Counter-Strike: Global Offensive has received the long-awaited The Dreams & Nightmares Case. The treasure trove is part of a patch: the update launched on players’ computers on the night of January 20 to 21. The CS.MONEY Blog is here to talk about all skins from this case and their creators, as well as some further details concerning the patch.
Contents of the case
All skins from the new box are the winning entries of the Dreams & Nightmares contest. While the works all share this common theme, “nightmare” skins prevail. The number of finishes in the case is standard: 17 items. The distribution by class is familiar, too: Covert finishes are the smallest group, and Mil-Spec skins, contrariwise, the largest. Some skins can change in very special and curious ways as the float increases, making them truly unique!
While Valve was preparing for the case’s release, we managed to interview one of the lucky winners whose skin got into the case and brought them an impressive $100,000.
Covert skins
There are only two “red-class” finishes in the case: the AK-47 Nightwish and the MP9 Starlight Protector. Their creators, Nextgenz and TheDanidem, respectively, have already contributed to the game previously. Namely, Nextgenz gave us the USP-S Monster Mashup, and TheDanidem designed several stickers from the CS20 Sticker Capsule, such as Surf’s Up and Friend Code.
The AK-47 Nightwish is the definition of colorful. The combination of this psychedelic blue monster and the dark background is badass. The pattern has a pearlescent effect. This is clearly a nightmare finish. The MP9 Starlight Protector, on the other hand, is a dream-themed skin: the CT pistol features a unicorn and is decorated in marble and gold. Luxurious.
Classified skins
The second-rarest skin group is represented by three items. These are the MP7 Abyssal Apparition by Niran, the Dual Berettas Melondrama by sebasteter and Kuch, and the FAMAS Rapid Eye Movement by Sparkwire and Druida. All three clearly fall into the nightmarish category. You’ve got watermelons piercing you with their creepy stare, a dozen of watching eyes, and a veritable abyss of nightmares. Incredible gun looks.
Here’s a fun fact. The MP7 Abyssal Apparition and the Dual Berettas Melondrama are the artists’ first works that made it into the game. Given Valve’s recurring tendency to work with skin-makers that have already distinguished themselves previously, we should congratulate the guys for getting into this small milieu. By the way, as the pattern deteriorates, the Watermelons’ eyes fade in an extremely creepy manner.
Restricted skins
This category includes five skins, with only one of them definitely belonging to the dream type: that’s the G3SG1 Dream Glade. Here are the five Restricted items from The Dreams & Nightmares Case:
- XM1014 Zombie Offensive by oKeyush;
- G3SG1 Dream Glade by Druida;
- PP-Bizon Space Cat by Maloo;
- USP-S Ticket to Hell by supremat;
- M4A1-S Night Terror by Madara and Blazer.
Mil-Spec skins
The largest skin class in the case consists of seven finishes. Yet again, the looks are predominantly nightmarish. Here they are:
- P2000 Lifted Spirits by Des;
- Five-SeveN Scrawl by Anbu and kasim.tattoo;
- SCAR-20 Poultrygeist by Guardian Gear;
- MAC-10 Ensnared by Catmagen and b3d;
- MP5-SD Necro Jr. by hook and KvaHu;
- MAG-7 Foresight by Jerry an zlo;
- Sawed-Off Spirit Board by Sorarox.
All skins from The Dreams & Nightmares Case were created by the community as part of a contest of the same name that lasted from July 22 to October 21. Among the 15,000 entries, Valve selected 17. Each entry entered the next case and brought its respective creators $100,000. It was the first contest like that ever held by Valve. You can learn more about this historic event here.
We also managed to find out how the community treated the contest and gathered people’s opinions on what skins should have been included in this case. Read the post at the link!
As to other changes introduced to the game, there aren’t many:
- The developers updated the color of the diamond coin for Operation Riptide;
- They also tweaked the Insertion 2 map — the huge location that made players tilt in the last operation’s missions.
