USP-S | Cortex (Minimal Wear)

The USP-S | Cortex in Minimal Wear (MW) has a float from 0.07 to 0.15, 8% of the finish's scale. The set is The Clutch Collection, and the rank is Classified. This USP-S for CS2 costs noticeably less in MW than in Factory New (FN).

What the USP-S | Cortex looks like in Minimal Wear

The word USP is picked out in pink on the suppressor, pink swirls spread over the slide, and a skull shows on the grip. The base is gray-green, bone-like, and the frame is rusty brown. The pattern is dense, with a lot of pink in it.

In MW the scuffs are small: the edge of the slide and the front of the suppressor go lighter. Wear is fixed at the drop, so every copy of the USP-S | Cortex keeps the float it dropped with.

Where the USP-S | Cortex came from

This is the work of a player named Glasgow died: on the Steam Workshop it was titled "USP-S CUT" and went up on August 7, 2015. The author explained the idea himself. The USP is precise and quiet, like a scalpel in a surgeon's hand, so the skull is cut open, and the pink brains are "just bubble gum". The USP-S | Cortex appeared in the game in February 2018.

What to check before buying

When choosing a USP-S | Cortex listing, this is what counts:

• the float: the wear band on this skin is 0.07 to 0.15;


• whatever the previous owner left behind, from stickers to a name tag;


• the state of the slide edge and the rim of the suppressor.

The USP-S | Cortex has a fixed pattern, and price does not depend on it. This wear fits into 0.07 to 0.15, so copies are close in wear.

What the USP-S | Cortex costs in Minimal Wear

The other wears of the USP-S | Cortex stand against Minimal Wear like this:

• Factory New runs about 3.9 times higher;


• Field-Tested is cheaper by about 1.9 times;


• Well-Worn is cheaper by about 2.2 times;


• Battle-Scarred is cheaper by about 2.2 times.

Among Classified USP-S finishes in MW, the skin costs more only than USP-S | Jawbreaker. Above it stand Orion, Spiral Glitch, Monster Mashup and Caiman.

Getting the USP-S | Cortex

The USP-S | Cortex is part of the Clutch Case.

A trade-up contract also yields the USP-S | Cortex. Ten skins of the rank below are fed in, from any collections, and the result is taken from the set of one of them. If all ten come from The Clutch Collection, the result is one of the set's three Classified skins, so the odds of the pistol are one in three. This skin can in turn go into a contract for the Covert M4A4 | Neo-Noir and MP7 | Bloodsport.

StatTrak and Souvenir

A StatTrak version of the USP-S | Cortex exists. Souvenir packages never included this skin.

Stickers and craft on the USP-S | Cortex

On a light base with a pink pattern, dark and silver stickers look better. Pink and red ones merge with the ribbons. The USP lettering on the suppressor is best left uncovered.

Who this wear suits

Minimal Wear on the USP-S | Cortex makes sense in three cases:

• you want a pink USP-S with a crisp pattern but without the FN price;


• you need an inexpensive Classified pistol for the counter-terrorists;


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