If you want a Nova that reads instantly in inspect—not another flat industrial skin—the weapon | Koi is one of the Breakout era’s signature custom-painted pieces. Multicolor koi scales wrap the body; mythical rarity and Breakout Collection pedigree make it easy to spot and a natural “color anchor” in Eastern-themed stashes.

Quick specs

| Item | Detail |
|------|--------|
| Release | 1 Jul 2014 — Operation Breakout |
| Designer | hiyoko_prince (Workshop) |
| Source | Operation Breakout Weapon Case, Breakout Collection |
| Wear | 0.00–0.30 — Factory New, Minimal Wear, Field-Tested only (no Well-Worn / Battle-Scarred) |
| Finish | Custom paint (cu_nova_koi), display name Koi |

In-game inspect: what actually changes

Open Inspect in Game before you buy. The hand-painted scale blocks shift contrast and edge definition under angle and lighting—not a uniform laminate.

• Factory New: Usually the punchiest oranges, whites, and dark scale outlines.
• Minimal Wear / Field-Tested: Often a bit muted; whether that feels “vintage” or “muddy” is personal—check how much contrast you want between color patches.

Because float cannot go past 0.30, you are not chasing ultra-low float for bragging rights. The purchase decision is pattern read (scales feeling complete on the sides you care about) and palette (does this multicolor mix match your other Breakout skins?).

Where to buy & wear tier logic

Drop path: unbox from the Operation Breakout Weapon Case, or compare listings on C5GAME and the Steam Community Market by wear tier.

With only three wear bands, pricing is straightforward—pick the tier whose inspect screenshots match your taste, not the lowest float number on the listing.

Shopping verdict

Buy if you like hand-painted texture, Breakout collection cohesion, or need a loud Nova for screenshots and themed loadouts. Skip if you want pristine color at any float (FT can dull patches) or you only collect max-float flex—this skin’s ceiling is 0.30 by design.

Value sweet spot: MW or FT with a clean inspect record showing scale layout you like, bought after comparing a few C5GAME / Steam listings in the same tier.

Editor’s notes

Breakout gave us a lot of loud customs; Koi survives because the motif is literal—not abstract splatter. Pair it with other Breakout Collection pieces for a consistent “operation era” shelf.

Save inspect links or screenshots when you shortlist; two “Minimal Wear” Novas can look like different skins. For a shop Nova under mythical pricing, pattern satisfaction beats 0.01 float drama every time.