Nova | Koi (Field-Tested)

The Nova | Koi (Field-Tested) is a Restricted shotgun skin covered in variegated red-and-white koi scales. Field-Tested is the most worn grade this finish reaches and the cheapest way into the koi design.

Design

Koi covers the Nova in layered koi scales, a warm red-and-white scheme that plays as decorative artwork rather than battlefield camo. The design comes from community artist ヒヨコ隊員, whose fish-scale motif hands this shotgun a look you won't confuse with the standard tactical finishes.

Nova | Koi (Field-Tested) Float and Wear

This finish is float-capped at 0.30, and Field-Tested occupies the top of that range — meaning even the most worn grade stays milder than a full-scale skin's Battle-Scarred. Expect light scuffing along the edges and receiver, but the koi scales hold their color well and the artwork reads clearly at any distance.

Nova | Koi Rarity

Rarity: Restricted — the purple tier. It slots above Mil-Spec and beneath Classified in the standard weapon grades, marking it as a genuinely uncommon drop rather than an everyday one.

Nova | Koi Case and Collection

This finish sits in The Breakout Collection and is unboxed from the Operation Breakout Weapon Case, which arrived with Operation Breakout in July 2014. As a group the Restricted tier drops around 15.98% of the time from the case (that figure is shared across the tier), and with the case retired from the active pool, buyers pick up most copies on the market.

Nova | Koi Patterns

Because the koi scales sit the same way on every copy, this finish has no random pattern variation — nothing like a paint seed or blue-gem to track down. Copies differ only by their wear grade and float, never by the pattern index.

StatTrak & Souvenir

You can also find a StatTrak™ edition, minted from the Operation Breakout Weapon Case, which tacks on a confirmed-kill counter; it's scarcer and more expensive than the plain drop, and the counter is permanent — it never gets wiped when the item changes hands. There's no Souvenir variant, since Souvenir weapons come solely from Major-tournament packages and this finish was never part of one.

Nova | Koi Price

Field-Tested is the cheapest grade of this skin, the entry-level route into the koi design for players who care more about the look than a spotless surface. It keeps this Nova squarely in affordable mid-tier territory. It's available to buy on Skin.Land with instant delivery and no hidden fees.

FAQ

How worn does the Field-Tested Koi look?

Mild for a Field-Tested. Because the float caps at 0.30, this grade never reaches heavy battering — you'll see light edge scuffing and some thinning near the receiver, but the red-and-white koi scales keep their color and the artwork stays fully legible in-game.

Is Field-Tested worth buying over Minimal Wear?

If price is the priority, yes. Field-Tested is the most affordable grade of this Nova and, thanks to the low float cap, it still looks respectable. Minimal Wear costs a bit more for a slightly tidier surface, so the choice comes down to whether you want the cheapest option or the cleaner one.

Is there a Battle-Scarred Koi Nova?

No. The finish tops out at 0.30 float, and Battle-Scarred needs a much higher value than that, so it can't exist. Field-Tested is the most worn version available — one reason even the roughest Koi copies look tamer than the low grades of most other skins.