Nike’s first pack after the 2018 FIFA World Cup saw the introduction of its new silo. Replacing the much loved and coveted Magista, the Phantom had some big boots to fill (pun most definitely intended). The Raised On Concrete story was born out of the Phantom VSN’s design process, where the boot was engineered out of researching the needs of footballers in the small sided realm - most notably, playing on concrete in street football. A simple Wolf Grey and Crimson colour way gave the boot a nice welcome to the market, showing off it’s features brilliantly.  

Next up, it was a Racer Blue colour way, accented by a Black swoosh and Silver detailing. They were bright, and did their job in standing out on the pitches globally and here in Australia. This is where the Phantom VSN took off, providing a much loved commercial colour way which the boot world and it’s enthusiasts lapped up.

Finally it was time for a Black colourway. A reverse of the Wave 1 paint job, this pack saw a highly desirable Black colour way which flew off the shelves.

Coinciding with the release of the Phantom’s new partner, the Phantom VNM, this colour way was a bit overshadowed in this launch. Bright Crimson took on the Phantom series, as the Game Over pack began the now Phantom VNM/VSN partnership, spawning a new wave of attack - it’s all about Precision now.

Definitely the crazier of the bunch. Euphoria Mode was all about capturing the passion and euphoric moments in football, and Nike certainly hit the nail on the head with this one. It was Racer Blue once again, with a splash of White coming from the outsole and into the upper, creating an splattered mudguard effect on the boot. On pitch these were insanely good looking, and were popular amongst you lot to.

In came around the Victory Pack for the 2019 FIFA Womens World Cup. Inspired by the Goddess of Victory named ‘Nike’, the boots featured a hand-drawn depiction of the wings of Nike. It’s colourway took hues from the light which would enter the Louvre in Paris, the museum where the famous statue of Nike is displayed. This was one sharp colour way, and did it’s bit in looking fly at the Women’s World Cup.  

These Phantom VSN's certainly didn't fly under the radar in this sharp Black and Volt colourway. The bright Volt accents allowed this boot to have that little extra pop it desired. Nike now chucked in their signature 'Just Do It' branding into the mix, subtly printing it around the heel area. Surely these go down as one of the better colourways we've seen on the VSN.  

The New Lights Pack brought around a new Mercurial generation, which took all the fame and glory. The Phantom VSN still got plenty of attention, and with it's all-out Volt colourway, you'd expect nothing less. These were bright, and stood out on all the pitches here in Australia, and around the world.  

Bringing the fire, Nike introduced the Phantom Fire pack. Featuring a Bright Mango Phantom VNM, the Phantom VSN saw it hit with a Dark Grey/Bright Mango combo. These would've appealed to many looking for a simple dose of colour blocking on their VSN's, with the Bright Mango acting as the little bit of jazz that the smooth Dark Grey base needed.

And now we’re here! The launch of the Phantom VSN II saw some minor modifications to the boot, albeit welcome ones. The Dynamic Fit Collar was modified, fitting more nicely around the ankle now. The shape and last of the boot was now more streamlined, and the uppers grip texturing a bit more fine tuned. There wasn’t much for Nike to change - Nike had hit a home run with the 1st Phantom VSN, and they’ve managed to bring out something which stays true to itself, and improved it along the way. The 2nd generation came in with a Bright Crimson colourway, which has a brilliant pearlescent shine to it. It’s swoosh placement is far nicer on the 2nd generation, and it looks ever so sleek now.  

If you're keen on the brand new Nike Phantom VSN II in the 'Future Lab' colourway, they're now on sale down to just $199 (from $319), with Free Shipping Australia wide.