nike
	Size, width and material optimised for the growing feet of young players		KIDS – Children’s Size	>> Get Academy GX/Luna 2 Kids at Nike

Boot Rankings, Best For…

Nike Phantom Club

Model	Quality	Pitches
GX Club	Textured Synthetic materials		>> Get Phantom GX Club at Nike

Like other Nike Club takedowns, you get a generic-fitting, synthetic boot that is made to look like the Phantom GX 2 Elite. It’s as basic as you can get-an upper and an outsole. A pair of the Phantom GX 2 Club is great placeholder especially for young players, who would eventually need to upgrade to the Academy at the very least. If you want the Luna collar, you also get a cheap execution of it here at the Club.

History of the Nike Phantom

The Nike Phantom has gone a long way since its inception in 2013. Take a look at the silo’s development over the years and how arrived to this point with the Phantom GX.

Hypervenom Phantom I (2013)

Successfully replacing the iconic T90 was a tall order, but Nike did just that with the Hypervenom Phantom in 2013. It introduced a ‘new breed of attack’ by moving on from the tanky build of the former in favour of a soft and honeycombed Nikeskin mesh upper and a lightweight feel. The nimble and deft Neymar headlined the boot, and effectively epitomised what the boot stood for-skills and agility are as important as strength and power.

Hypervenom Phantom II (2015)

Not many will fondly remember the Hypervenom Phantom II. It was thought of as a massive disappointment-comfort suffered a lot because of the stiffer upper and too much lockdown from the reinforcing Flywire cables.

Pros were so unhappy that Nike moved back to the Nikeskin upper material in 2016, starting with the Hypervenom Phantom II in the Spark Brilliance pack. The DF-collared and low-cut offerings in the Phantom line first appeared in the Hypervenom II, with Nike calling the uncollared variant the Hypervenom Phinish.

Hypervenom Phantom III (2017)

Flyknit featured fully for the first time in the silo’s history with the 2017 Hypervenom Phantom III. This was also where Nike decided to simply name the collared model DF and the low-cut as simply Hypervenom Phantom.

The standout feature was the texturing on the upper that hardened upon impact, adding power without necessarily stiffening the upper. Hypervenom Phantom III was an acceptable change, though it did not reach the height of the OG release.

Phantom VSN (2018)

Replacing the Magista (which in turn succeeded the CTR Maestri), the Phantom VSN introduced the concept of control to the Phantom line in 2018. It later coexisted with the Phantom VNM at some point, kind of presenting themselves as control-power twin of the silo.

The boot had a Flyknit covering the internal Quadfit case (its primary source of lockdown), a ghost lacing cover to clean up the striking surface and a Hyperscreen coating on the upper to carry out minitexturing essential for ball touch.

The changes in the VSN II released in 2020 were minimal, such as the external heel clip, lower collar and revised Hyperscreen divisions, and not enough to change the essence of the boot. Under the Future DNA pack, the VSN effectively brought back the black and citrus launch colourway of the Hypervenom Phantom.

Phantom VNM (2019)

With the VNM in 2019, the Phantom carried on with its power roots despite the existence of the VSN at that time. The Flyknit boot was instantly recognisable with its ridged Precision PWR Zone on the instep, clearly invoking the spirit of the T90 series.

The VNM suited up with the classic black and white look of the T90 II in the Future DNA pack. Assisting the lockdown of the boot were the integrated Flywire cables. Both the VNM and the VSN gave way to the Phantom GT in 2020. 

Phantom GT (2020)

Phantom GT started during the COVID year and was known for the ‘Generative Texture‘ on its Flyknit upper that aided ball grip and control. The open-arched Hyperquick tooling was targeted on stability when moving and landing side-to-side.

The only difference between the GT 1 and the GT 2 a year later was the change of the Generative Texture from a micro-pill shape with varying intensities and concentrations to a generic, all-over chevron one. 

Phantom GX (2022)

Nike Phantom GX made a splashing debut in 2022 as it started appearing in the knockout stages of the Qatar World Cup. GX brought the sticky Gripknit to the football boot world and provided some formidable challenge to the dominance of the adidas Predator in the grip/control department.

Phantom Luna (2023)

Nike’s football boot ‘By her, For her.’ The Luna was released as the brand’s dedicated boot for women’s football around the 2023 Women’s World Cup and also applied the Gripknit upper technology in a fit and style that catered well to its target audience.

It had the Cyclone 360 outsole that placed some blades in a circular formation on the forefoot for better rotational traction, that was used also on the GX 2. Read more about the Phantom Luna here.