Blood in the Water sits in the Arms Deal 2 line as one of the most recognizable Covert finishes on the scout rifle. Valve’s pitch is simple: the gun is spray-painted with a shark image, and the art reads custom hand-painted—soft edges and color blocks feel brushed on, not like a flat factory decal. For collectors, it’s a living piece of early 2013 crate-era taste; for buyers, it’s still a status covert with real market depth.

Release & source

• Live date: 2013-11-08, with The Arms Deal 2 update
• Case: CS:GO Weapon Case 2 (same drop window as the update)
• Collection: Arms Deal 2 Collection
• Designer: Valve (official in-house art; no Workshop author credit)

Stable supply still traces back to Weapon Case 2 openings. When you compare listings on C5GAME or the Steam Community Market, match case origin and collection tags so you’re not paying “wrong story” pricing.

Skin facts (buyer checklist)

| Item | Detail |
|------|--------|
| Type | Weapon finish (cu_shark) |
| Rarity | Covert (Ancient) — low roll odds from the case |
| Wear range | 0.06 – 0.20 only (Factory New through Field-Tested band; no BS/WW in-table) |
| Look | Shark-centered composition; inspect for spray completeness and clean base color |

The narrow float window is the whole game: every tier in-range can still differ in edge crispness and how much base metal peeks through.

What to check in-game (don’t trust the thumbnail)

Spin the inspect view before you commit:

1. Shark placement along the body—does the head/tail feel centered on your taste?
2. Grip & rail cuts—hand-painted skins often clip the motif; some cuts look intentional, others look like you lost the best part of the art.
3. Spray integrity—missing chunks of blue/white or muddy overlap usually hurt resale more than a slightly higher float.
4. Float shopping—if you’re hunting Minimal Wear or Field-Tested, pull several floats in the 0.06–0.20 band; small differences can change how “fresh” the shark reads.

Shop verdict

• Collectors: Strong Arms Deal 2 emblem—pair the purchase with case/collection literacy and a float you’re proud to showcase.
• Players / flex buyers: Covert rarity + iconic shark art = easy recognition in lobbies; liquidity is usually workable on C5GAME and Steam, but price swings follow case openings and hype cycles.
• Budget discipline: Pay for inspect quality first, float second, name cachet third. A pretty 0.18 that keeps the shark intact often beats a cheap 0.07 with a butchered rail.

Bottom line: Worth buying if you’ll in-game inspect and treat it as a wear-capped skin (0.06–0.20). Skip impulse buys off static images—this finish is all about how the shark survives the gun’s geometry.

Expert muttering

Covert from 2013, shark spray, float locked below 0.21—of course the market argues about “clean ocean” vs “chewed fin at the grip.” Weapon Case 2 is the honest path; everything else is just sticker math and patience. If the thumbnail looks perfect, assume the inspect will humble you, then let C5 or Steam prove you wrong.