Skins in Counter-Strike have long become more than just visual upgrades — for players, they often hold memories, emotions, and personal meaning. In this interview, FaZe Clan in-game leader and CS legend Finn “karrigan” Andersen shares his personal relationship with skins, from his very first lucky case opening to sentimental items and a dream concept for a signature design inspired by Gotham.
What was your first skin in CS, and how did you get it?
The first real skin I got was AWP Lightning Strike StatTrak. It was the first case I ever opened, I believe, and I remember being super happy about it.
What’s your all-time favorite skin and why?
My butterfly Doppler is definitely up there in terms of favorite skins. It just pops really well with the red color in-game.
Also, cause I’ve had it for a lot of years now, and it’s seen its fair share of wins and losses, but I like how the skin looks regardless of when I’ve played with it.
Is there a skin that carries a personal story from a tournament or a specific moment in your career?
Not really, something I hold dearly is that I got an AWP Boom and an AK-47 Fire Serpent from my brother a long time ago, so they mean something personal to me.
When choosing skins, do you lean more toward aesthetics, rarity, or emotional value?
It’s a mix of all of it tbh. When it comes to playing, it’s mostly about the aesthetic. Sure, I could have more skins with even higher value, but it also has to be something I think is nice to look at while playing.
Do you believe in “cursed skins”? A skin that you replaced after a lost tournament or match?
Not really, but I love my butterfly, but I have lost some games with it, so that’s the only one that might be cursed — but looks really good, haha.
Is there one skin you would never sell under any circumstances?
I think because of sentimental value that I’d never sell my AWP Lightning Strike. I’ve had it for so long at this point that it would feel weird to get rid of it.
If you could design your own signature skin, what would it look like?
It would probably be impossible for copyright reasons. But imagine we could get a Batman-themed skin of sorts. I do love the dark colors and think the theme would be insane on a CS skin.
Karrigan explains that his dream signature skin would center around a darker aesthetic, with the AK-47 as the ideal base for the concept. He envisions a minimalistic design built on deep tones, subtly highlighted by Batman-inspired yellow accents — but emphasizes that it would need a truly unique identity to stand apart from the many similar AK skins already in the game. If it ever became real, he even hints at reviving his iconic Batman mask on stage to complete the moment.
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It would have to be something unique for it to work. A primarily dark-toned AK with Batman yellow accents in a minimalistic way could be a dope skin — and I might even bring the Batman mask back on stage if that skin became a reality
