Souvenir M4A1-S | Guardian (Battle-Scarred)

Skin overview

In Battle-Scarred the Guardian looks like a rifle that has seen long service: the cobalt coat is chipped along the edges and thinned on the magazine and stock. Because the skin's wear range ends early, even this grade keeps a lot of blue on the main surfaces. It is the most affordable way to carry the CT-blue M4A1-S.

Item type: rifle. The weapon is available only on the Counter-Terrorist side. Classified is the second-rarest weapon tier, only Covert sits above it.

Custom Paint Job: hand-painted across the whole body; this is the type where wear shows most, the artwork rubs down to metal.

Other qualities of this skin: Factory New, Minimal Wear, Field-Tested and Well-Worn. The same quality also exists as the StatTrak™ version.

How the skin looks in Battle-Scarred

The receiver, handguard, carry handle and stock are painted cobalt blue, while the barrel, pistol grip and silencer remain dark grey. The magazine carries a stencilled CT emblem in a muted gold tone, and fine stencil text runs along the receiver and the silencer.

The heaviest wear available for this skin: the handguard, magazine and stock edges are chipped down to dark metal and the emblem is broken up. Since the wear range is capped early, the paint does not strip away entirely and large blue areas remain. In game the rifle reads as battered but still carries its cobalt colour. The flat centres of the receiver and stock stay the cleanest parts.

Battle-Scarred quality — float range 0.45–0.5

The whole float range of Souvenir M4A1-S | Guardian is 0–0.5; Battle-Scarred takes the 0.45–0.5 segment (10% 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 Winter Offensive Collection with 13 skins in total.

It drops from Winter Offensive Weapon Case (on sale since Dec 18, 2013).

Souvenir version

This is the Souvenir version: such copies dropped to tournament viewers in souvenir packages; the team stickers and signatures on them cannot be removed or chosen. Souvenir items never carry StatTrak™. There is also the regular version without tournament stickers.

Stickers and crafts

Gold, white and blue stickers match the cobalt paint and the gold-toned CT emblem. Small stickers placed in a line along the receiver keep the clean colour block intact, while a single gold accent works well near the magazine.

What to look at before you buy

• Check the float within the grade, since lower values keep cleaner handguard ribs and magazine edges.
• Look at the CT emblem on the magazine, which is the first detail to fade on worn copies.
• Inspect the rear of the stock and the carry handle for chips that show dark metal through the blue.
• Note any applied stickers and name tag, as they change how the plain blue finish looks.

Who the Battle-Scarred quality suits

• Budget entry into the skin, with plenty of blue left thanks to the capped wear range.
• Players who prefer a battered, long-service look.
• The most affordable way to own the Guardian.