AWP | Asiimov (Field-Tested)

Field-Tested (FT) is the cleanest grade the AWP | Asiimov has. The skin's own scale begins at 0.18, so Factory New and Minimal Wear do not exist for it at all, and Field-Tested turns out to be the top rung. The float band of this grade runs from 0.18 to 0.38. The rank is Covert, and the rifle drops from the Operation Phoenix Weapon Case. The Phoenix Collection was released on February 20, 2014.

What the AWP | Asiimov looks like in Field-Tested

The body is white, with black inserts and orange accents — the science-fiction livery that marks out every Asiimov. Orange is used sparingly: it is gathered on the magazine and the barrel shroud, and it is what holds the eye. White covers the most ground on the stock and the handguard, so a copy's condition is read there first of all.

In Field-Tested the rubbing gathers along the stock edges and around the scope mount. The white paint grays first, while the black inserts look exactly as they do on clean listings. At the low end of the band the rifle looks nearly fresh; at the high end the white has visibly dimmed.

What to check before buying

On an AWP | Asiimov three things need looking at:

• the float, since a white field shows wear earlier than a dark one and the ends of the band differ clearly;


• the state of the orange accents, which are narrow and rub away more visibly than the rest;


• the name tag and stickers from the previous owner.

The AWP | Asiimov has a fixed pattern, and price does not depend on it.

Between 0.18 and 0.38 fairly different listings have room, so it pays to look past the first page of results.

What the AWP | Asiimov costs in Field-Tested

Of the three grades that exist, the order runs like this:

• Well-Worn is cheaper by about a quarter;


• Battle-Scarred is cheaper by about a third.

The gap between the outer grades amounts to a third of the price, which is modest for a Covert skin. The reason is the cut-off scale. With no clean grades in existence, a buyer has nothing to measure Field-Tested against, and no premium for being the cleanest arises. Saving on Battle-Scarred is expensive in another sense: in the lower grades the white body grays all over.

Getting the AWP | Asiimov

The AWP | Asiimov falls out of the Operation Phoenix Weapon Case, and the rifle belongs to that case's collection.

A trade-up contract also yields the skin: ten skins one rank below go in, and the collection of the inputs steers the result. AK-47 | Redline, Nova | Antique or P90 | Trigon all serve. With the batch taken from the Phoenix set, where two skins occupy Covert rank, this AWP accounts for half of the outcomes. The float on the way out equals the average float of the inputs.

Covert rank in turn goes into a knife craft: five Covert skins of the set return a random rare special item. Phoenix yields the Bayonet, Flip Knife, Gut Knife, Karambit and M9 Bayonet.

StatTrak and Souvenir

Stickers and craft on the AWP | Asiimov

The AWP | Asiimov has a StatTrak version. Souvenir copies of the finish turn up as well, though no Souvenir packages were ever made for it: packages only ever covered tournament map collections. Those copies are built with the Souvenir-O-Matic, which puts gold tournament stickers and a player autograph on a normal skin from the inventory.

A white field is a light and demanding background. Black and dark blue stickers show on it best, orange ones merge with what is already painted on the magazine, and white ones vanish completely. The rifle has more free space than the assault rifles do: the stock and the handguard suit a craft in CS2 end to end. The barrel shroud with the accents is better left alone.

Who this wear suits

There are three reasons to buy the AWP | Asiimov in this grade:

• a recognizable white AWP for CS2 is wanted, and there is nothing to overpay for, since clean grades do not exist;


• an even white body matters, and that is exactly what the lower grades lose;


• a light-colored loadout is being assembled and needs a rifle to match.

The upper part of the band already gives a grayish cast on the stock. Even white starts closer to 0.20, and a float filter earns its keep here.