M4A1-S | Vaporwave (Field-Tested)

The M4A1-S | Vaporwave in Field-Tested (FT) sits mid-scale and is the cheapest way into the Covert rank for this rifle. Its float band is 0.15 to 0.38. It is a Covert skin, and it drops from the Gallery Case.

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

The base is white and pink, with mint-turquoise inserts. The main motif is an antique bust: the head of a marble statue stands on the suppressor and is repeated on the side of the receiver. The upper handguard is lilac-purple with lengthwise stripes, the stock is white with a black-and-pink checkerboard, and the pistol grip is purple. The receiver itself is white, with pink-red blots scattered over it, and the suppressor's end is mint.

Almost everything is painted: the suppressor, the handguard, both sides of the receiver, the stock and the grip. There is hardly any bare metal left, and only the front sight and the carry handle look dark.

In Field-Tested the mint end of the suppressor and the edges of the checkered stock rub off first. The handguard ribs follow, where the stripes are thin. The white planes with the bust hold longest, but on a light ground dark scuffing shows at once, and toward the top of the band it reaches the corners.

Where the M4A1-S | Vaporwave came from

The finish came from the Steam Workshop: the "M4A1-S | Vaporwave" submission was posted on May 2, 2024. The skin entered the game on October 2, 2024. The same update brought three weapon sets, two keychain sets, two sticker sets and the Heat Treated finish on the Desert Eagle. The finish's number in the CS2 catalog is 106.

What to check before buying

When choosing one, compare these:

• the float: on a white base every worn edge stands out dark;


• the state of the mint suppressor end and the stock edges, which go first;


• what the previous owner left on it, meaning stickers and a name tag.

The pattern repeats from listing to listing unchanged. The band of 0.15 to 0.38 leaves some room to choose: closer to 0.15, copies are cleaner.

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

The other four wears price out like this:

• Factory New is about three times more expensive;


• Minimal Wear runs about 50 percent higher;


• Well-Worn is about a tenth dearer;


• Battle-Scarred is about a fifth cheaper.

Downward from Field-Tested the price hardly moves, and Well-Worn even costs a little more. A noticeable surcharge starts only with Minimal Wear.

Among the Covert skins of this rifle it is the most affordable finish: all nine others cost more. The nearest above are M4A1-S | Player Two and M4A1-S | Golden Coil, a tenth and about a third dearer. Further up come M4A1-S | Mecha Industries and M4A1-S | Hyper Beast, more than twice as expensive.

Getting the M4A1-S | Vaporwave

The finish drops from the Gallery Case, and the set has no other case.

A trade-up for it takes ten skins of the rank below from one collection. The set holds two Covert skins, which makes the odds of landing the M4A1-S one in two. The finish also goes into a knife trade-up: the Extraordinary item of the Gallery Case is the Kukri Knife.

StatTrak and Souvenir

The M4A1-S | Vaporwave has a StatTrak™ version. Souvenir copies of it exist as well, but no Souvenir packages were issued, since those were made only for the tournament map collections. Such copies are assembled through the Souvenir-O-Matic, which hangs gold tournament stickers and a player autograph on an ordinary inventory skin.

Stickers and craft on the M4A1-S | Vaporwave

The ground is fully occupied: the bust, the checkerboard and the stripes leave no quiet field, and a sticker on the side of the receiver fights the artwork. The white planes accept little beyond black and pink stickers that match. The suppressor is the usual spot for a craft, though its mint end and the graphic on it set the color themselves.

Who this wear suits

This wear is a reasonable buy when:

• you want the entry to this rifle's Covert rank at the lowest price, with nothing cheaper in the rank;


• float matters: in CS2 on a white base the difference between 0.15 and 0.38 shows;


• you want the bust and the checkerboard whole, though toward the upper limit the edges are already ragged.

In play the rifle reads the same across the whole band, and the difference appears on inspection. There is little point in going lower: Well-Worn costs more, and Battle-Scarred is only about a fifth cheaper, with worn edges along the whole length.