Best Skins of the Perfect World Shanghai Major

Skins have been a huge part of the Counter-Strike ecosystem since their addition in 2013. For over a decade, many custom weapon finishes have popped up on the Steam community market and other trading platforms or third-party websites. From basic, neutral skins to the most unique and flashiest of designs, there has always been a wide array of designs for everyone to enjoy in the game. Professional players, just like the casual Counter-Strike 2 community, are no strangers to creating custom loadouts with some of the most popular skins ever created. There were a number of high-tier skins on display at the 2024 Perfect World Shanghai Major, belonging to some of the most well-known players in the world. Here are some of the best skins used at China’s first-ever Major across all the teams that competed.

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CS2 Skins

Best Shanghai Major Skins

M4A1-S | Fade – Classic Design

Nearly every professional player at this level can afford an M4A1-S | Fade or even has one in their inventory. However, it was most prominently seen in the collection of Justinas “jL” Lekavičius during Natus Vincere’s matches in the Elimination Stage. The M4A1-S | Fade is one of the most popular skins available in the game and is also one of the most well-known variants in the Fade skin family that is not a knife finish. jL’s version features a practically perfect fade percentage in Factory New and even comes with four Fnatic Holo stickers from Dreamhack 2014, which further increases both its price and its allure especially to skin purists. With that alone, it deserves its spot on this list as truly one of the most popular skins.

AWP | Gungnir – A Popular Skin Choice for Pros

One of the greatest collector’s pieces in all of Counter-Strike, the AWP | Gungnir has always been one of the most sought-after skins since its introduction into the game way back in November 2019. It quickly emerged as a necessary part of any serious enthusiast’s collection because of its style and reputation as one of the most expensive skins for the AWP. Belonging to such a powerful and tricky weapon, it’s only fitting that one of the greatest snipers of all time uses it on the grandest stage in the whole eSport. Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut’s AWP | Gungnir is as close to perfection as you can get, coming with a float value of 0.04 at Factory New with a complete five-sticker craft of Vox Eminor Holos from the Katowice Major in 2015.

World #1 StatTrak M9 Bayonet | Gamma Doppler (Emerald) – One of the Most Expensive Skins in China

The very best version of the StatTrak M9 Bayonet | Gamma Doppler (Emerald) belongs to the Steam inventory of none other than Mario “malbsMd” Samayoa, who used it all throughout their campaign at the Major. It is listed as the #1 variant of this specific knife skin because of its incredibly low float value of 0.0002. If converted to a real cash equivalent, malbsMd’s M9 Bayonet would be worth around $10,000 on third-party marketplaces. It appears, though, that this particular knife is merely a rental by malbsMd from a private skin collector. This practice of loaning skins out from fans, friends, or collectors by pro players is actually quite commonly done within the scene, especially for true 1/1s that cannot be found anywhere else.

M4A1-S | Hot Rod – A Unique Take

The M4A1-S | Hot Rod may not be as expensive as the other skins on this list, however this particular version owned by FaZe’s ever-reliable Robin “ropz” Kool comes with its own unique appeal. The M4A1-S | Hot Rod has a very sleek and clean metallic red finish with nothing more going on. Stickers are what truly bring the Hot Rod to life, and on ropz’s Factory New variant, he somewhat replicated the aesthetic of the M4A4 | Howl with five stickers: High Heat (2x), Boom Trail, Scorch Loop, and Winding Scorch. The M4A1-S | Hot Rod is one of the most underrated CS skins and typically isn’t one of the first to come to mind when looking for the next big purchase on the Steam market or any other trading platform. Still, ropz’s M4A1-S | Hot Rod gets its appeal from the creative design that, notably, no one else at the Shanghai Major has. Knowing ropz’s personality, his creatively-designed Hot Rod has found the perfect place in his collection.

AWP | Dragon Lore – The Pinnacle of CS Skins

There’s no better way to end the list than with one of the most popular weapon finishes of all time. The AWP | Dragon Lore’s popularity quite literally transcends the game, with people who aren’t even fans of Counter-Strike aware of its existence. One of the players at the Shanghai Major with this specific weapon skin Danil “donk” Kryshkovets, the 17-year-old prodigy of Spirit and the youngest Major champion/MVP of all time. There are other players with the AWP | Dragon Lore, but the one in donk’s inventory will be highlighted simply because it is the one that won the Shanghai Major. donk’s Dragon Lore is Factory New with a low float of 0.01. Just like malbsMd’s M9 Bayonet, it appears that donk’s Dragon Lore was just loaned out for the Shanghai Major by skin collector @gencobraCS as that is what the weapon skin’s nametag says. The Dragon Lore is almost synonymous with Counter-Strike itself, and it’s hard to imagine a world where it is no longer relevant within the CS community and its fans worldwide.

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