AWP | Asiimov (Well-Worn)

The AWP | Asiimov in Well-Worn (WW) is the middle one of the three wears this finish comes in, a narrow band running 0.38 to 0.45. Covert rank; the rifle belongs to The Phoenix Collection and sits in the Operation Phoenix Weapon Case.

What the AWP | Asiimov looks like in Well-Worn

The finish is styled as science-fiction hardware, with no figures or drawings. White with gray runs over the receiver and barrel, and over the scope tube and stock as well. Orange panels lie on the side of the receiver, on the stock and on the scope rings, while the grip, the magazine and the rail are black. Orange chevrons and small black diamonds show on the receiver and the magazine.

In Well-Worn the wear lands on the white planes: they go gray and pick up dirt evenly. The receiver edges, the edges of the stock and the cheek rest rub through to bare metal. The orange on the scope rings and the bipod feet goes before the white does. The band of the AWP | Asiimov here is tight, and the copies at either end differ only by the number.

Where the AWP | Asiimov came from

Coridium drew the finish and uploaded it to the Steam Workshop on November 10, 2013, under the title "AWP - ASIIMOV". By his own account, it was his first weapon finish for CS. He is a fan of science-fiction games and films and wanted to bring a little of that aesthetic into the game. The author asked for comments on which other weapons should get a finish in this style.

The Phoenix Collection was released on February 20, 2014, and the AWP | Asiimov has been in the set since launch. In Valve's note the Operation Phoenix Weapon Case is called a set of thirteen community finishes, and in Valve's catalog the finish carries number 279.

What to check before buying

On an AWP | Asiimov listing, look at these:

• float: the band takes 0.07 of the finish's 0.82 scale, about 9%;


• the white planes of the receiver and stock: they show how evenly the finish has grayed;


• the name tag and stickers this AWP | Asiimov already carries.

No lucky pattern can be dug out of the AWP | Asiimov: it is always the same. Copies differ in wear and stickers and in nothing else.

What the AWP | Asiimov costs in Well-Worn

The finish has three wears and the float starts at 0.18, so Factory New and Minimal Wear do not exist for it. The other wears, relative to this one:

• Field-Tested is dearer by about 30 percent;


• Battle-Scarred is cheaper by a few percent.

The best wear of this finish is Field-Tested, and Well-Worn costs about a quarter less than it.

Among Covert AWPs in this wear, the finish lies nearer the upper half of the row. AWP | CMYK costs more, AWP | Sovereign Flame is almost level, and AWP | Queen's Gambit, AWP | Containment Breach and AWP | Wildfire are noticeably cheaper.

Getting the AWP | Asiimov

The skin drops from the Operation Phoenix Weapon Case. A trade-up contract also yields the AWP | Asiimov: ten skins from one step below in the collection, with a chance of one in two in the exchange.

StatTrak and Souvenir

The AWP | Asiimov has a StatTrak version. No Souvenir packages were made for this finish. A Souvenir copy can still be assembled by hand: the Souvenir-O-Matic attaches gold tournament stickers and a player autograph to an ordinary skin.

Stickers and craft on the AWP | Asiimov

The finish is white with orange and black, the background is plain, and stickers read on it without interference. Orange and black stickers continue the palette, white and silver ones merge with the body, and colorful ones become an accent.

On Well-Worn the white planes are gray, so light stickers show less on them than on a fresh rifle. Dark, saturated stickers look more contrasty.

Who this wear suits

Buying the AWP | Asiimov in Well-Worn makes sense if:

• you want a recognizable white-and-orange finish at a price below Field-Tested;


• a gray film over the white does not bother you, and price matters more than cleanliness;


• the AWP is for CS2 matches, where the finish is recognized by its orange panels.

If condition matters more, there is only one wear better than this one: Field-Tested.