After the huge Shattered Web update in skins which consisted of one case and three new collections, we have finally got not one but two new cases! Both Prisma 2 collection and The Quarantine Collection dropped yesterday just as Operation Shattered Web finished. In this post, we’ll take a closer look at the Quarantine Collection, so if you’re interested in Prisma 2 Collection, we'll cover it in the next article.
Why thoust exist?
What’s the most surprising about the entire situation is that there are two collections released at once. We could smell the Prisma 2 Collection coming from a mile away. It’s comprised of some of the workshop submissions favorited by many and it is that time of year to release a new batch of skins. Yet, Quarantine Collection is very clearly inspired by the current COVID-19 pandemic. Although the coronavirus epidemic is a serious topic, Valve managed to pull off a coronavirus-themed community skins collection that isn’t in a bad taste. Good job, Valve!
Still, why does it exist in the first place? Some veteran traders suggest that Quarantine Collection was released to fill the void left after the postponed Rio Major. In a normal situation, every Major means a lot of new items, mostly souvenir drops and stickers that are perfect investment opportunity for skins investors and esports fanatics alike. A postponed ESL One Rio Major 2020 (which was obviously the responsible call to make) means no new skins. This, in turn, means no new money from the trades on these items.
Moreover, Quarantine Collection rides on the quarantine memes pretty well. This wouldn’t be the first attempt to capitalize on a meme by a big company. How will it go this time? Time (and prices) will tell.
What’s in the boooox!?
The Quarantine Collection skins come from Quarantine Case, which just like any other case has a chance to be one of the weekly random drops and needs an associated key to be opened. It holds 17 quarantine and epidemic-themed skins, but I will focus on four Quarantine Collection skins that I find the most pleasing.
AWP | Virus
A clear reference to the toilet paper meme, AK-47 | Paper is a Mil-Spec grade Ak-47 skin that really sticks out among all viral, toxic, and brutal weaponry. It’s white, cartoonish and hella sweet. The wear levels are also quite distinct: Battle-Scarred showing a lot of bare-metal body and Factory New being all white and clean. I can only imagine the heights this quite average AK-47 skin will get to when it comes to low wear, fully white pieces. As a true collector’s treat, it may be also a good addition to all-white inventories.
What’s next for the Quarantine Collection?
Now we wait for prices to stabilize. I doubt any of the skins from the Quarantine Collection will reach the top in terms of price, but you never know. Sadly, there is no new knives in either Quarantine Collection, nor the Prisma 2 Collection, so the heavy-hitter collectors aren’t very happy. This will surely lower the longevity of the Quarantine Case. Will the meme suffice to keep it afloat? Will skins such as Glock-18 | Quarantine or AK-47 | Paper find their Stans? We’ll see that in the future.
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Would you like a Quarantine Collection to be a thing? Please support the creators of the original skins:
Glock-18 | Quarantine: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=513407350
AWP | Virus: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=291628089&searchtext=AWP+Virus
XM1014 | Plague: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2030387240&searchtext=plague
AK-47 | Paper: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=200532640