M4A1-S | Guardian (Field-Tested)

The M4A1-S | Guardian in Field-Tested (FT) is a CS2 M4A1-S for the Counter-Terrorist side in a cobalt-blue finish, Classified rank. It belongs to The Winter Offensive Collection and drops from the Winter Offensive Weapon Case. For this wear the M4A1-S | Guardian is given a float of 0.15 to 0.38, which is 46% of the skin's scale.

What the M4A1-S | Guardian looks like in Field-Tested

The body, handguard and stock are flooded with saturated cobalt blue. The handguard is ribbed and the grip is black. The suppressor is gray, with a fine inscription around the cylinder, and a stenciled CT logo is applied to the magazine.

There is no artwork on the rifle: it is solid paint with a single mark. Wear is set at the drop. In Field-Tested the edges already show marks, and the copy stays as it dropped.

Where the M4A1-S | Guardian came from

In December 2013 the skin arrived together with the Winter Offensive Weapon Case. In the update notes Valve called that case the first one in history made by the community.

What to check before buying

Before buying the M4A1-S | Guardian, check the following:

• float: the wear band runs from 0.15 to 0.38, and the number on the listing shows how worn the rifle is;


• name tag and stickers: on the M4A1-S | Guardian they stay with the listing;


• the CT logo on the magazine: it should be readable in the listing photo.

All copies of the M4A1-S | Guardian share one pattern. Here the choice is made inside 0.15 to 0.38, and the distance between the top and the bottom of that stretch is noticeable.

What the M4A1-S | Guardian costs in Field-Tested

The finish's scale breaks off at 0.50, and Battle-Scarred takes only 0.45 to 0.50. Even so, Well-Worn costs 1.10 times as much and Battle-Scarred 1.19 times. Above them Minimal Wear costs 1.25 times as much and Factory New 2.46 times.

Among Classified M4A1-S finishes in this wear, Guardian is in the upper third of a row of twelve: eight cost less and three cost more. The closest above are Atomic Alloy and Fatal Glitch, and below it are Control Panel, Decimator and Leaded Glass. Master Piece is the most expensive, and Solitude, Stratosphere and Black Lotus are cheaper.

Getting the M4A1-S | Guardian

The skin drops from the Winter Offensive Weapon Case. The second route to the M4A1-S | Guardian is a trade-up: ten skins one rank lower, from any collections at all. When all ten come from The Winter Offensive Collection, the result is one of three Classified skins in the set.

StatTrak and Souvenir

The M4A1-S | Guardian has a StatTrak version. No Souvenir packages were made for this finish, but a Souvenir copy can be built through the Souvenir-O-Matic.

Stickers and craft on the M4A1-S | Guardian

The blue fill without artwork leaves the handguard, stock and body free. Light stickers read clearly on it.

Who this wear suits

Buying the M4A1-S | Guardian in this particular wear makes sense when:

• you want a clean blue M4A1-S for CS2 with no artwork, and Factory New costs 2.46 times as much;


• you would like to pay less than for Well-Worn and Battle-Scarred, which cost more than this wear;


• your CS2 loadout is built on blue and gray.