AWP | Lightning Strike (Factory New)

Skin overview

AWP | Lightning Strike is a Covert sniper rifle skin with a deep purple anodized body crossed by pale branching lightning bolts. In Factory New the purple keeps an even metallic sheen and the thin bolt lines stay crisp from the receiver to the stock. This is the cleanest form of the finish, with no visible marks on the coloured parts.

Item type: sniper rifle. Covert is the top weapon rarity: usually the most prominent items of a collection or case.

Anodized Multicolored: several colours in the metal coating; it wears little, the colours only dull with use.

The remaining qualities of this skin: Minimal Wear.

Appearance in Factory New

The receiver, the lower body and the stock are coated in saturated purple anodized paint over a metallic base, which gives the colour a glossy, slightly shifting tone. Thin pale violet and white lightning bolts branch across the receiver and run down towards the grip and the stock. The long barrel, the scope and the bipod stay in dark metal and keep the purple confined to the main body. On worn copies the first marks appear on the edges of the stock, the lower edge of the receiver and other raised parts, where the anodized layer can show small scratches.

In Factory New the anodized purple is uniform across the receiver, the grip and the stock. The lightning lines keep sharp edges and full contrast against the violet base. In game at normal distance the rifle reads as a clean, bright purple body with a dark barrel. Every part of the finish looks untouched.

Factory New wear: float 0–0.07

The whole float range of AWP | Lightning Strike is 0–0.08; Factory New takes the 0–0.07 segment (88% of the scale). Within the range, copies with a lower float look cleaner and are valued higher.

Origin of the skin

The skin’s collection is The Arms Deal Collection with 9 skins in total.

The source is CS:GO Weapon Case (on sale since Sep 20, 2013).

What it costs in each quality

Among 19 skins of the AWP in the Covert grade and this quality, this skin ranks 9th by price, counting from the dearest.

StatTrak™ and Souvenir

This skin has a the StatTrak™ version with a kill counter. Right now it is 2× dearer than the regular one. There is also a the Souvenir version with tournament stickers.

Which stickers suit it

Purple, white and silver stickers continue the colour scheme, while holographic or foil stickers echo the metallic sheen of the anodized paint. Placing them on the receiver keeps the lightning on the stock visible, and black or dark stickers blend with the barrel area.

What to look at before you buy

• Compare the float within the range, since the whole range is very clean and both grades look close.
• Check the stock edges and the lower edge of the receiver on screenshots, as marks appear there first.
• Look at the stickers and their positions, because they cover parts of the lightning pattern.
• Decide between the regular, StatTrak™ and Souvenir versions, as all of them exist for this skin.

Who the Factory New quality suits

• Collectors who want the finish in its cleanest state.
• Players planning a sticker craft on a fully untouched base.
• Buyers looking for a low float or a StatTrak™ copy.
• In short: the choice for those who want the reference condition.