Nova | Polar Mesh

Origin Story

The Nova | Polar Mesh emerged from The Train Collection, released on November 27, 2013, as part of the "Out with the old, in with the new" update. Its design features a cool-toned gray and blue spray-painted pattern, achieved using mesh fencing and cardboard cutouts as stencils, giving it a camouflaged, winterized appearance. The in-game description notes this spray-paint technique, which applies a distinctive mesh-like pattern across the weapon's body. The flavor text, "A predator is a predator, no matter the environment," reinforces its arctic camouflage theme. This skin is primarily valued by collectors seeking to complete older collections or themed loadouts.

Drop Chance

Nova | Polar Mesh is Consumer Grade, the most common drop tier in CS2. It has appeared across 10 tournament packages, most recently the Krakow 2017 Train Souvenir Package, London 2018 Train Souvenir Package, and MLG Columbus 2016 Train Souvenir Package.


Souvenir Packages are awarded to viewers watching live Major matches on the corresponding map, not opened from cases, so Valve doesn't publish per-skin drop odds. Each package contains one item from The Train Collection, with rarity tiers drawn on a weighted system that heavily favors common grades, meaning Consumer Grade skins like Polar Mesh are a small fraction of total package contents. There are 5 other Consumer Grade skins in the collection competing for the same drop slot. New copies only enter the market when a recipient chooses to open their package, so supply trickles in over time even after the tournament ends.

Skin Condition

Float range 0.06 to 0.8. Exteriors: Minimal Wear, Field-Tested, Well-Worn, Battle-Scarred. StatTrak is not available for this skin.

• Minimal Wear ($0.08): The cool grey and blue-grey mesh pattern is crisp and fully covers the receiver and stock, showing only minor edge thinning. This is the cleanest exterior available for this skin due to its float range.
• Field-Tested ($0.04): Noticeable fading and wear appear on prominent edges of the barrel, receiver, and stock, with the mesh pattern becoming less continuous as darker undersurface shows through.
• Well-Worn ($0.04): Significant chipping along most edges reveals larger patches of dark base metal on the receiver and stock, making the mesh pattern spottier and less uniform.
• Battle-Scarred ($0.03): Heavy wear exposes extensive dark base metal, especially at the front and edges, leaving the mesh pattern patchy and rugged with much duller and darker colors overall.

Model

Polar Mesh uses the legacy Nova model, introduced with Out with the old, in with the new on November 27, 2013. The inspect animation and third-person appearance match the original CS:GO version.

How to Obtain

The Souvenir Nova | Polar Mesh originally entered the market through specific tournament Souvenir Packages, such as the Atlanta 2017 Train Souvenir Package and the MLG Columbus 2016 Train Souvenir Package, which were awarded to viewers during Major events. Since these tournaments have concluded, new packages are no longer distributed. Today, players primarily acquire this skin by purchasing existing copies on the Steam Community Market or through various third-party marketplaces. It is also available on case-opening and skin trading sites that stock collection items.

Price Range

Nova | Polar Mesh ranges from $0.03 (Battle-Scarred) to $1.57 (Factory New). Field-Tested copies sit at $0.04.


The current 7-day median is $0.03. The 90-day median is $0.03. The all-time median is $0.03. Volume averages 137 trades per day.

Visual Theme

Spray-Paint: It has been spray-painted using mesh fencing and cardboard cutouts as stencils. This creates a cool-toned gray and blue-grey "polar" camouflage pattern. The left side of the receiver and the top of the handguard are most prominent in a first-person view, clearly displaying the mesh spray pattern. The flavor text, "A predator is a predator, no matter the environment," reinforces the arctic predator theme.

Player Rating

Rating: N/A / 5
Votes: 0

Sticker Compatibility

The Nova | Polar Mesh's cool grey and blue palette pairs well with stickers featuring blue, cyan, or white elements to enhance its polar theme, or with white, silver, and black stickers for contrast. The receiver and stock sticker positions are most visible in gameplay. This skin is generally considered a budget option and lacks a specific sticker meta or famous crafts.