M4A1-S | Guardian (Minimal Wear)

The M4A1-S | Guardian in Minimal Wear (MW) occupies the float band 0.07 to 0.15, which is 16% of the finish's wear scale. Rank: Classified; collection: The Winter Offensive Collection. Buying this M4A1-S for CS2 in MW means getting a nearly clean paint job without deep wear.

What the M4A1-S | Guardian looks like in Minimal Wear

It is a restrained finish: the receiver, handguard and stock are painted steel-blue with no artwork, and Valve's text names the shade cobalt. The suppressor is gray with fine white printed lettering, and the magazine carries a CT emblem. The grip and barrel are dark.

With no pattern, wear shows in the paint: in MW only the edges and corners of the receiver, handguard and stock lighten. Wear is set at the drop, so the float on a listing shows exactly how the skin will look in the owner's hands.

Where the M4A1-S | Guardian came from

In a note dated December 19, 2013, Valve called the Winter Offensive Weapon Case the first case built entirely from community work. The Winter Offensive Collection was released on December 19, 2013, and the M4A1-S | Guardian has been in it since launch.

What to check before buying

When choosing an M4A1-S | Guardian, pay attention to the following:

• float: the band on this M4A1-S | Guardian is 0.07 to 0.15;


• stickers and name tag: both pass to the new owner along with the M4A1-S | Guardian when it is sold;


• the condition of the CT emblem on the magazine and the white lettering on the suppressor.

There is nothing to choose by pattern on this skin. The 0.07 to 0.15 band is tight, so you can buy almost blind.

What the M4A1-S | Guardian costs in Minimal Wear

The other wears of the M4A1-S | Guardian relate to Minimal Wear like this:

• Factory New is pricier by about 1.8 times;


• Field-Tested is cheaper by about 1.3 times;


• Well-Worn is cheaper by about 1.2 times;


• Battle-Scarred is cheaper by about 1.1 times.

Among Classified M4A1-S skins in MW, this one is cheaper than Atomic Alloy but pricier than Decimator.

Getting the M4A1-S | Guardian

The Winter Offensive Weapon Case is the drop source for the M4A1-S | Guardian.

A trade-up contract gives this skin too. Ten skins of the rank below go in from any collections, and the outcome is drawn from the collection of one of the inputs. Putting all ten in from Winter Offensive is the player's choice. The result then stays inside that set, which has three Classified skins, so the M4A1-S gets a one-in-three chance. From this skin a contract can in turn be assembled for the Covert M4A4 | Asiimov and Sawed-Off | The Kraken.

StatTrak and Souvenir

A StatTrak version of the M4A1-S | Guardian exists. Souvenir packages were not made for it.

Stickers and craft on the M4A1-S | Guardian

The paint is one solid color, and there are no large elements on the receiver for a sticker to compete with. On the steel-blue, light stickers read well, white and gold especially. Dark blue and gray ones blend into the paint.

Who this wear suits

Minimal Wear makes sense for the M4A1-S | Guardian in three cases:

• you want a clean steel-blue finish without paying the Factory New premium;


• you need a Classified Counter-Terrorist skin for a build in blue tones;


• the narrow 0.07 to 0.15 band is enough for you, since copies there are nearly identical.