Where CS2 skins come from: cases, collections and drops

Main sources

cases. They fall accidentally during the game and can be opened with a key for money. Inside is a set of items from one collection plus a chance for a knife or gloves.

Weekly drop. In-game time rewards you with an item from collections that are currently in the active reward pool. Free, but set is limited.

Souvenir sets. Issued to tournament spectators, inside was an item from the collection of the corresponding card with tournament stickers.

In-game store and events. Individual objects appear through them, bypassing conventional mechanisms.

Exchange contracts. Ten items of the same rarity are exchanged for one item of a higher rarity from the same collections.

Collections and cases

A collection is a set of skins, united by a theme and a map. case is a container from which items from a specific collection drop.

Not all collections are associated with cases. There are collections of cards, items from which drop directly in weekly rewards or drop from souvenir sets - without any keys.

The name of the collection is always indicated in the item description. It is used to determine where the item comes from and whether its supply continues to be replenished.

Active drop pools and discontinued supply

Not all cases fall at the same time. There is a limited set in the active pool, the rest have been removed from the drop - new copies no longer appear.

It’s the same with collections in weekly rewards: their composition changes periodically, and the collection may no longer be replenished.

This is what creates the long-term price difference. The supply of case withdrawn from circulation is finite and is gradually spent on openings - the supply is slowly declining.

But I will repeat what is always worth remembering: a reduction in supply increases the likelihood of growth, but does not guarantee it. We need demand. A rare item that no one needs will remain cheap for as long as you like.

Trade-up contracts

Ten items of the same rarity are converted into one item of a higher rarity from the same collections. The float result depends on the float nested items, and the specific skin is determined randomly from the possible options.

As a way to earn money, contracts work poorly: the cost of ten invested items is usually higher than the average cost of the result. As a way to get a specific skin cheaper than the market - sometimes yes, if you count in advance.

Before entering into a contract, calculate the cost of entry and the average cost of possible results. If you consider laziness, this is not a contract, but a lottery.