USP-S | Cortex (Battle-Scarred)

Battle-Scarred (BS) is the roughest wear of the USP-S | Cortex: floats run from 0.45 to 1.00, more than half of the finish's scale. It is a Classified skin from The Clutch Collection, and in CS2 it is a pink USP-S whose scuffed body and rust-colored spots only add character.

What the USP-S | Cortex looks like in Battle-Scarred

Pink bubble-gum swirls wrap the suppressor and spell out USP along its full length, then fan out in ribbons near the slide over a light gray-green base. The frame is rust-brown, and a pale skull with ribs sits on the grip. Valve's tagline for the item is "Keep your head."

In Battle-Scarred the scuffs and the rusty frame work together: the pistol looks old, while the pink gum on the suppressor stays the brightest spot. The skull on the grip still reads, even though the light base around it is covered in scratches.

Where the USP-S | Cortex came from

The Steam Workshop submission was called "USP-S CUT" and was filed by a player named Glasgow died on August 7, 2015. In the author's own account, a precise and quiet USP is like a scalpel in a surgeon's hand. That is why the skull is cut open, and the pink brains are just gum. The skin joined the Clutch Case and The Clutch Collection in February 2018. Its number in Valve's catalog is 705.

What to check before buying

When choosing a USP-S | Cortex, look at the following:

• float: the band from 0.45 to 1.00 is wide, so searching by the number pays better than going by the wear label;


• pattern: searching by pattern index is pointless, because the drawing never changes;


• stickers and a name tag: they stay with the listing.

What the USP-S | Cortex costs in Battle-Scarred

Factory New costs 8.4 times as much, Minimal Wear twice as much, Field-Tested 1.2 times as much, and Well-Worn a seventh more. The lowest wears nearly merge in price.

Among Classified USP-S finishes, the Cortex in Battle-Scarred sits almost level with Jawbreaker. Spiral Glitch and Monster Mashup cost more than six times as much, Whiteout twelve times, and Orion nearly sixty.

Getting the USP-S | Cortex

Opening a Clutch Case is one way to land this skin. The second is a trade-up contract: ten Restricted skins go in from any collections, and the result comes from the collection of one of the inputs. Ten from The Clutch Collection steer the outcome toward that set, but that is the player's choice, not a requirement.

StatTrak and Souvenir

The USP-S | Cortex has a StatTrak version. There is no Souvenir version of the finish.

Stickers and craft on the USP-S | Cortex

The pink field of the suppressor fights with bright stickers, and next to neutral grays they look better. On the light, scuffed frame, black and dark green stickers fit.

Who this wear suits

Buying the USP-S | Cortex here makes sense if:

• you want a cheap Classified USP-S with a recognizable drawing;


• the Workshop story and the author's idea matter more than a clean body;


• the drawing is the same on every copy, so the choice comes down to float.